Hurricane Irene

[Dennis Markham]

Wishing all of our friends on the East Coast well during this hurricane.  Looks like Jonathan (jsowers) down in North Carolina is just west of the storm.  Any reports from those in the path?

[HarrySmith]

My best wishes to all involved.

This is the first time I have heard people coming to South Florida to get away from a hurricane

[jsowers]

Dennis, we're just getting wind in the western Piedmont of NC. But it's not as bad as the wind over at The Weather Channel.    They're hyping this hurricane for all it's worth. I hope it isn't nearly as bad as they want us to think it is. I had to turn it off just now because the anchor guy was talking like he'd had too much caffeine, so fast he could hardly be understood.

[old_stuff_hound]

Kinda breezy in Raleigh, and we've gotten about 1" of rain today, but most of it missed us. Folks East of I-95 are having a much harder time of it, I understand....

[Doug Rose]

Heavy T-Storms in Boston area, but Irene is still a long way from us. Push her out to sea.....Doug

[JorgeAmely]

I wish we had some of Irene's rain here; it is 103 outside. 

[Dennis Markham]

I wish we had some of Irene's rain here; it is 103 outside. 

Ouch!  Jorge, did you move to Texas??!

[MDK]

I'm in Jacksonville. We just got our power and internet restored. My POTS service has been out since last night, and is still out.

I lost a tree in my backyard which fell on my carport. Fortunately my vehicles were not damaged.

[MDK]

Most of my local friends are reporting they still have no power this evening, and there are lots of trees and power lines down in the roads.

We had a rough night, and it got really bad between about 8:00 am and 2:00 PM. I heard several reports of rainfall amounts across the area of over 10 inches.

A few big fishing piers on the ocean near here are reported to have been destroyed, everything is closed except for the essential services. A curfew is in effect until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow.

I'll probably be sharpening up the chain saw. Firewood and scrap metal, anyone?

[dsk]

We have been complaining about our summer here, much rain, some moderate flooding, and maximum temperatures between 70 and 80 deg F but now storms like that.  I'm shamed.

Take care!
The chain saw may hurt you more than the storm did!

And good luck with cleaning up after the storm.

dsk

[GG]

This is one place where switchers in particular, and technically capable telephone enthusiasts in general, can be of enormous help to neighbors.

Depending on distance between houses, and neighborhood topography, you may be able to wire up your neighborhood to your switch, using rodent-proof direct burial outside wire.  This would be a valuable service before a disaster or weather emergency, and could be indispensable during & after one. 

If you have good backup power (e.g. a solar system with battery bank, or a good diesel generator) you can keep your PBX running during a power failure, so at minimum you can provide service between neighbors.  To connect to the outside world, have analog CO lines (which many of your neighbors won't have), and at least one "cellular to analog adaptor" to enable PBX extensions to make calls over the cellular network if landlines are down.  If you have a Ham license, a phone patch to an Amateur Radio transceiver could also be useful to enable connecting neighbors to the radio network (or they can phone their messages to you and you can phone the replies to them).  If you're with the local volunteer fire department, and can use your FVD radio to call in emergencies, then you can also serve as the neighborhood equivalent of 911 until regular service is restored. 

This could save lives.

And the fact is that extreme weather events are increasing and will continue to increase as a function of climate change, so the need for this kind of neighborhood communication will also increase over time. 

This is an area where we can turn our hobbyist interests into a vital local resource for neighborhood resilience. 

(Note:  Small Strowger systems use almost zero power when idle, so they are a good bet for running on battery power.  Electronic PBXs consume more power when idle but less under normal use than Strowger switches.  Manual switchboards can be set up to consume zero power when idle and very little when in use, though they require someone sleeping next to the switchboard overnight.  A simple magneto system can also serve in a pinch, with "code ringing" for a few houses along a stretch of inexpensive one-pair cable.)

[Tom B]

Best of luck to all caught up in Irene's path.
We complain about the weather here, but we don't get anything that bad.

[Doug Rose]

Riding the Strom Out REO Speedwagon...I can't get this out of my head. Yes I like the original with Michael Murphy (not the Wildfire dude) much better.

So far just a lot of rain and some mild wind. I hope everyone on the lower east coast have survive without much damage.

MDK...sorry about your tree, I thought it was goig to miss FLA...Doug


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTBv4kAdk_w

[K1WI]

    So much for the reliability of the old landline phone.   Power and phone out since early AM.   But cell phones still humming away !   (both VZW and ATT).
    From windy and very wet RI beach ........   Andy   k1wi

PS   HAM RADIO STILL WORKS ....AS ALWAYS !

[jsowers]

MDK...sorry about your tree, I thought it was goig to miss FLA...Doug

Doug, FYI, MDK is in Jacksonville, NC and not Florida. It's near Camp Lejeune and the southern Outer Banks, at the coast of NC. It's pretty much where the hurricane first made landfall.

MDK, that's too bad about your tree, but it's good you and your family are safe and sound and that you have power restored.