Large winter storm coming

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I live in Rochester, NH. We lost our power sometime after midnight on Thursday. Woke up to 2 to 3 inches of water in our basement (no power - no sump pump). Bailed water with 5 gal buckets for about 1 hour and then decided we needed to purchase a generator. Lowe's and Home Depot in Rochester had sold out within 30 minutes of opening that morning. However, HD in Biddeford had 64, and they allowed me to purchase one over the phone with a credit card!!!!! Got it hooked up around noon. All water pumped out in less than 20 minutes!!

The craziest part of this was trying to get the gas cans filled (we only had a little left from the lawnmower). Craig waited in line for more than 2 hours on Friday afternoon to get gas. There were only 2 gas stations in all of Rochester with power. Traffic was NUTS! I stood in line at Wendy's Friday pm for almost 2 hours to get something for us to eat. We thought it would be quicker to eat out than to bother making something at home - HA!!

Got the wood stove going on Saturday (it was 53 degrees in the house by then). We were warm and toasty by evening. Used our bbq grill and my canister stoves to cook the rest of the weekend. It was nice to have the generator to run the fridge, sump, and some lights. We have Direct TV so we were able to watch TV without waiting for cable to come back up. Didn't have any access to internet, though!

Finally got our power back last night around 11 - nearly 70 hours without power!

Although it was "fun" (sort of), everything was a challenge and our everyday routine - cooking, washing dishes, etc. - took a lot longer than if we had power. But - we're ready for the next time. We even took showers on saturday night with water heated on the wood stove and a watering can. :p

I really have a lot of sympathy for those out there still without power.

Little Bear
 
LittleBear said:
I live in Rochester, NH. We lost our power sometime after midnight on Thursday. Woke up to 2 to 3 inches of water in our basement (no power - no sump pump). Bailed water with 5 gal buckets for about 1 hour and then decided we needed to purchase a generator. Lowe's and Home Depot in Rochester had sold out within 30 minutes of opening that morning. However, HD in Biddeford had 64, and they allowed me to purchase one over the phone with a credit card!!!!! Got it hooked up around noon. All water pumped out in less than 20 minutes!!

The craziest part of this was trying to get the gas cans filled (we only had a little left from the lawnmower). Craig waited in line for more than 2 hours on Friday afternoon to get gas. There were only 2 gas stations in all of Rochester with power. Traffic was NUTS! I stood in line at Wendy's Friday pm for almost 2 hours to get something for us to eat. We thought it would be quicker to eat out than to bother making something at home - HA!!

Got the wood stove going on Saturday (it was 53 degrees in the house by then). We were warm and toasty by evening. Used our bbq grill and my canister stoves to cook the rest of the weekend. It was nice to have the generator to run the fridge, sump, and some lights. We have Direct TV so we were able to watch TV without waiting for cable to come back up. Didn't have any access to internet, though!

Finally got our power back last night around 11 - nearly 70 hours without power!

Although it was "fun" (sort of), everything was a challenge and our everyday routine - cooking, washing dishes, etc. - took a lot longer than if we had power. But - we're ready for the next time. We even took showers on saturday night with water heated on the wood stove and a watering can. :p

I really have a lot of sympathy for those out there still without power.

Little Bear
Click to expand...

Hey, neighbor! We could have let you use our wireless laptop for Internet access, and you could have invited us over to watch TV! Maybe next time!
 
I’m just returning from the ‘dark side’. We lost power overnight Thurs/Fri.am and got it back briefly this afternoon (Mon) before losing it for a couple more short spurts. Life here in the Farmington highlands was like a war-zone to drive the roads with wires and trees everywhere. Fortunately we had gas in our vehicles as the lines for the gas stations in Rochester were long and none were open in Alton or Farmington. With no power we have no water so the stabilicers came in very handy to haul water from our stream to flush the toilet. We have wood heat so were toasty. The porch was our freezer and the garage was our fridge. The grill our stove.
I did a short hike to Mt. Major on Sat. The parking lot was a frozen mess of tire tracks and no one was around. The damage seems minimal compared to the Jan.’98 ice storm which made the trails nearly impassible. The trails were about as nasty as I’ve ever seen them. ICE! We were able to shower at work on Sat. as there are showers in the building. Saturday night was a moonlit walk touring the neighborhood so no need for a headlamp. But the headlamp was invaluable all weekend for the all to quick darkness setting in. Temps warmed today to remove the evidence of the crystal world we lived in. Now we are left with the cleanup of trees, limbs and tree tops littering the yard. In the midst of devastation it was absolutely stunning.
 
I was awake and waiting for "It" when "It" arrived here at 12:15 a.m. on Friday. Finally back on the grid tonight after nearly 92 hours of wearing headlamps, hauling water, and feeding the stove to keep the pipes intact. Up until this evening, we were figuring "It" could last until the end of the week -- at which time "It 2" might show up, according the the Weather Service. :(

At 7:30 tonight, the first Public Service of New Hampshire truck rolled down our road. A neighbor reported from a conversation with the crew that "It" was likely to draw "Its" last breath in our neighborhood within the hour. In fact, "It" had only twenty-odd minutes until "It" was over.

(Hey, all you Northern Strafford County types -- Milton Fire Department had water available from a spigot at the fire station -- might be useful to know next time . . . )
 
Still no power, but I have a lull at work this morning to catch up (been offline since Friday.)

My wife has stopped giving me a hard time about having two headlamps, and puttering with Pepsi-Can stoves. I made bacon and eggs on the grill using heavy-duty aluminum foil.

With a generator for heat and light, we're surviving but I am definitely going to wire the whole house so I can get 240v service off the generator for the well pump. No water is now the primary annoyance.

Tim
 
Yeah, this is tiring. Not expected to go online until tomorrow. One can only hope.

I am starting to understand how Tom Hanks felt when he was flicking the light switch on and off :D
 
Sorry to hear about the power failures and other struggles! My cousin was w/o power and phone all w/e in Laconia.
 
47,000 still without power in NH, including me.:(

I have flicked more switches without result that I would care to admit!
 
Still without power off Rte. 124 in Jaffrey - poles down on the property. We may see a truck after the New Year. Now I'm waiting for the generator to fail. Stressful time, but we are soooo lucky to have a generator. And it's a big old honking 6,500 watt baby. Crossing my fingers...



p2
 
My sister-in-law in Hampstead "heard in town" they might not get power back until after the new year.:(

I'm not much help there, but if you all need anything down this way, let us know !
 
Chip- i am E Hampstead and called PSNH today and they said by Sunday night. We buggered out to a hotel in Haverhill today.

If it goes past new year, well... better left unsaid.
 
Tuco said:
Chip- i am E Hampstead and called PSNH today and they said by Sunday night. We buggered out to a hotel in Haverhill today.

If it goes past new year, well... better left unsaid.
Click to expand...

Yikes, Eric, do you live in the uncivilized part of New Hampshire or what? ;)

Seriously, I'm a bit shocked that I've had power since Sunday but some parts of Plaistow still don't. It's just spotty all over. Plus we're now (Friday afternoon) getting hit with a really nasty snowstorm.

Global warming, my ass!
 
Bob- I think I am turning a bit uncivilized by now :eek: To your point, its about .75 mile and a 2 minute drive to Rt 111 and full power.

Getting dropped off at home today to plow, then crashing at friends so I can go home and plow tomorrow...

To keep this on site topic, haven't hiked in over 5 weeks, the last two weekends killed by this. Now thats uncivilized.
 
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