"Sandy".

[EllisWyatt]

Goelogist in me had to comment-
Barrier Islands are -geologically speaking - one of the least stable places on the earth. As are fault zones, deltas, flood plains cliffs, etc., etc - all places we build, raise families and hope to heavens that nothing happens during our stay. Add in Tornado alley (most of the Mid-west). the western chapparral ecotome, Upper Midwest (I can't forget my three years on So.Dak. when I experienced my first -38 degree day), tsumanis in Hawaii just for giggles, and, for one reason or another, by some expert's estimation there is nowhere safe to live.

What is my conclusion? Figure out the risks you can accept, plan for the inevitable, and don't count on someone else to come in a bail you out when it hits the fan. They may, but you'd better not depend on it.(spoken as a Katrina survivor).

[NW-Bound]

I have been to Manhattan a couple of times, but have not visited Long Island. I still like to see where the rich people live. And, I also like to see the duck farm(s?) there. And talk of those ducks, I wonder if they have not been blown away.

[TrvlBug]

Well......there certainly aren't a whole lot of rich people in the Rockaways. Looks like there's no insurance as much of the area is not considered in a 'flood plain,' so we won't have to worry about those parasites getting money from 'subsidized' insurance premiums. But, he may lose his job (yes, it's personal) ... he'll know in a week or so whether they will close up, so those parasites will have no choice but to go on the dole as it's tough to raise a family of 3 young children on wife's blue collar job alone especially when you need to make payments on a mortgage where the house is no more. Heaven forbid, they may have to walk away from it rather than do their patriot duty and pay up. Fortunately they have a wonderful close knit circle of family and friends and have a place to stay, unlike many displaced in both this and other natural disasters. I couldn't believe it, when talking to sis in law how they felt so fortunate given that they have lost everything, when so many others are in a much worse place then they are. Me, I'd be whining, whining, whining about my misfortune.

Mind you, I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who can afford a second beachside home and have lost it...although they're the ones that are probably insured by subsidized insurance premiums. Many, if not most of the folks are not rich and are just getting by; they will now have to start over.

Rant over...gotta get back the see how I can maximize my SS payout and have others subsidize . I would hate to live in a world where we are all out for ourselves. I would much rather subsidize someone else's risks and have them subsidize mine rather than each to his own, but that's just my view.

Have a nice day. The weather is beautiful here in sunny earthquake country and I'm just thankful that my life has been blessed so far and that I'm in a position to help others. My brother's misfortune will be my blessing (wrong word, but I can't think of another one to fit better) to me; I'm hoping they'll send the kids to sunny California for a stay while the parents rebuild their lives.

[meierlde]

An interesting news report from the future. With the flood plain rules typically if a property is more than 50% destroyed it has to be rebuilt to todays building codes. In the case of the barrier islands almost all of the land is in a special flood area. If rebuilding occurs the first floor of the property will have to be built no lower than the 100 year flood level and possibly a bit higher, just as happened in New Orleans. This will of course change the appearance of the community as the houses will now be on stilts. Expect to hear complaints about this when in a few months rebuilding starts.

[NW-Bound]

I just searched the Web for Rockaways and Sandy, and it looked pretty bad from the storm damage. There's a report that the police is nowhere to be seen, nor utility people to restore power.

About rebuilding to a new standard, a few years ago, when driving down Key West we stayed in a motel that was rebuilt after a hurricane. It was built on concrete stilts, and mostly with masonry to withstand water damage. It probably cost quite a bit more than the usual construction. The owner said the new code required it.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound I just searched the Web for Rockaways and Sandy, and it looked pretty bad from the storm damage. There's a report that the police is nowhere to be seen, nor utility people to restore power.

This sort of thing makes me want to have an ample food and water stockpile, lots of ammo and a generator handy.

[NW-Bound]

Even better yet, all of the above loaded in an RV, all gassed up to hightail outta there before the wind even kicks up and the first raindrop falls.

Many people of course cannot afford that.

PS. People are reportedly waiting in line for 6 hours to get gasoline. Some in lower Manhattan have food, but have to trek uptown to get Sterno to heat their canned goods.

[HFWR]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 This sort of thing makes me want to have an ample food and water stockpile, lots of ammo and a generator handy.

I've been working on this. Not prepping for the apocalypse, just a week or two of "disruption"...

[TrvlBug]

Yep, the Rockaways, Staten Island and other blue collar communities are seemingly left to fend for themselves. Bloomberg is more concerned and seems to think Manhattan represents NYC. Brother is in Rockaway trying to mitigate damage as well as protect from looters which are rampant. Police presence is lacking. Basements are flooded and, apparently, power cannot be restored until basements are pumped and each home is inspected. Brother's home actually caught on (electrical) fire but they were able to douse it. If power is turned back on, oops, there goes another neighborhood.

These are not the neighborhoods of the wealthy. These are regular blue collar workers...they can't afford to live elsewhere in the area! I suspect the developers will buy property for pennies on the dollar and this will morph into an area for the wealthy. It's really beautiful there. I was actually considering buying an oceanfront apt.within the next few years to be closer to my brother and his family and I do love the ocean, but looks like it's not in the stars.

The only reason they stayed put rather than evacuate was that sis in laws father, non-ambulatory, refused to evacuate and they wouldn't do so in the event he needed assistance, which of course, he did. My father was the same...damn the needs of the rest of the family, it's only my needs that count. I really hope I don't morphe into that kind of phart when I get to that age .

[brewer12345]

Already have the trailer, so that's always plan b. If we had still lived in NJ when Sandy was on its was, I would have packed DW, kids and dogs into the camper and sent them southwest while I stuck around to ride out the mess as best I could.

Will likely be generator shopping after the retailers restock from all the current demand. Strongly considering a Honda EU2000, unless there is something as good for less money.

[NW-Bound]

As discussed in an earlier thread, Costco has a 2kW generator/inverter for $500 or half-price of the Honda. Certainly not as good, but reviews said it was not junk either.

PS. Two of these can be paralleled, same as the Honda, and may provide enough power to run a typical camper A/C of 13,000 BTU/hr. Very nice capability to have.

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound As discussed in an earlier thread, Costco has a 2kW generator/inverter for $500 or half-price of the Honda. Certainly not as good, but reviews said it was not junk either. PS. Two of these can be paralleled, same as the Honda, and may provide enough power to run a typical camper A/C of 13,000 BTU/hr. Very nice capability to have.

I don't see anything like that when I search Costco's site. Peraps they are out of stock.

Yes, I am aware of the parallel genny running the AC thing. Most of the time when we are off the grid camping we are at such an altitude that running the heat is more of an issue than the AC.

[NW-Bound]

Costco often does not list on its Web site what it carries in its store. It looks like this, except that Costco's version is red in color. Two can be stacked up, then paralleled with a kit that costs something like $70 extra.

[NW-Bound]

Now, they say some people may have to be without power for up to 2 weeks. Flashlights are sold for $10.

Here's an old-fashioned way to generate power to charge cell phones: a bike-driven dynamo. Look at the tandem bike! Humans do not generate that much power for very long at all. While we are power hogs in terms of consumption, either by internal consumption or by operating appliances, we are puny animals when it comes to muscles for power generation (except for guys in Tour de France of course).

PS. Photo linked from Bloomberg. See: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-1...drags-out.html

[brewer12345]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Costco often does not list on its Web site what it carries in its store. It looks like this, except that Costco's version is red in color. Two can be stacked up, then paralleled with a kit that costs something like $70 extra.

Thanks. Any idea how noisy and heavy they are? Small size and quiet operation are a pretty big selling point for the Honda.

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brewer12345 Thanks. Any idea how noisy and heavy they are? Small size and quiet operation are a pretty big selling point for the Honda.

No personal experience with the Champion generator, but here's a 2,500+ post thread on an RV discussion group discussing it:The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread

[NW-Bound]

It compares well with the Honda, from what I remember. Here's a review thread of it on RV.net. This thread runs 258 pages (as long as this forum's "What ya do today" thread ). Have fun reading!

RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Tech Issues: The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread

PS. From the cross-post above, one can see that this generator is fairly well-known. I myself have been very curious about this inexpensive unit, though have no need for it due to the 4kW Onan that is built into my MH.

[brewer12345]

Wow. I read the last 8 or 10 pages of that thread and between all the technical stuff that was way over my head and all the pissing & moaning, I have no idea whether it is garbage or a cheap alternative to the Honda.

[FIREd]

I have a small "survival stash" ready to go. Enough real food and drinking water for at least 1 week, a butane stove with spare canisters for cooking, a pretty complete emergency medical kit, a bugout bag all kitted out and ready to go with enough supplies to survive at least another week "out there", and even a harness and enough rope to rappel down the building if need be.

[Purron]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NW-Bound Costco often does not list on its Web site what it carries in its store. It looks like this, except that Costco's version is red in color. Two can be stacked up, then paralleled with a kit that costs something like $70 extra.

Don't these things run on gas? Heard there were long lines for gas in the storm sticken areas.

Might be good for a while but a long term solution for a major disaster? Just asking.