Thanks to all for keeping good content flowing here. Some of us are in the land of no news and no real internet. But that's OK, because nothing is really happening in the world anyway, is it?
I am posting from a Fed Ex office.
Storms are exciting and dangerous, but they are to be expected. People make too much of it. A few interesting observations:
You can only buy $20 of gas at a time around here. Huge demand for gas for generators and power equipment.
No ATMs are working, no power to banks, thus no cash.
Our supermarket has no power, just emergency lights. But they're open to sell non-perishables. They have plenty of those on hand.
It's a great time to stock up on free firewood. A chainsaw is a wonderful tool.
My father-in-law put a new roof on his house, job was finished 2 weeks ago. Big old oak landed on his roof in the storm, puncturing his kitchen and wrecking the new roof. He is not happy.
In our town, clearing of fallen trees on roads and power lines is moving slowly. Why? Because here, the town union contract forbids subcontracting of tree work on roads and public land. Has to be done by town employees no matter how long it takes. Insane.
People have already mentioned to me that global warming caused the hurricane. One just doesn't know what to say in response to such ignorance. I suppose they never heard of hurricane Hazel, or Gloria, or all the rest. Hurricanes routinely hit the northestern US, but just not many in the past 2 decades. Perhaps we're in for a new cycle of them.
It was cool seeing CVS open through the storm and afterwards without power, staff in there with flashlights helping customers. Cash only, of course.
I feel badly for all the people who were subject to flooding. It's even more disheartening than a burglary in disrupting ordinary dependable reality. My advice is not to build or live near sea level.
