# Prayers, Well Wishes For Those Effected By "sandy"



## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

I would like to extend my hopes, prayers and well wishes for those who have been effected by this powerful storm. My family lost power and that was about it. No damage to speak of.

The pictures coming out of New Jersey and New York are stunning. I am sure there are other locations just as badly hit that have not made the news.

For those of you that have suffered loss during the storm and its aftermath I wish you well and a speedy return to a sense of the normal and routine in your lives.

For the Fire Fighters, Police, EMT's, Utility Workers, and laborers, be careful! Keep your situational awareness about you and minimize risk!

Thank you for all that you do to help us!

Eric (Egregg57)


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

Thanks Eric, I, as I'm sure alot of others here, appreciate the kind words.

We too, didnt get hit too hard... we took a glancing blow, but NJ/NY took it on the chin. I too, hope everyone a speedy recovery, and hope my brothers and sisters in LE and Fire service, Red Cross etc are fairing as well as can be expected.

In regards to the "situational awareness", good call. At times its a good reminder for all of us in public safety. If we get hurt, then we are not there to help someone else.

Quick "war story"... December 9th storm of 2005, hit Cape Cod. Micro bursts hit several towns, out of the blue. Trees downed, school busses trapped between downed trees, motorist trapped in their cars by live wires. I was working the day shift, scheduled to go off at 4:00 pm. At about 3:00 pm this storm hit, with very little warning. While my guys and gals were out in the feild responding to emergencies, our radio system failed due to downed radio transmitter towers. No problem, we went to our cell phones. Then the AT&T cell phones went off line, but verizon was still working. While I was trying to get to a school bus that was trapped with kids on board, I got a call from my wife that a tree just crashed through the roof of our house, and a live wire was burning through some branches toward the house. Now my family needs help, I still have others I have to help, and I have to keep my head in the game. It can be tough at times....


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## MJV (Apr 19, 2012)

I believe we in Western Canada are truly fortunate that we are not subjected to terrible , life changing storms ,such as Sandy, or Katrina. Although we may see a tornado, or-40 in the winter, I cannot even imagine our lives if something like this would happen to us. We wish everyone affected a safe recovery. God Bless!


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## sptddog (Mar 22, 2006)

We did well here in SE PA, though I have not been in the camper yet to check for leaks. I did crawl up on the roof on Sunday before and double check things, but the winds were so bad that I wouldn't be surprised if some water got in at windows. Wouldn't be major. Many, many folks here were out of power, are still out of power, or just got it back. But, we are no where near the devastation that hit the NY/NJ coastlines. They will be altered in some places forever. It's heartwrencing to see the damage and complete loss of houses - not just loss of a house, but entire beachfront streets worth of houses.


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## gzaleski (Aug 29, 2009)

egregg57 said:


> I would like to extend my hopes, prayers and well wishes for those who have been effected by this powerful storm. My family lost power and that was about it. No damage to speak of.
> 
> The pictures coming out of New Jersey and New York are stunning. I am sure there are other locations just as badly hit that have not made the news.
> 
> ...


X 10...It must be horrible there.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

I've been wondering how our Northeast members fared during Sandy. Has anybody heard from TwoElkhounds? I too hope that all affected get back on their feet and life gets back to normal quickly. Being on the other side of the country, it's difficult to really appreciate just how widespread the damage is, and what really irritated me was reading a bunch of comments on the Internet that claimed the storm was nothing more than "media hype". I sure hope nobody was put in harm's way by any of those comments, because as the storm made landfall, it sure looked bad enough to me.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Interesting about the "Media Hype" comment. Several of my co-workers are on a project in Bayonne NJ and I asked if they had plans to sand bag any of the equipment and they all said the whole thing was just "Media Hype". Well now they will be removing and replacing a lot of flooded equipment. None of the co-workers were hurt, except for their feelings as it turned out to be a real storm.


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## cdawrld (Jul 31, 2011)

Reporting from central NJ. 8 miles inland. Just got power back last night. My area has lots of wind damage. Trees and wires down. Several neighbors have squashed cars or trees on the house. We were lucky no damage. Just a minor inconvenience. Biggest pain was queuing an hour to get gas for the generator. 
During the day we helped neighbors with water from our well and collected fire wood for heat. Night was spent playing slapjack & Uno by candlelight. Just like camping.

"Coco" (named for the chocolate front and maiden trip to Hershey) our trailer, was a big asset. TV for local news, stove for hot tea and the best hot showers ever! 
Glad I didn't winterize yet. 
We were very lucky and wish a speedy recovery to our fellow "Jersians"!!


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Some of those same people who were playing the media hype game are now screaming that FEMA isn't moving fast enough. It must be miserable being miserable.....


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## TwoElkhounds (Mar 11, 2007)

Insomniak said:


> I've been wondering how our Northeast members fared during Sandy. Has anybody heard from TwoElkhounds? I too hope that all affected get back on their feet and life gets back to normal quickly. Being on the other side of the country, it's difficult to really appreciate just how widespread the damage is, and what really irritated me was reading a bunch of comments on the Internet that claimed the storm was nothing more than "media hype". I sure hope nobody was put in harm's way by any of those comments, because as the storm made landfall, it sure looked bad enough to me.


Thanks for thinking of us. We were on the Northern edge of the storm, so we did not get hit very hard. We had some rain and a bit of wind, but nothing serious. Little if any damage in my area.

Looking at what is going on on Staten Island, it would be very hard to claim this is overblown. If anything, the election and the media's tendency to protect The One is understating the suffering. Watching the local news here in New York, it is pretty bad down there. We need to keep all those affected in our thoughts and prayers.

DAN


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

Media Hype!? Wow... I can't even understand that!

I thought that Govenor Christie really hammered home the point in telling certain areas that they needed to evacuate...Now. There were a bunch that ignored it. They found themselves in the back of a National Guard Troop Carrier 12-24 hours later or in dire need of the basics, being trapped in thier residences.

The storm hit and there was a bunch of damage being done and Govenor Christie, obviously pretty upset about the circumstances, said that there were people that did not listen when he asked, when he ordered the evacuations and now there were people trapped and he feared there would be loss of life. There was. Very unfortunate and it has to be very frustrating.

If you don't believe the source of information that is being provided, check another source, check multiple sources. Many people have become jaded because of near misses, or sudden changes in a storms course. Regardless of the media outlet, they were all saying the same thing in this case.

We seem to be seeing more and more in the way of extreme weather. It regardless of the cause, or theorys behind it. You have to look out for yourselves and your families. Don't be that "guy".... be prepared and know when to go!

Having an RV is like having a life boat! provided you can get to it and you have the time to move away from the area. I have a disaster kit that is set aside, should we have to leave home. Nothing has happened in the 6+ years I have had that kit together that would require me to use it.

I have to be honest. I got into that kit last Sunday and found that there were things I needed to replace and that needed to be added. It was too late to do so at that point.

I will be correcting that this week.

Knowing that you have something set aside for an emergency and a plan to get to a safe place, perhaps / Hopefully with the Outback in tow, is a comforting thing. But you can't wait till the day before to make sure your ready to go.

Eric


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Eric - Media Hype is an issue for just about any situation where the media outlets can see a rating boost. After a certain point people stop believing what is being said, no matter the source.

As for the forced evacuations, you only have to hear about the guy that leaves and then comes home to find that his place has been looted. The problem with mandatory evacuations is that no one wants to be the guy that tells a National guard unit or some other LEO that they have to stay and protect the property. The looters know that there will be no one to stop them so it turns into a feast for them. The results is even if people believe there will be a bad storm they do not want to leave, as they hate to think they may lose their stuff.

Anyway it is a tough spot to be in for those that have to make that decision. Been there and never happy no matter which way you are forced to turn.


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Eric, good point about having the Outback as a "life boat" in an emergency. I'm sure that most of us "hunter/gatherer, wood chopping, campfire building" provider-cavemen have thought more than once about utilizing our trailers in the event of something like Sandy, but are we really prepared if something happens tomorrow?

We don't have too many hurricanes here on the west coast, but an earthquake could very well be our Sandy or Katrina. I've often wondered if we did have a big quake, would we still have running water? We don't have wells here and depend on the city supply. Our neighbor has been keeping the water tank filled in his Outback, but he has the luxury of being able to park the trailer next to his house. I think the couple of times I left water in our fresh tank, it just got stinky and I dumped it. Would we be able to use water from our swimming pool in a pinch? Probably, at least for washing up, but could it be used for drinking if need be? If our house was still standing, we would have 50 gallons in the water heater, and that's what kept a lot of people alive after the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Would we still have natural gas, or would that be shut off as well? With propane on the Outback, that wouldn't be as much of a concern as having fresh water. If we did decide to stock some kind of food in the trailer, what would be the best type? Dehydrated backpacking stuff or canned goods? It would need to be something that could tolerate extremes of heat and cold in a trailer parked in storage. With my solar panels and two generators, electricity is probably the area where we're in the best shape.

Like Eric mentioned, I think I'll be taking a look at our disaster kit and replacing items that are no good. Hopefully we'll never need it, but it's really just a little work that could potentially be lifesaving.


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## crunchman12002 (Jul 26, 2009)

Hi all,
Just checking in from Bainbridge,Ohio. We got rain for a week and half with high winds and gust. We live in a wooded, rural area and a tree blew over up the road and took out the power on tuesday of last week @ 4:40 am. We went two days without power until I was able to borrow a small 5K generator from work. It was enough to get the well pumping, the furnace running and some lights. We could not use the electric water heater, the electric stove or microwave. All the food did spoil in the house but that is minor. I was not sure how long the power was going to be out and should have put the food in the OB.
I was able to fill the Outback fresh water tank and used propane to take hot showers. Sure did feel good after 2 days.
We got power back on Friday night around 6:30pm.
We feel lucky to have power back and our hearts go out to those still in the dark.
crunchman


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## egregg57 (Feb 13, 2006)

CamperAndy said:


> Eric - Media Hype is an issue for just about any situation where the media outlets can see a rating boost. After a certain point people stop believing what is being said, no matter the source.
> 
> As for the forced evacuations, you only have to hear about the guy that leaves and then comes home to find that his place has been looted. The problem with mandatory evacuations is that no one wants to be the guy that tells a National guard unit or some other LEO that they have to stay and protect the property. The looters know that there will be no one to stop them so it turns into a feast for them. The results is even if people believe there will be a bad storm they do not want to leave, as they hate to think they may lose their stuff.
> 
> Anyway it is a tough spot to be in for those that have to make that decision. Been there and never happy no matter which way you are forced to turn.


 Of course its never as simple as "Well they told me to leave so I am going." There are many extenuating circumstances. But there were a lot of people that chose not to leave or delayed leaving and suffered for it. The point I am making is, If you are asked to evacuate and you can..do so. Your personal belongings don't mean much if you're dead.


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

I am happy to hear that our eastern members are doing well after the storm. My parents are volunteers for the Red Cross and were dispatched to the area a week ago Sunday, ahead of the storm. As far as any media hype, I can say that the areas that my parents have been volunteering (Hoboken, New Brunswick and Toms River, NJ as well as Staten Island) many have lost everything they own. And to top it all off, they are expecting another storm tomorrow into Thursday. Our prayers and well wishes are with those that are effected by these storms.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I think few people may be missing the meaning of "Media Hype". Prior to an event many people see what is produced by the media and do not believe it will be that bad, thus the "Media Hype" label. The post event review is not typically media hype but the actual reality.


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## Gbadmc (Jun 14, 2009)

Hi all, Checking in from Staten Island NY. For me not so bad about a week w/o power minimal damage, 1/2 mile away whole neighborhoods erased, families, homes, lives in a shambles. Between work (FD) and helping out getting supplies into the area, debris cleared and homes repaired its been busy but the community has really come togther and needs are being addressed. For many it will be a long road. The pictures in the news show only a fraction of the destruction. The Outback was winterized and stored at my dads house down the Jersey Shore. It didn't fare so well (the Outback or the house). Neither is a primary home and bothe were insured. So any advice on a Outback sitting in 5 ft of salt water? I believe it'll be a total loss but its a long wait for and insurance inspection. With all thats going on I cant complain, but I may start specing out a replacement.

Stay safe, warm and dry

gary


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