Here Comes Irene: Flood Prep & Rain Expectations

[Evo]

To anyone that has a sump pump, make sure you have a *working* battery backup for it.

 

[turbo]

Why can't you run your pump with the generator?

It's a submersible pump hard-wired into 220V. My generator is 120V. Some day, I may splurge on a larger generator and an isolation box, so I can power most of the house, including the well pump.

 

[dlgoff]

It's a submersible pump hard-wired into 220V. My generator is 120V. Some day, I may splurge on a larger generator and an isolation box, so I can power most of the house, including the well pump.

What? You don't have one of these?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

It's a submersible pump hard-wired into 220V. My generator is 120V. Some day, I may splurge on a larger generator and an isolation box, so I can power most of the house, including the well pump.

Not having 220/240 on the generator is unfortunate.

In an emergency, you can disconnect the main incoming power wires at your panel and connect to a 240 VAC generator [ours came with 120 and 240 onboard]. Then you can run everything normally as long as you monitor your loads. Just don't backfeed the lines or you could kill someone!

 

[Proton Soup]

The media has been warned before about the dangers of overhyping a storm, next time that there is a real danger, people will be less likely to respond.



http://news.yahoo.com/real-hurricane-irene-renamed-hurricane-hype-021402485.html

it's a good point. i live in alabama, so i know who James Spann is. he's one of the better-respected meteorologists here and has been doing this for a long time. but as to the author's claim that 41 deaths in tuscaloosa were due to complacency... i don't know about that. I've lived here for over 40 years, and i don't remember even hearing of a storm this bad. we had a mile-wide path of destruction that bounced across several counties. and outcomes can be completely random. i helped clear debris on houses blown completely off their foundations, and people would be there who survived with hardly a scratch despite most of the house being gone.

but yeah, this hurricane is kind of http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/noaas-phony-hurricane-coming-on-shore-with-33-mph-winds/" ? just think, this could be the perfect storm that kick-starts our economy and pulls us out of the depression.

 

[Astronuc]

The media shouldn't hype the storm, but folks shouldn't minimize the danger. A cubic meter of water has a mass of 1 metric ton, or 1000 kg. Moving at 10-15 mph can do a lot of damage, or can be fatal if one is slammed into hard immovable structures. An article on Yahoo indicated one person was severely injured by a rogue wave. Folks should not be out on piers or jetties in stormy weather like that which is pounding the shoreline from NC to Long Island.

It could be a damaging storm given the population density through which it is likely to pass. We're supposed to gale force winds, and in the past, that's done a fair amount of damage. If it is stronger, the damage will be more severe.

http://news.yahoo.com/hurricane-irene-2011-record-disaster-142603576.html

http://news.yahoo.com/irene-knocks-power-east-coast-refiners-cut-runs-144732990.html

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Someone died in NC from a heart attack while boarding up his house in preparation for the storm.

 

[rootX]

I think both politicians and media have been giving Irene more attention than it deserves.

 

[OmCheeto]

...

but yeah, this hurricane is kind of http://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2011/08/27/noaas-phony-hurricane-coming-on-shore-with-33-mph-winds/" ? just think, this could be the perfect storm that kick-starts our economy and pulls us out of the depression.

What are you talking about!? This is already a killer storm!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/08/hurricane-irene-first-deaths.html"

Oh wait.

A man in Nash County, N.C., was reported killed by a falling tree limb outside his home Saturday morning, local authorities said. On Friday, a man installing plywood on the window of his home in Onslow County, N.C., died of a heart attack,

a third man either fell or jumped off a bridge and has not been found.

hmm... http://www.weatherforyou.com/reports/index.php?forecast=zandh&pands=nash+county,north+carolina"

To all my friends on the east coast:

do not stand under trees!

and if you have a bad heart, stay in your La-Z-Boy!

 

[dlgoff]

I love this picture. It shows what electrical utilitie crews are or will be up against.
[PLAIN]http://col.stb.s-msn.com/i/6B/9F3BC2D14732E11D6D5EAB62112ADB.jpg

 

[wuliheron]

I love this picture. It shows what electrical utilitie crews are or will be up against.

That's nothing. The last big hurricane came after a drought had already weakened the roots of the trees and then sustained winds of over 100mph knocked them over like dominoes. We burned up chain saws left and right and I didn't get power back for a full 2 weeks. One friend of mine had two 80 foot oaks fall on both sides of his trailer and miss him by a few feet.

The first hurricane of the season is the one people tend to pay the most attention to and they've evacuated most of the real problem areas. I don't expect a lot of deaths this time around, but the flood damage could be severe. The eye of the storm is expected to hit the Norfolk area right around high tide.

 

[Redbelly98]

The entire New York City transit system will shut down tomorrow at noon: subways, buses and commuter rail (to/from Long Island, Connecticut and northern suburbs). Trains to New Jersey, operated by New Jersey Transit, will also stop running.

Yesterday I heard that the Jets-Giants game, originally scheduled for tonight, had been moved to 2 p.m. The NY sports talk radio people were incredulous it wasn't cancelled, since it was already known that NY mass transit would be shut down well before then. [EDIT: now it looks like the game is moved to Monday.]

To anyone that has a sump pump, make sure you have a *working* battery backup for it.

As of this afternoon I have my power backup for our sump pump. On Thursday I ordered a 12Vdc-120Vac inverter; it arrived this morning. If the electricity fails then my car, with a set of jumper cables, powers the inverter which will power the sump pump. I tested this setup a couple of hours ago, so I know it works.

I've wanted some kind of backup like this for a few years now, since basement flooding is common in heavy rain around here. Irene has provided the motivation to finally get it done. Eventually the car will be replaced by a deep-cycle battery and charger.

 

[Evo]

What are you talking about!? This is already a killer storm!

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/08/hurricane-irene-first-deaths.html"

Oh wait.



a third man either fell or jumped off a bridge and has not been found.

hmm... http://www.weatherforyou.com/reports/index.php?forecast=zandh&pands=nash+county,north+carolina"

To all my friends on the east coast:

do not stand under trees!

and if you have a bad heart, stay in your La-Z-Boy!

The death toll is three now, a drunk driver ran into a tree.

IRENE DEATHS: Three People Have Died In The Storm

Troopers say 21-year-old Jose Corona was south on County Home and ran off the road, crossed the centerline and ran into a tree.

The Highway Patrol say they are investigating whether alcohol was involved, since alcohol was present on the scene.

http://www.witn.com/pittcounty/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS__Person_Dead_In__128521158.html

Breaking News - Hurricane causes insanity in media reporting

 

[dlgoff]

Eventually the car will be replaced by a deep-cycle battery and charger.

Now all you need is this.

http://www.target.com/p/Coleman-18-Watt-Solar-Battery-Charger-Kit/-/A-13516799"

 

[wuliheron]

Six people dead so far, but only one was indoors. A child in an apartment when a tree fell.

 

[Chi Meson]

The storm is downgrading by the hour. Now it looks like only a "Tropical Storm" is going to hit New England.

 

[turbo]

The storm is downgrading by the hour. Now it looks like only a "Tropical Storm" is going to hit New England.

I think we are in line for a tropical depression. I sometimes suffer from depression, and mainly when the weather is tropical, and I can't breathe.

 

[Astronuc]

It appears that since the eye is over the coast, there is much less effect from the ocean, as well as the fact that the water north of NC is cooler.

The 1938 hurricane stayed further to the east over the ocean.

Now we are expecting a TS rather than a H in our area, and apparently less rain.

 

[Chi Meson]

The death toll is three now, a drunk driver ran into a tree.
http://www.witn.com/pittcounty/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS__Person_Dead_In__128521158.html

Breaking News - Hurricane causes insanity in media reporting

Darwin in action, apparently.

A DUI death during a hurricane is hardly the fault of the hurricane. Might as well blame it on "Saturday."

 

[Chi Meson]

I think we are in line for a tropical depression. I sometimes suffer from depression, and mainly when the weather is tropical, and I can't breathe.

I'm still looking forward to some 60 mph wind. At 80, I would be much more worried.

 

[turbo]

I'm still looking forward to some 60 mph wind. At 80, I would be much more worried.

60 isn't so bad, though if the ground is saturated and if we get sustained 60mph winds quartering around from various directions, nature will find the weak spots of many old trees. Surprise!

 

[Redbelly98]

Now all you need is this.
http://target.scene7.com/is/image/Target/13516799_is?wid=618&hei=618
http://www.target.com/p/Coleman-18-Watt-Solar-Battery-Charger-Kit/-/A-13516799"

Actually the plan is to get a battery with enough capacity to last a couple of days without a recharge. Between that and the car-as-generator, I'll be happy.

60 isn't so bad, though if the ground is saturated and if we get sustained 60mph winds quartering around from various directions, nature will find the weak spots of many old trees. Surprise!

Problem here (central NJ) is the soil really softens up when things get soaked, so the tree roots don't have a firm grip in the ground. The wind pushes over the tree, roots and all, without the tree actually breaking anywhere.

According to The Weather Channel, this storm covers an unusually large area, even if it is not that intense near the eye. That could make for lots and lots of rain.

 

[Norman]

Current reading from the Hampton Roads area (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, etc.) are that the high water mark has past and that we had a 7.54 foot high tide. This puts it about 3-4 inches lower than the 2009 Nor'easter, which means it was about a foot too low to actually enter my house. We will see when we get back to the house sometime later this week... Though it means our furnace is completely trashed, but at least we likely have no water in the house.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Water has started coming into my basement and there is still forecast 20 more hours of heavy rain.

 

[Evo]

Water has started coming into my basement and there is still forecast 20 more hours of heavy rain.

Slow moving tropical storms can dump tons of rain. TS Claudette caused flooding in Houston that had never been seen before. Water at second floor window level. 43 inches of rain in 24 hours

I hope your sump pump holds up.

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Slow moving tropical storms can dump tons of rain. TS Claudette caused flooding in Houston that had never been seen before. Water at second floor window level. 43 inches of rain in 24 hours

I hope your sump pump holds up.

I don't have a sump pump, just a 2 gallon wet vac. It doesn't work unless I work it and once I go to sleep, the water will build. What's worse, is that the water will still be coming in long after the rain stops.

The latest forecast has us back in the 74 mph wind zone. The ground was already soaked from previous rains and uprooted trees are expected. This past year half a tree fell and just missed my house. I cut down the other half as well as another tree that impinged on my house. Now there are two trees that are close enough to cause major damage and one is around 80 years old.

 

[Evo]

I don't have a sump pump, just a 2 gallon wet vac. It doesn't work unless I work it and once I go to sleep, the water will build. What's worse, is that the water will still be coming in long after the rain stops.

The latest forecast has us back in the 74 mph wind zone. The ground was already soaked from previous rains and uprooted trees are expected. This past year half a tree fell and just missed my house. I cut down the other half as well as another tree that impinged on my house. Now there are two trees that are close enough to cause major damage and one is around 80 years old.

I bought a portable pump from home depot for the times my basement flooded (water running in through the basement windows, exceeded the sump pump's capacity). I attached a garden hose to it and lowered it into the basement from the living room door and ran the hose across the living room and out of the nearest window. Fun times.

I hope you and your family come through the rain without problems.

 

[Jack21222]

My power can't make up it's mind if it wants to be on or off. It's gone off about 6 times in the past 15 minutes. Currently on though.

 

[russ_watters]

My girlfriend works at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia -- she'll be driving to work tomorrow morning...

 

[Astronuc]

I don't have a sump pump, just a 2 gallon wet vac. It doesn't work unless I work it and once I go to sleep, the water will build. What's worse, is that the water will still be coming in long after the rain stops.

The latest forecast has us back in the 74 mph wind zone. The ground was already soaked from previous rains and uprooted trees are expected. This past year half a tree fell and just missed my house. I cut down the other half as well as another tree that impinged on my house. Now there are two trees that are close enough to cause major damage and one is around 80 years old.

Ouch. I'd recommend having a submersible pump on hand. I finally got one - after I spent all night with a 5 gal shop vac and a 5 gal bucket with which I carried water upstairs all night in order to prevent the basement flooding. And the water kept coming even after the rain stopped.

In the morning, I was able to find one a few avaliable pumps at a local store, but they didn't have any hosing. I went to a hardware store and bought the last few feet of 1-1/4 inch drain hose. That saved my basement from flooding.

I put the submersible in the lowest part of the basement, but I had to be with it because it was on the floor, not in pit/sump.

After we had two weekends of serious rain and flooding about 4 years ago. We decide to install a basement drain and sump system that collects the ground water and pumps it out to the front of the property. We've not had a flooding problem since.