Ice Storm 2007!!!
- Thread starter foster_006
- Start date
- Status
iamhere300
Member
roxcomrox said:
Ok, you got to qualify this for me...
Towers missing? As no longer on the horizon? As in crumpled piles
on the ground?
Or just without battery?
roxcomrox
Member
iamhere300 said:
No power to the site. I have not visually verified these towers physically missing.
iamhere300
Member
Ok, thanks. That makes me just a bit nervous when I hear about it. There was one tower in Cherokee county KS lost due to the storm - right down the road from one of ours.
Update from Midtown (old trees!)
I lost power Sunday 4:15pm. Rigged the field day generator to the furnace blower and the TV (NFL, you know) just in time to find out we'd missed the end of a great game. Power came back in time for the late game.
0601 Monday morning, bright flash followed by sparks from 2 blocks north. Crack, crash and then boom and blue flash from 3 HOUSES east, and my porch light went off (I was outside checking for damage at the time). That was followed by 3 more blue flash/boom sequences working their way west.
Generator re-rigged (to heater blower and lights, plus fridge this time - no TV necessary) and it's been running ever since.
Also sometime Monday a tree limb yanked the phone line off the back of the house.
As of now (9pm Thursday), the phone co. (SBC) has just left, and the phone is back up and working (and the DSL). HF wire antenna is down (8" limb from the organic tower that also damaged the porch roof), HF vertical has 60 degrees of list (branch on guy rope), mast and V/UHF antenna is fine (no guys hit). I probably have 3 truckloads of limbs to haul to the greendump, though, and that's on a 50x150 midtown lot!
I lost power Sunday 4:15pm. Rigged the field day generator to the furnace blower and the TV (NFL, you know) just in time to find out we'd missed the end of a great game. Power came back in time for the late game.
0601 Monday morning, bright flash followed by sparks from 2 blocks north. Crack, crash and then boom and blue flash from 3 HOUSES east, and my porch light went off (I was outside checking for damage at the time). That was followed by 3 more blue flash/boom sequences working their way west.
Generator re-rigged (to heater blower and lights, plus fridge this time - no TV necessary) and it's been running ever since.
Also sometime Monday a tree limb yanked the phone line off the back of the house.
As of now (9pm Thursday), the phone co. (SBC) has just left, and the phone is back up and working (and the DSL). HF wire antenna is down (8" limb from the organic tower that also damaged the porch roof), HF vertical has 60 degrees of list (branch on guy rope), mast and V/UHF antenna is fine (no guys hit). I probably have 3 truckloads of limbs to haul to the greendump, though, and that's on a 50x150 midtown lot!
kjwilson
Member
Finally! Lights, heat and no more leftovers in the fridge.
AEP/PSO switched my neighborhood back on around 3pm yesterday, but Cox Cable/Internet is still MIA. At least T-Mobile hasn't let me down.
My thoughts are still with those of you who are still roughing it. May your lights shine brightly soon.
AEP/PSO switched my neighborhood back on around 3pm yesterday, but Cox Cable/Internet is still MIA. At least T-Mobile hasn't let me down.
My thoughts are still with those of you who are still roughing it. May your lights shine brightly soon.
VVEC's saying another 7-10 days for me 
here's a cool map to keep track of the outage: http://oaec.coop/Latest_News.php
here's a cool map to keep track of the outage: http://oaec.coop/Latest_News.php
iamhere300
Member
7- 10 days without power?car2back said:VVEC's saying another 7-10 days for me
here's a cool map to keep track of the outage: http://oaec.coop/Latest_News.php
Do you have a genset?
kjwilson
Member
7 to 10 days? Ouch!
I have several coworkers who are in the same situation, one lives in a rual area and another who lives in the city but the outage area is just 20 to 30 houses.
According to AEP/PSO they are working to bring power back on line to as many people as possible so poeple who live in rual areas or where the outage is confined to just a few houses are being put at the bottom of the list.
I imagine that all of the other utilities are doing the same in hopes of having as many people as possible back up before the next storm blows through this weekend.
I have several coworkers who are in the same situation, one lives in a rual area and another who lives in the city but the outage area is just 20 to 30 houses.
According to AEP/PSO they are working to bring power back on line to as many people as possible so poeple who live in rual areas or where the outage is confined to just a few houses are being put at the bottom of the list.
I imagine that all of the other utilities are doing the same in hopes of having as many people as possible back up before the next storm blows through this weekend.
iamhere300 said:
nope, I have a propane wall heater that hasn't been used for 10+ years before this though
my house is a comfortable 70*, and the water pressure came back up today... I guess I can keep on cooking ramen noodles on my Coleman stove for a little bit longer :lol:
FireMedic712
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
- Messages
- 155
car2back said:nope, I have a propane wall heater that hasn't been used for 10+ years before this though
I can't believe the number of people that have been running generators indoors! We've ran 4 CO calls from this sort of thing. We had a garage fire last night, lady went to fill her generator while it was running and spilled gas on the muffler, gutted the whole garage including her $10,000 toro zero turn mower!
Secret_Squirrel
Nut Protector Extraordinaire
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Dumb people = job security for public safety employees.
okla-lawman
Member
The funniest thing I heard was the dumb a** over in Berryhill trying to steal a generator hooked up to a guys house. When he shut it off and tried to move it the owner and his family came out to see why they had no power..... They made a citizens arrest and used lots of force to effect the arrest. When county got there he was in a head lock. They did not charge him with larceny but with felony looting...ouch. I had never really read that statute before. You can make almost anything looting the way the laws is written.
Secret_Squirrel
Nut Protector Extraordinaire
okla-lawman said:
Stealing from people ESPECIALLY during a time of disaster should get the book thrown at a fella.
FireMedic712
Member
- Joined
- Dec 29, 2004
- Messages
- 155
KD5WLX said:
Amen...It was pretty much "you are the law" during the whole ordeal in my town.
Sparky_one
Member
RV living is the life for me.
About a year ago, I sold my grandmother's house in which I was living. I then moved into a room in my mother's 4 bedroom home. We sold it in May of this year and she moved into a retirement condo and I moved into an R.V. It is currently parked in an R.V. lot that charges $325 per month. For that you get all utilities. So, naturally I try to use electricity for everything like heat, cooking, etc. The R.V. is dual sourced electric. The lights and vents run off the 12 volt deep cycle battery that is continually charged by a converter. Or you can just run all the time off the converter. The water system is a 30-gallon tank tied to city water and a backup pump. The water heater is propane and holds about 5 gallons. The kitchen has a propane stove, a microwave, and usual electric appliances. The refrigerator is dual energy with 110v or propane. So, to get ready to run in a disaster state, I have been practicing all summer long for disaster mode. I bought a small generator, in fact to small. Its only 1000 watts in surge. So, in reality, it only gives out 5 to 6 amps of usable load. So, it does keep the 12v battery topped off, 110v refrig operating, and it operates the water pump. I also am able to charge HT's and run low wattage base radios and a few scanners. I get internet via local hot spots and 1 pay service. I went to the Asian grocery store at 25th and Military and bought a large parabolic fry basket. I removed the handle and mounted it to a mast. I poked a high powered usb dongle through the mesh to very near the focal point. I connect to hot spots up to 1/2 mile away. I lost all services for 1 day. I had to catch up on things at work.
This ice storm was a real test of everything. When electricity went off I was fine for a while. Then the park lost water due to a tree falling on the pump house. I turn on the pump and only used it for the toilet. I took 1 minute showers. I fired up the generator and it kept my lights, tv, pump, and frig running for 4 days of power loss. I kept my radios charged and was on stand-by for relief teams. Probably because of Oklahoma City's new Edacs system, I wasn't called up. Other teams with which I belong were called up to work the Cox Center. I also have an emergency communication trailer that was not called up. If it ever is, then we are in real bad shape.
So, if you are ever in a situation as to whether or not buy a time share or an R.V., choose the R.V. There were lots of people here at the park who moved in after their homes lost power. Remember that in an R.V., you are already unhooked and ready to go at any time!
About a year ago, I sold my grandmother's house in which I was living. I then moved into a room in my mother's 4 bedroom home. We sold it in May of this year and she moved into a retirement condo and I moved into an R.V. It is currently parked in an R.V. lot that charges $325 per month. For that you get all utilities. So, naturally I try to use electricity for everything like heat, cooking, etc. The R.V. is dual sourced electric. The lights and vents run off the 12 volt deep cycle battery that is continually charged by a converter. Or you can just run all the time off the converter. The water system is a 30-gallon tank tied to city water and a backup pump. The water heater is propane and holds about 5 gallons. The kitchen has a propane stove, a microwave, and usual electric appliances. The refrigerator is dual energy with 110v or propane. So, to get ready to run in a disaster state, I have been practicing all summer long for disaster mode. I bought a small generator, in fact to small. Its only 1000 watts in surge. So, in reality, it only gives out 5 to 6 amps of usable load. So, it does keep the 12v battery topped off, 110v refrig operating, and it operates the water pump. I also am able to charge HT's and run low wattage base radios and a few scanners. I get internet via local hot spots and 1 pay service. I went to the Asian grocery store at 25th and Military and bought a large parabolic fry basket. I removed the handle and mounted it to a mast. I poked a high powered usb dongle through the mesh to very near the focal point. I connect to hot spots up to 1/2 mile away. I lost all services for 1 day. I had to catch up on things at work.
This ice storm was a real test of everything. When electricity went off I was fine for a while. Then the park lost water due to a tree falling on the pump house. I turn on the pump and only used it for the toilet. I took 1 minute showers. I fired up the generator and it kept my lights, tv, pump, and frig running for 4 days of power loss. I kept my radios charged and was on stand-by for relief teams. Probably because of Oklahoma City's new Edacs system, I wasn't called up. Other teams with which I belong were called up to work the Cox Center. I also have an emergency communication trailer that was not called up. If it ever is, then we are in real bad shape.
So, if you are ever in a situation as to whether or not buy a time share or an R.V., choose the R.V. There were lots of people here at the park who moved in after their homes lost power. Remember that in an R.V., you are already unhooked and ready to go at any time!
Last edited:
Secret_Squirrel
Nut Protector Extraordinaire
KD5WLX said:
Maybe they do, maybe they don't. If they're smart they'll listen to the local ham repeaters so they know when you're home and when you're not.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
