Hurricane Irene and Everything!

[Hostelling Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hostelling]

Pat, I AM stuck until Thursday because of flights

Chris, good idea! I just called and they had no cancelations or last minute vacations. And my insurance does not cover this.

Check with the Bermuda Department of Tourism, Hamilton
43 Church Street, Hamilton HM 12
Contact: +1 441 292 0023
Open Hours: 9a-5p M-F

See what they can do for you, may be the chance to find that quaint local B&B

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Things are very eerie here in Rockland and down in Queens. There are very few people out and about. Next to no traffic anywhere. All mass transit is now closed with the exclusion of the Staten Island ferry which will run until tonight. No more flights. You can't find batteries anywhere.

We are still 24 hours from the worst of this.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Preparing for Hurricane Irene: How to stay connected

Hurricane Irene: How To stay Connected

Preparing for Hurricane Irene: How to stay connected

That applies to cellphones too, even though they seem independent of power and phone lines.

Here are some tips for communicating with emergency services and loved ones as Irene sweeps up the East Coast: Hurricane readiness and FAQ

•Cellphones may work even if the power goes out, but you can’t count on them. The phones themselves, of course, have batteries. And the cell towers that relay your calls and other messages are often equipped with backup batteries and some have generators. Verizon says all its sites have at least eight hours of backup power.

But tower batteries run down, and refueling generators with diesel can be difficult if roads are flooded. If hurricane recovery drags on for days, cell service may go out due to a lack of “tower power.” This is what took out the cellphone network in southern Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, complicating rescue and recovery efforts.

After Katrina, federal regulators wanted to mandate that all cell sites have at least eight hours of backup power. But much of the wireless industry objected to the rule, claiming it was illegally drafted and would present a huge economic and bureaucratic burden that would divert resources from the most disaster-prone areas. The requirement was tossed out.

Power loss isn’t the only threat to a wireless network. Calls are carried from the towers by landlines, which are also susceptible to damage, and they connect to communications networks that also need power to function.

Wireless carriers have a menagerie of backup equipment to deploy in areas where their infrastructure has been destroyed, or where emergency responders need extra capacity. Towable cell towers are called Cells on Wheels, or COWs, while Cells on Light Trucks are called COLTs. AT&T calls generators on trailers GOATs.

•Even if cellphones work, wireless networks may be overloaded by people calling to check in on each other or surfing the Web. Tuesday’s earthquake on the East Coast triggered such an overload, even though there was no physical damage to towers or lines.

Cellphone companies recommend text messaging rather than calling in any disaster, because text messages use much less network capacity. They also don’t use much battery power. Using Facebook and Twitter can be tempting, but try to keep usage brief and use the apps rather than web browsers if possible, to minimize network use and battery drain.

If you have a battery-powered radio, use it to get your news updates rather than taxing the wireless network and your phone battery.

•Keep your phones plugged in so that they’re fully charged if the power goes out. There are various products available that can recharge a cellphone from a larger rechargeable battery, AA batteries, or through a car adapter.

•Corded landline phones may work even if the power goes out, because they’re powered from the phone jack, which in turn is powered from the phone company’s facilities. These are usually equipped with generators or backup batteries.

Cordless phones won’t work if your home loses electric power, nor will Internet phone services like Vonage and Ooma.

Even if the phone company’s facilities have backup power, the phone lines themselves are susceptible to wind and water damage. Luckily, a strike at Verizon, the largest local-phone company on the East Coast, ended last weekend, so repair crews should be fully staffed.

•Phones hooked up to cable lines or Verizon FiOS lines aren’t powered by those lines, but the modems in the home usually have backup batteries that will last about eight hours. That means corded phones will work without your home’s electric power with these services. Again, cordless phones will be useless.

•Vehicle emergency systems like General Motors’ OnStar rely on a wireless network (OnStar uses Verizon’s), so they’re susceptible to network outages, just like cellphones. However, OnStar says customers report better luck connecting with their car systems than with cellphones, probably because the car has a much larger antenna, allowing it to reach more distant towers.

•For true disaster preparedness, only a satellite phone will do. Unfortunately, both the phones and the service are expensive. AT&T sells an $800 smartphone called the Genus that can switch between the regular wireless network and routing calls through a satellite. The satellite option costs $25 per month, plus 65 cents per minute of calling. Iridium Communications sells similarly-priced dedicated satellite phones.

[jackio Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close jackio]

We just went out to lunch, and most people must be staying in because the shopping centers and roads are not crowded at all.
We are awaiting the worst of it to come through tomorrow.

Stay safe everyone!

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

It seems like the storm is moving slower and is a category 1 now but still very wide. They are showing it here all day long. We keep hoping for the best and are thinking of you. Stay safe!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

We missed it in Miami, Missed it in Orlando and come home just in time to make the party

BTW against my wifes wishs I picked up our new car last night. I pray nothing happens or I will hear I told you so for life.

[Hostelling Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hostelling]

Philadelphia International Airport has seen 117 flights cancelled in response to Irene. Airlines have already cancelled 1,380 flights in the US Saturday in response to Irene, and 3,975 on Sunday. These numbers are expected to climb

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

We missed it in Miami, Missed it in Orlando and come home just in time to make the party

BTW against my wifes wishs I picked up our new car last night. I pray nothing happens or I will hear I told you so for life.

Uh oh, you shoulda listened to the wife Frank.

I lost a car in a wet hurricane like this. I drove it thru a "puddle" that turned out to be 3 feet deep.
Keep it away from the trees and if you've got a garage now would be a good time to make space for it.

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

<3 Good luck all. Hopefully, Irene will decide to go back out to sea.

[Pat H Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pat H]

1 million people without power in NC & VA alone! Now Irene is expected to be a hurricane all the way up. I am extremely worried about my son and his family in the Poconos. He just doesn't seem to think it's a big deal.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

1 million people without power in NC & VA alone! Now Irene is expected to be a hurricane all the way up. I am extremely worried about my son and his family in the Poconos. He just doesn't seem to think it's a big deal.

Pat it is great to be young and carefree. the problem is u know every nook and cranny of tthat house!

Frank, I will pray for your car.

Chris, in NY you keep everythimg BUT your car in the garage!

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Frank, I will pray for your car.

Chris, in NY you keep everythimg BUT your car in the garage!

The only car that could maybe fit in my garage is a match box car oh and a hot wheels too.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

Chris, in NY you keep everythimg BUT your car in the garage!

Oh I know. Same here. My Mom's garage is my storage unit.
She's never put her car in there and not cause of me, cause she's afraid of hitting the walls. She's a NY driver, licensed at 40 something.

The only car that could maybe fit in my garage is a match box car oh and a hot wheels too.

Hopefully that won't be the only car left after the storm or you'll be sleeping in the garage.

Please DO NOT go outside during the storm.
So many people do this and get hit with flying debris. I know it's very cool to watch all the transformers in the city go poof but trust me you DO NOT want to be outside til it passes. And please stay away from the windows. It's no fun when they blow out with the pressure, it can take the roof off (speaking from experience).

Oh and when the storm calms down and seems like it's over, that's the eye, it WILL get worse real fast so stay indoors til you hear the birds.

[Ann-Marie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ann-Marie]

Oh boy. Power surges starting already. Heavy rain started about an hour ago.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I got a text from my tenat the new rubber roof is leaking bad and the rain just started an hour ago