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Thursday, September 1, 2011

The aftermath


Well the terrible hurricane that we call Irene has come and gone.

Thank you for all the kind comments and emails I received. You’ll never know how
much I appreciate the love and support you so graciously gave.
We are doing fine and are so grateful that it wasn’t worse then we expected.
Only a few trees down that did minimal damage. Not so for many of the folks hit by this storm.
Before Irene came we were trying to get any information we could get via tv, radio or internet.
That all changed early Sunday morning at 5am when we lost power and I was awoken by the sound
of howling wind and rain. I went to the bedroom window but couldn’t see a thing.
Not even my hand 5 inches from my face.
Why I was walking around in the dark I don’t know???'……
I’m sure there was a flashlight somewhere?
I didn’t want to wake George who was sound asleep.  
Poor guy was exhausted having worked nonstop making sure we were ready for this storm.
I think if it wasn’t for phone calls waking him up he would have slept thru the whole thing.

Now that’s the way to weather a hurricane.

Unfortunately he didn’t sleep thru it.
He’d kill me if I made you think he did. haha

After losing power it was difficult not knowing what was going on.
I wished I was more tech savvy and had a way of staying connected somehow.
Trying to watch the news from my lousy phone was not an option.
I have no clue how to do that, but maybe I should learn.
Saturday they predicted landfall would be near New Haven which is 30 minutes away.
Later Fairfield County which is more west of us.
I still don’t know where it hit first?
I know that many homes along East Haven shores were destroyed.

tree on car

 My car was just brushed by a small tree…whew that was close.
It came right up roots and all.
I never liked that tree anyways.

We were thrilled when power was restored Tuesday night at work.
I was writing this post Tuesday night at home on my laptop with Live Writer.

leaves

when the power came back on!!!!
at just a few minutes before midnight.
Scared me at first…….
I hadn’t expected it since there was still not a single light on in the center of town.
I figured it would be at least a week before power would be restored and I know there
are still so many going without.

They opened up the High School in Old Saybrook so people could take hot showers
and fill water bottles for clean drinking water.
We were lucky we never had to use it.
Not sure what they had in Westbrook which is where we actually reside.
Internet connection has been on and off.
Mostly off, so I haven’t been able to email much or publish a post until now.

I have seen images of the devastation in New Jersey and Vermont and have
been horrified at what I’ve seen.
This hurricane has brought communities to their knees.
These people need our help so desperately and the thought that FEMA would
not be able to aid them just as some congressman have stated
just goes beyond comprehension.
POLITICS!


Images of Brattleboro VT.

road
tractor

photos

bildeCAZJBPL8



Please go visit my friend Suzan who is hosting

Where she tells us how to prepare an emergency kit.
Now I need to pay attention to this.
I could have been better prepared myself!
Hurricane season is just starting and we were the lucky ones.


26 comments:

www.MaisonStGermain.com said...

Hi Carole,
Happy to see that you and George are fine:) We just got our power back yesterday. What a week, huh? Hope everyone gets their power back soon too.
Take care,
~Debra xxx

Giulia said...

I'm so glad the power is back. I know how frustrating it is, beeeleeeve me. Julie/Ruby said to tell you hello & she's thinking about you (she was in Rome when I told her about Irene & she asked about you). xoxoxo

Susan

Renée Finberg said...

hurricanes are terrible .....
the suck

Debra@CommonGround said...

So glad you and yours are OK, and glad you didn't have to go long without power! Over here it's tornados! xoxo D

Kathleen said...

Glad you didn't have too much damage. We lost power Sun morn and got it back Wed. No phones either, as the cable was out. I am so glad I kept my land line as folks were using up their gas trying to charge their phones. The gas stations were out of gas and needed elect to pump anyway.
After this, I will never give up the landline!

We had tree damage, and of course food had to be dumped. The worst was the power co. not releasing info via the local radio stations, it was the only way people to find out what was going on.
Some had no water as they are on wells.
It wasn't fun!
Ready for the next one?

oldgreymare said...

You know how thankful I am that you guys are OK. Fortunately I live where there are few weather related disasters but I am still as prepared as I can be. I have read in several places this week that people could not get information because their power was off and they no longer had a battery or solar powered radio, and could not charge their phones.

My heart goes out to all those affected and I worry that their plight will be quickly forgotten... goodness knows the fall lineup is coming back on soon and the country's attention will be focused elsewhere..sigh

Stay safe and get that emergency kit started :D
xx
z

June said...

SO glad to see a post from you Carole. You and many other blogging friends were on my mind and still are after Irene. I couldn't believe all the damage in Vermont that has been in the news. I am sure there is so much we will never see because there is so much to cover and the media has a short attention span and are always on to the next big thing. Thank goodness you didn't have to leave your home and that power was restored sooner than you thought it might be. I hate going without power and unfortunately
here in rural Idaho it happens more than I would like.
Dale, being in law enforcement and on Search and Rescue, we have our packs and plan in order. Two years ago I took preparedness classes and learned so much on how to keep us safe in almost any circumstance. They trained us on things I couldn't even imagine could happen to a person. SCARY! But important to know.
We can never be too prepared. So glad to know you are safe.
hugs from here...

the old white house said...

So happy that you are with power again and that you and George are both fine, along with your furpals ofcourse! My prayers go out to all of the people dealing with the aftermath of Irene. Between your post and Z's post, you two have me ready to get our supplies together.
Take Care, t. xoxoxoxoxo

Heaven's Walk said...

So glad that you survived Irene, Carole. You had alot of people praying for you! :)

xoxo laurie

mary pernula said...

So glad you and George are doing ok, Evi and her husband faired the storm as well. Take care, Hugs Mary

Rebecca said...

Hi Carol
So glad you are good and you have your power back. I can't imagine how much work and heartache this caused. I am just happy you are good.
Blessings
Rebecca

Jill said...

The losses for many are great...I'm very happy to hear that you and yours are doing well.

Julia @ Vintage with Laces said...

I'm so happy that you were safe and didn't have any major damage on your property, Carole. It must be awful to have no power and therefore not knowing what's going on. I feel always so sorry for people who lose their home through such kind of disasters. Since you are on the coast, I was really worried.
Hugs to you, dear friend,
Julia

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Dear Carole,
Although we have quite peculiar weather here in the UK, we never have the extremes that some of you suffer in the States. I cannot imagine what it must be like and how devastating it is and the personal losses people have to suffer.
I can remember the Great Storm that we had in 1987 when 22 people died which was a 'one off' thing. The last storm before that was in 1703 !!!!
Anyway, I'm so pleased that you have power now and, I suppose the big clean up starts now.
It's lovely to know that you, George and the cats are fine but, terrible to think of the people that have lost everything. Here's hoping that Old Saybrook doesn't get another one for 250 years !! Lots of love. XXXX

Dorthe said...

Dear Carole, wonderful you went through this without too much damage, and that you are both safe.
Seing the photo of that poor man makes me feel so sad. From one hour to another ones world can be destroied- I surely hope there will be some helping organisations taking over everywhere it is needed.
Wish you a blessed week-end.
Hugs,Dorthe

It's me said...

Hello Carole...i am glad you and your familly are fine...so terrible for you all !!,....wishing you a happy weekend...love from me Ria....xxx...

Sueann said...

I am so glad you are okay!! The images are really powerful. Tugs your heartstrings for sure!!
Hugs
SueAnn

time worn interiors said...

Oh Carole! So happy you guys came through as well as you did. Those storms are so unpredictable, never know exactly what they are going to do. My heart aches for people that have had tremendous losses! Have a great weekend.
tot

trash talk said...

Carole, as tough as it was for me to watch on TV, I can only imagine how frightening it was for y'all to be going through it.
I just have to add now is not the time for talking points...mainly 'cause they don't know what they're talking about. When it comes to disasters like Irene, Americans don't care how it gets taken care of...just get 'er done...and fast.
I'm glad to hear your smiling, albeit tired, face.
Deb

Unknown said...

Happy to hear that all is well with you and yours! So lucky that your power came back on much sooner than you thought. It's hurricanes there and wild fires here! CRAZY.

erin's art and gardens said...

so glad to hear you faired well!! this all brings up memories of the nashville flooding last year...of which there was hardly any news coverage due to the interest in the gulf oil spill. we had no electricity for four days and were trapped in our neghborhood for days.....it felt very strange to be cut off from the rest of the world. looks like there is another storm brewing in the gulf right now...oh boy...
have a good weekend,
erin
xxoo

Tanya said...

SO glad you weathered the storm, OK...that much water (not to mention wind) is SO scary to me...we lived in St. Louis in 93, when the last big flood occurred...I can't imagine living somewhere that hurricanes are a way of life! Happy Friday, Carole...

MJ Ornaments said...

I'm so happy to hear you're OK Carole. Disasters are so scary, and it's a good reminder to be prepared. Take care, Martha

Sandi~A Cottage Muse said...

So happy you are ok Carole!
Thank goodness she didn't get any stronger!

Itchin' Stitchin' said...

Oh so glad you are okay. We just recently got our power back - I can tell you one thing - this hurricane has really made me thankful for the little things like flushing a toilet, hot water that comes from your own tap, and home cooked meals.

Vicki Boster said...

Carole - we had a ton or rain here as well (KY). When we returned from our travels we came home to a downed tree in our yard and limbs scattered everywhere - ugh - what a mess!

Vicki