Hope we can keep this thread specifically as a "lessons learned" thread about winter storms and salt water flooding.
A co-worker has relatives in Freeport, NY - the ocean side of southern Long Island. Their house is six miles from the open ocean although near a tidal inlet. The house has been there for many years and never been flooded, although they did get some water in their yard last year during Hurricane Irene. They only evacuated the house for this storm because so many relatives nagged them that they decided to go inland, book a hotel and do some shopping. The hotel lost power but did not suffer any physical damage.
At the height of the storm, there was four feet of water in the house. A large wave(s) came through (estimated 10'+) without being impeded by land and breakwater and stove in their second story windows, flooding the entire house in the process. The enterior of most homes is not very resistant to salt water intrusion....
Their oil tank was broken off it's mounts and spilled the contents. When they returned the neighborhood was littered with oil and propane tanks.
What else you got?
A co-worker has relatives in Freeport, NY - the ocean side of southern Long Island. Their house is six miles from the open ocean although near a tidal inlet. The house has been there for many years and never been flooded, although they did get some water in their yard last year during Hurricane Irene. They only evacuated the house for this storm because so many relatives nagged them that they decided to go inland, book a hotel and do some shopping. The hotel lost power but did not suffer any physical damage.
At the height of the storm, there was four feet of water in the house. A large wave(s) came through (estimated 10'+) without being impeded by land and breakwater and stove in their second story windows, flooding the entire house in the process. The enterior of most homes is not very resistant to salt water intrusion....
Their oil tank was broken off it's mounts and spilled the contents. When they returned the neighborhood was littered with oil and propane tanks.
- My co-worker had previously purchased a good-sized 12V bilge pump at a marine store and a spare 12 V battery that fit his car. This pump helped de-water the house when no one else around could do so. Might be a good solution for those of you with sump pumps and no power. They're available in sizes from 500 to 2000 gph.
- He brought an 800 watt inverter ($50-75). This inverter was large enough to power an electric coffee pot. He wired the second battery in parallel with his car and was able to run the coffee pot, and a few other small electrical accessories for three days by running the car periodically to charge both batteries, using a 1/4 tank of fuel.
- They used a Coleman camp stove for cooking. The one lb bottles were also sold out in the region in short order. I told my co-worker about the Coleman hose adapter to convert a 20lb can for camp stove use: he'd never heard of it and is going to get them one.
- The local cell towers were disabled by the storm. They had to drive 5-6 miles inland to get a cell signal to deal with insurance companies, relatives, contractors etc. Oftentimes these towers were overloaded with traffic and they could not get a connection.
- They purchased two six gallon jerry cans in MA and filled them in CT. This was the most important contribution for the family because they had to drive 10 miles per cell phone call (see above) and also used the car to stay warm. There were no fuel cans within 100 miles of NYC and supply is short across the country from this one storm.
- There are a number of electricians who live in the area, and the power was turned on in the neighborhood after a few days. But the electricians could not get a supply of replacement or repair sockets, wiring and other run-of-the-mill electrical supplies - also sold out throughout the three state area. Basically they had power to two second floor wall sockets, but could not use anything else because of wiring and fuse box damage.
What else you got?