Day 68
Day three with no power. We can do without the lights. We have flashlights. We have cold weather clothing and blankets galore so staying warm is relatively simple. But we are on a well and septic. No power means no pump so no water and no flushing toilets. This is the main reason we have a generator. The generator only powers some of the outlets so even running it we do not have hot water, a stove or a microwave. We can use the toaster oven and the tea kettle while we have the generator running and we can run the furnace enough to take the chill off the house and run the water and flush the toilets.
I have intermittent cell service on my phone, but hubby has none. Our WiFi is up so we can access it while the generator is running which means a few hours a day. I am rushing to get this update done while the generator is running.
Today we have ice and black ice. Everything that started to melt yesterday is now frozen because our temperatures dipped below freezing last night. After the ice melts, we are going to our daughter’s house (a little over an hour from here) so we can shower and get into some clean clothes. That will feel wonderful!
Yesterday afternoon when we drove back home we were astounded at all the tree damage. Being cut off, we had no idea how the storm affected the area around us. Huge limbs are broken off the trees and many trees are uprooted — a witness to the previously saturated ground and the heavy snow.
There were power trucks out everywhere with tree people following in bucket trucks. The trees must be cut before power can be restored. We actually drove under one tree stretched across the road and lying on the power/cable lines. 😳 There are still 3,000 people in our county alone without power. Duke power is saying power will be restored by 5:00 pm Friday. Individual outages may be restored before that time so we are keeping our fingers crossed.
From the little bit of news we read, the storm hit this area pretty hard. Our snow accumulation was not much, but the snow was SO heavy, the trees fell under the weight. Our dogwood trees suffered greatly with huge branches broken out of the tops of the trees. Our cedar trees lost limbs as well.
The large stands of bamboo that frame the roadways were all lying down and much of the bamboo was split and splintered. It was a sight to see.
We have still had no fuel delivery. Neither have most of the people living here. Yesterday when I spoke to the company, he said they had attempted 10 deliveries and only one was successful. This area is hilly and those huge trucks cannot make it up these hills with ice and snow. It just isn’t safe. We are looking at possibly Wednesday before they will attempt to deliver fuel.
We are so fortunate because we know the storm has taken lives. That is humbling when you think you have it rough so we are thankful and blessed. We have also been able to touch base with family to let everyone know we are okay. It’s the little things that are the most important.
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