Well....good morning everyone! We just got power back about an hour ago! I'm so grateful, too, because we were without power for 10 days after Irene, last year. The lines at the gas stations are outrageous. We have a generator hooked up to a transfer switch, so we have the essentials. We turn it off at night to conserve the gas, but it got really cold last night.
We are inland and no major bodies of water nearby. We have no damage to our house or property. Other people in my town did not fare so well. Lots of downed trees everywhere. Traffic lights weren't working and people were driving through them as if the light was green and barrelled right through. There were a lot of car accident with fatalities.
My parents are six blocks in from the shore, near Pt. Pleasant. They did not have water come to them, but they have no power, phone or anything. Cell service was minimal and they have texting shut off (texting is the only way of communicating right now). My dad set his little generator on fire and the other one was left for months prior with gasoline in it, no stabilizer and it wasn't working. My husband got it to work for a little while, but it stopped. My stepmom refuses to leave because of her cats. I'm worried about them. They have no heat and everyone needs to boil water where they are. Their food is spoiling. I hope my dad can convince her to come here for a little while and get some hot food, shower and whatever else.