Advice for those affected by the New England Ice Storm:

[hedgehog]

I've posted this before, but it bears repeating:

If you look on the side of your house where the power lines come in, you'll see a flat cable coming out somewhere near the foundation. This cable goes through the meter and up the side of the house where it breaks down into three connecting plugs. Those three plugs are connected to three plugs coming from the power company.

The power company will fix just the damage on its side of the connection. If a tree broke the wire to your house, the power company will replace it. BUT, if the damage is on your side of the connection, YOU have to get an electrician to repair it. Typically we're talking about the cable being torn off the house by a falling tree limb. If the line crew is working your neighborhood and sees that the cable on your house is damaged, they'll disconnect you and move on. With so many lines to repair, it might be a week or longer for a line crew to get back out to you. So, get an electrician out to do repairs ASAP if you see this kind of damage.


Obviously, a lot of the people who need this ifo aren't on line, but maybe you could pass it on to any friends or family in the area.

Also, please post your own advice/ experience with ice storm clean-up.

[Vinca]

1. What line crew? We've been out and about twice today and

haven't seen a truck in a 5 mile radius. Good advice, though. Our problem appears to be down the hill where some uninsulated lines have fallen on top of each other. Someone went out early with a chainsaw and cleared trees from the road, but the utility trucks are MIA so far.

[BeatleBoot]

2. Are you on-line with a generator?

[nichomachus]

4. If you're using a generator

Make sure it is outside, far away, and downwind from the house. And, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector inside the house -- more than one actually.

Carbon monoxide poisoning from generators is a serious problem.

Never ever run it inside the house -- no matter how clever you think you are at venting it.

Just some advice from experience.

[Vinca]

6. Yes. We bought a really nice Kubota generator about 15 years ago

after a horrendous experience similar to what many are going through today. It's a fairly good sized one. We have it installed on a platform with wheels out in the detached garage. We had an electrician set it up so almost everything in the house can be run on the generator by switching a lever on the circuit breaker box. My husband ran another line underground from the house to the garage so the generator plugs in out there and there's no danger of carbon monoxide. It's still pretty noisy though. Since we're both self-employed and work at home, it was a necessity if we wanted to make a living during a long power outage. To this day, I call that generator the best purchase we've ever made.

[hedgehog]

3. Unless you've been through it, it's hard to imagine the devastation an

ice storm can cause.
We went through this a few years back when an ice storm hit in about a 10 mile radius. It was a few weeks before everyone had power back. My folks went through it when an ice storm hit a good part of the Buffalo area. We drove down to help them and some elderly relatives clean up. It was incredible to see the convoys of trucks on the Thruway and to see so many of them parked at a local mall that night.

Given the area covered by this storm , we're talking about a MAJOR disaster. The houses and buildings are all still standing, but it's going to take a long time to get everyone back on the grid. Figure that there is a line down on just about every street and road in the effected area. Now figure that each repair is going to take two to six guys at least an hour or two. The trucks are out there, but there is a lot of ground to cover.

[hedgehog]

5. BTW, now is NOT a good time to learn how to use a chain saw!

[uppityperson]

7. Or, if you do, keep your cell phone handy, and a tourniquet.

[yy4me]

8. Additional advice for many as they face insurance problems,

from someone who has been there. Be prepared to fight with your insurance company. There are some tricky little things in the industry about who is responsible for the removal of downed trees and for the cost of repairs.

Know that there are people called "Independent Insurance Adjusters" who will go to bat for you if your insurance company gives you trouble about settlement and payment. They charge a fee but in our case, it was well worth his percentage.