Post-Irene

Sunday, September 4th 2011

Downed power lines like these were
the scene on many roadways

Many crews of linemen and women right now are still repairing the mess of downed power lines after Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene crossed Connecticut last Sunday.  Our power was restored Thursday night, and our cable and internet was back up earlier today.  We placed a call in to Comcast just to get our names on whatever list was being populated in regards to the restoration of services, and the representative told us that our service was not down but that the Comcast relay point in our town was without power; meaning that the entire town had no service.  Aside from political issues of which people get power first, the work is being done, and bit by bit the electricity and communication services are being restored. 



CT River waters flood,
tainted with silt and debris



The myriad of complaints on Facebook are almost comical when you think of what happened.  We are lucky that this storm was not the same severity of the Irene that hit the Carolinas, nor was it the storm that dumped 15 plus inches of rain in Vermont and New Hampshire.  Yes there were people in Connecticut who could not get out of their homes due to blocked roads of tangled trees and power lines, and yes people took matters into their own hands to remove the debris due to lack of response from authorities. 

The greatest lesson is to be prepared.  In two homes we had filled our bathtubs with water to flush toilets, the one we stayed in and the one we left vacant.  Everything that was outside was brought in or tied down.  Flashlights, battery operated everything was gathered together including an AM/FM radio.  Parking positions were comtemplated, made, then changed again as the winds started showing signs of weakness in nearby trees.  We vacated our apartment to stay in a house that we perceived as more secure.  By Sunday afternoon after most of the storm had passed, the damage was more than I expected.  Trees that had once stood over a hundred feet tall had been halved or brought entirely to the ground.  Stories of shoreline structures and beaches washed away from the storm surge coupled by an unfortunately high hightide.  Returning to the apartment to access the damage, I laughed at one 12 foot long branch that came down from about six feet up a maple tree.  The apartment was definately a safer option for shelter, yet a thousand feet down the street looked like bombs had been dropped from planes. 

 

Peaceful skies after the storm



I did not know what to expect for Monday with the looming obligation of work.  My boss finally called me at 6:40am as he was already at a jobsite an hour and a half from our office.  I was on a search for an open coffee shop, something I needed to sooth my confusion with familiarity.  All week I worked in the field, taking different routes to work to gain an idea of what was destroyed and what remained.  The work helped pass the time more than anything else, because it seemed counter-intuitive to stress your body in a situation where people have limited resources.  The overwhelming feeling of disconnection from what is happening outside of Connecticut dominated my mind for most of the week.  Calls placed to friends and family were reassuring as they reported damages but thankfully nothing severe.  By Thursday night it was time to go fishing and try to relax and excape the feeling of uncertainty the storm left behind.  

Trying to reconnect