right now

right now

Aug 28, 2011

Everything is A-OK!

Even though we did get 10 inches of rain, Irene was a breeze for us here!  (hahaha)  Seriously, we only lost power for a little while, which I'm still in shock over.  Even a "light" nor'easter here leaves us without for at least 4 days.  20 years of hurricanes and nor'easters here and I've never had power throughout like this time - we only lost it for about 3 hours.  I do attribute it to the fact that a line snapped though that put us on a priority list since it was a live wire down.  We were out over 10 days with Isabel.  We don't even have any standing water.  This is because we live so close to the oceanfront, we are actually on a bit higher ground than the rest of the Tidewater area.  The worst parts here are around any bays, inlets and tributaries in Norfolk, because they have to deal with storm surge that has nowhere to go, whereas at the oceanfront - when the storm moves on, so does the water.


Unfortunately, the area did have several tragic deaths, some children, and several roofs blew off nearby in Sandbridge.  The floodwaters are still high and impassable in Norfolk, 20 minutes away.


Here the damage is confined to tree branches only, a downed fence and flattened garden - I'll take it!


All in all, a normal hurricane wind-wise for us with above normal tidal surge.  I sure hope the Northeast fares well and look forward to hearing everyone's updates.  Although down here we consider this one to be "normal" and not the Armageddon they were predicting, I hope it doesn't disrupt and damage things further up the coast.  Not because we are more used to it or anything, but here our structures are built to a hurricane code, unlike other areas further up.  We actually have to be up off the ground on crawlspaces or stilt supports and have special roof trusses.   Kind of like us not being built to withstand earthquakes LOL, like last week... what was that all about?!


Here's a photo from just down the road, there are several houses that had similar damage, so we are very lucky to only be dealing with a broken up and downed fence and peppers all over the place.




Not too bad!  Now it's outside to clean up the mess and play with power tools!
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21 comments:

  1. Amy DingmannAugust 28, 2011 at 10:17 AM

    So glad to hear you are ok! Wish we were closer so we could help you clean up! Have "fun" playing with the power tools. Did you husband make it back home before the storm hit?

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  2. Mama PeaAugust 28, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    So great to hear you got off easier than expected with this one. Even though you were super-prepared for the worst, you must be breathing a sigh of relief now. Contents of your freezer are safe and you didn't have to even miss a shower! Good, good news from your part of the country. Hooray!

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  3. Judy TAugust 28, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    Glad you're OK. We are still waiting to hear from my sister in DC and friends in Annapolis. Good luck with the clean up.
    Judy

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  4. Jane @ Hard Work HomesteadAugust 28, 2011 at 10:59 AM

    Horray! Glad to hear your OK.

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  5. Annie*s GrannyAugust 28, 2011 at 11:14 AM

    Wonderful! I've been emailing with Robin, and they just got a bit of water in the basement that the drains are handling fine. So far it looks like most have stayed safe and suffered very little.

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  6. SueAugust 28, 2011 at 11:33 AM

    Glad it wasn't as bad as predicted. Heck of a lot of rain, though. My gosh!

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  7. Dirt LoverAugust 28, 2011 at 11:35 AM

    Yeah!!! I've been thinking of you, and hoping that you were ok. And no power for just 3 hours?? Sweet! Glad to hear you are well and out playing with your power tools now.
    ~~Lori

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  8. LiisaAugust 28, 2011 at 11:38 AM

    Glad to see back and all is well.

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  9. RobinAugust 28, 2011 at 11:46 AM

    Happy to hear that you are OK. So sorry to hear about the deaths in your area. We just got back from a long walk. We just have light rain right now. But it is still very windy, which is supposed to last the rest of the day. I will do a post once we have our big breakfast.

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  10. judyAugust 28, 2011 at 12:16 PM

    thank goodness for small favors from Irene huh?

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  11. The Apple Pie GalAugust 28, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Here I have been, slicing tomatoes all dang morning with the weather channel and wondering sick about you! If I had just checked online here, I could have let a sigh of relief much sooner! SO very glad you guys are doing ok!!!

    Still don't want you on bikes for a bit, k?

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  12. DaniAugust 28, 2011 at 1:28 PM

    So glad to hear you're ok!

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  13. AnonymousAugust 28, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    I am happy to hear it was lighter than expected, even though any deaths or major damage (your neighbor's house) is awful. I hope people still take warnings seriously, because the next one might be full-on. (I know you'll take the warnings serious, but the "not-in-the" know folks might blow it off.

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  14. SparklessAugust 28, 2011 at 2:25 PM

    I'm so glad to hear you made it through without any major damage.

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  15. AnkeAugust 28, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    I'm so glad to hear you guys are ok and only have minimal damage. I bet you'll have that fixed and taken care of in no time at all.

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  16. SusanAugust 28, 2011 at 3:23 PM

    It's so good to hear that all is well - relatively speaking. I am glad you came out of this with minor damage. Now you won't have to clear out your garden, as Irene has done it for you. You can start fresh!

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  17. PattyAugust 28, 2011 at 7:09 PM

    Hey Girl! I was so happy to read that you're well, and your home is safe. Of course, concerned for others not so fortunate. Hope the garden bounces back! :) Thanks for letting all of us know how things are.

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  18. meemsnycAugust 29, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    It's good to hear that you didn't have much damage. I feel sorry for that house near you. What a mess to have to deal with.

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  19. ErinAugust 29, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    Hi everyone, sorry I didn't respond to each of you - we spent the better part of the day cleaning up and we're headed out for day 2 today. I'm so glad to hear that everyone else is okay, and in the process of cleaning up today. Still listening to the sound of generators and chainsaws bright and early this morning! Mama Dove's basket is hung back up in its regular place and she's in it, only time will tell if the eggs withstood all the rain and turmoil we had. An interesting sidenote... MR. Dove weathered out the storm with her, awwwwww! :) Back at it now...

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  20. ThomasAugust 29, 2011 at 11:15 AM

    Oh WOW. I'm glad to hear that you guys withstood the storm in one piece! Things were a little less interesting here.

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  21. Mama PeaAugust 29, 2011 at 12:46 PM

    Holy Moley - Do you mean Mr. Dove went into the dog kennel with Mrs. Dove during the storm? That's amazing! I was surprised she even went into that safe spot you provided for her. You are totally responsible for saving this next generation of mourning doves!

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