BASSACKWARDS PRIORRITIES (A power outage rant)

reply to post by vkey08


And you think that FortAnthem was responsible for that do you? I suppose that since our esteemed associate is living in what he has described as a run down area of Philly, you consider him the controller of all opinion and all actions stemming from that region, because clearly, he is the powerhouse which drives the entire state!

Your comments are foul, and unwarranted. Of course it is terrible that eight hundred and ninety thousand people in your region were without power for an extended period, and it is awful that people from ANYWHERE refused to help during that time, but that does not excuse your callous lack of grace and empathy on this subject. No one should be abandoned in such parlous circumstances as the ones which were prevailing when FortAnthem constructed, and posted his thread, no matter which state they happen to be from, or which neighborhood within that.

People need to learn the difference between a state, and its residents. Your comments smack of the same ignorance which is the cause of racial intolerance between communities from different nations, who snipe and poke at each other with generalisations and assumptions, and ignore the human, individual element in every particular. I find that manner of thinking utterly offensive. Well done.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Actually, it was warranted. Many many people from Pennsylvania came on ATS when we were all popping on with comments that we were still out and suffering and said "If you had survival skills you could get through this" people on this site THIS SITE blew us all off, but someone in PA is treated like it's the end of the world? The double standard is appaling to me, that's my point Britt.

Everyone jumps to the poor poor people everywhere else BUT here, no matter what the situation.. We get pushed aside even by members of THIS SITE..

Here's the way I look at it...

Schools have their power restored because they can be used as emergency shelters due to their size. A small school could probably house 500 people if needed. Grocery stores have it restored because of the food inside. In an emergency you wouldn't want the food to spoil because people will run out of food and need more. If all the food spoils, there's less to eat and it would cause more of a problem.

Chances are, big box stores and grocery stores are on the same delivery lines which is why they all go on. I know it may seem frustrating that you don't have power yet but they aren't purposely leaving you out because you're a house. They work as hard as they can and restore power to buildings that would benefit the masses rather than just a single family.

reply to post by vkey08


First of all, just because it was people from his region, and even here on ATS who lambasted members from your area, and perhaps even you, for a lack of survival skill, does not mean that you carrying on the trend, and bashing the poor chap is any less wrong, or any less despicable, and it will NEVER be warranted.

How does it benefit you, or anyone else to continue that chain of negative thinking, lack of empathy, lack of compassion? Does that do your soul good? Does it improve the lot of yourself or your fellow human beings to mindlessly continue that sort of behavior? No. All it does is reinforces the B.S. that leads to people having a callous disregard for the needs and troubles of others, and that benefits no one.

You had an opportunity to be the bigger person about this, and express sympathy, and empathy from a shared experience. You had the opportunity to be a friend to your fellow member here at the site, your fellow human being. Instead, all you have shown is that you are incapable of having an original thought, or an original reaction, that you have precisely the same lack of decency as those who shunned you and your fellow residents when your lives were upside down and the world seemed to have ended.

Does that make you proud? Does it make you feel smart, tough, powerful? What good has it done anyone in history, for those who have been poorly done to, to do poorly to others?

reply to post by vkey08



I am truly embarrasses, ashamed and disgusted by the response of my state to your earlier power outage. It shows the true callousness of our public officials towards the people of other states.

As for people who disparaged your survival skills, I felt pushed to the edge after just 4 days here in Pa, I couldn't even imagine 3 WEEKS without power. After more than a week, you'd either have to go full Amish or move yourself to someplace that had power. The only folks who have that type of extreme survival skills and preparations are either Amish or full on nut-job prepper survivalists who make regular preppers look bad.

Thank you True Brit for your defense of me but, vkey08 has a valid gripe against Pa and I don't blame her for being bitter. Thank God the people of her state weren't petty and decided to help us out in our time of need. I hope they shove that in our faces if they ever need help again. After hearing of her power outage, I feel kinda whiney about griping about a little 4 day outage.

One more update; our sucker fish passed away last night even after the power came back on. He was gasping for breath all night and I cleaned and replaced 2/3 of the water in the tank in an attempt to save him but it was too late and he passed. We've had him since we first got fish and he grew from the smallest sucker at the store to a huge 8" long monster fish. We were really proud of our "Suckey" and he was everyone's favorite. Probably the worst thing about losing power is the feeling of helplessness because we couldn't do anything for the fish except aerate the water so they could breathe. Now, we have only 2 fish left and the tank is looking really empty.

RIP Suckey, you will be missed.

Mamatus
It is common knowledge that resources go out to the areas with the most to lose first.

If you think a shopping mall with no residents living there has more to lose than the average person trying keeping his or her family warm, then you are a prime case study for the OP's intended rant.

Priorities...

reply to post by vkey08


Do you think their governor lives in the OP's neighborhood or something? I'm sure the people who screwed you over have electricity right now.

reply to post by FortAnthem



I live in southern WV, and 2 summers ago we had a derecho storm on 4th of July weekend, and were without power for 5 days. It seemed to me that the power company starts at hospitals, and work their way out from there. I guess one advantage of living in a city is your power won't be off as long as it will in a rural area. Good Luck. I know what you're going through.

FortAnthem
reply to post by vkey08

 

I am truly embarrasses, ashamed and disgusted by the response of my state to your earlier power outage. It shows the true callousness of our public officials towards the people of other states.

As for people who disparaged your survival skills, I felt pushed to the edge after just 4 days here in Pa, I couldn't even imagine 3 WEEKS without power. After more than a week, you'd either have to go full Amish or move yourself to someplace that had power. The only folks who have that type of extreme survival skills and preparations are either Amish or full on nut-job prepper survivalists who make regular preppers look bad.

Thank you True Brit for your defense of me but, vkey08 has a valid gripe against Pa and I don't blame her for being bitter. Thank God the people of her state weren't petty and decided to help us out in our time of need. I hope they shove that in our faces if they ever need help again. After hearing of her power outage, I feel kinda whiney about griping about a little 4 day outage.

One more update; our sucker fish passed away last night even after the power came back on. He was gasping for breath all night and I cleaned and replaced 2/3 of the water in the tank in an attempt to save him but it was too late and he passed. We've had him since we first got fish and he grew from the smallest sucker at the store to a huge 8" long monster fish. We were really proud of our "Suckey" and he was everyone's favorite. Probably the worst thing about losing power is the feeling of helplessness because we couldn't do anything for the fish except aerate the water so they could breathe. Now, we have only 2 fish left and the tank is looking really empty.

RIP Suckey, you will be missed.

edit on 2/8/14 by FortAnthem because:

Being from that area we still have family and friends there. The phones are also down so we have been using calling from ID to fine generators and kerosene stoves at local stores.
This may have a silver lining for some folks will now plan ahead for the next big event.
Please take this as a warning shot of what may happen if the grid goes down for good.
A CME or EMP will happen some day soon. Gain a heads up by reading a book called “One Second After” as a way to be able to prepare for the next “Lights Out”.
The government has been preparing for such an event for some time and so should you.
I’ll bet you that there are people in your hood that have back-up plans and items to weather through this crisis. I wish you and your family all the best.

waltwillis
A CME or EMP will happen some day soon. Gain a heads up by reading a book called “One Second After” as a way to be able to

So?
CME's have been happening since the dawn of time and will continue to happen until the end of time.
EMP's are great fodder for conspiracy theories but if one ever happens it isn't going to be like some people here imagine. Oh look Foreign Country X uses an EMP in NYC and within 20 mins the grid all over the country is down.
A better reason to prepare for no power is the most basic and normal explanation and that is weather.

I feel for the OP for sure and have a friend who has two kids and is without power in the Philly area and will be that way until Monday they think. It's a tough scenario and anyone going through it I wish the best of luck.

opethPA

waltwillis
A CME or EMP will happen some day soon. Gain a heads up by reading a book called “One Second After” as a way to be able to

So?
CME's have been happening since the dawn of time and will continue to happen until the end of time.
EMP's are great fodder for conspiracy theories but if one ever happens it isn't going to be like some people here imagine. Oh look Foreign Country X uses an EMP in NYC and within 20 mins the grid all over the country is down.
A better reason to prepare for no power is the most basic and normal explanation and that is weather.

I feel for the OP for sure and have a friend who has two kids and is without power in the Philly area and will be that way until Monday they think. It's a tough scenario and anyone going through it I wish the best of luck.

edit on 2014pAmerica/Chicago2801ppm by opethPA because: (no reason given)

I live in SW Pa,been through many power outages,after the second one I bought two propane wall heaters,50 bucks each,then had two 100 lb propane tanks installed.These heaters are only used during outages since I heat with oil,small investment.
As far as melting snow,my barbeque grill sets on my porch year round,set you containers of snow on top,getting water is no problem,lighting is done with propane lanterns,don't forget the beer.

viking1117
don't forget the beer.

That's how you recognize the REAL hard core preppers.

I live in a Philly suburb (Bucks County to be exact). The whole situation is f'n ridiculous. But this is a nationwide problem. The USA electrical grid is one from the 19th century. By now they should have an complete underground electrical delivery system instead of overhead wires ala an 1890 telegraph system. But they would rather spend billions on other countries building new schools and bridges like in Iraq and Afghanistan. They would rather see our infrastructure rot. While other countries have 200 mph transit systems, Amtrack will operate at half that speed max on our turn of the century train system. Welcome to our Third World country in another 30 years. Hopefully I'm long gone by then. I feel bad for future generations here.

Glad to hear your power is finally up - seems the wild storms are not ending - thought I'd share your pain, or lighten the mood, whichever you wish... photo my dad clearing his road this morning (snow is now hip high) and where I'm at (PNW city which rarely gets snow) we're more than 5" or so, been snowing for 3 days and it's still going... luckily, no power outages that I'm aware of.

Freakin' hedghog prediction was right - Good times

UnBreakable
I live in a Philly suburb (Bucks County to be exact). The whole situation is f'n ridiculous. But this is a nationwide problem. The USA electrical grid is one from the 19th century. By now they should have an complete underground electrical delivery system instead of overhead wires ala an 1890 telegraph system.

That isn't always the best approach, as any person who works in power generation can tell you. If a wire falls from a pole, you see where it is down and you can put it back up. If a wire breaks underground, you get a backhoe and wait your turn, providing you can locate it precisely. What is prudent in one area (hurricane zone) may not be prudent in another (earthquake zone).

I live in an area that is frequented by winter "arctic express" wind and ice storms. A few years ago we were hit two years in a row with two-week power outages. In one the pole nearest my house snapped in two. We also live in an area with the worst record of outages in the company's service area. No matter who we were: sick, poor, aged, or rich, we all waited.

having that happen to you ought to be sufficient motivation. I realize everyone is not in a position to prepare completely, but anyone can do SOMETHING to prepare, even if it is only candles, oil, a Coleman cook stove, and some canned food. Even apartment dwellers can do that. Those who are in a better position and DON'T prepare are doing themselves a disservice.

reply to post by FortAnthem



I say the real conspiracy is that we are forced to have our electrical utilities only through a state/government approved company. If we were allowed to supply at least a small part ( if not all ) of our electricity ourselves we wouldn't be without options just because we were forced to rely on only that one company. In situations like yours though and in shtf scenarios, you'd be amazed what one can accomplish with just a hand crank, a bit of copper wire, some voltage regulating gear, two car batteries and a decent power inverter lol.

reply to post by bladerunner44


In your opinion, would investing in underground utilities help protect from some natural extreme elements? If the scientists are correct about storms getting more intense.

MOMof3
reply to post by bladerunner44

 

In your opinion, would investing in underground utilities help protect from some natural extreme elements? If the scientists are correct about storms getting more intense.

So you're between Mt St Helens and Yellowstone, or so says your location. Remember that when St Helens blew in 1980 all the pumice and ash went east, towards you. Now if Rainier blew the lava would probably go west and wind up in Tacoma and Renton (at least according to the maps), but what if it went east again and the Yellowstone shield also blew? As you know, there were many earthquakes when St Helens went up.

So...would it be better to have underground utilities which wind up beneath the lava flow, or better to have above ground utilities that can be put back together again without digging?

My cousin bought ten acres on the Big island in the early 1960's. (True story. He'll probably will it to me out of spite.) It had underground utilities. Unfortunately, his lot is now under a lava flow, so it will be a few million years before he can build on it.

reply to post by MOMof3


I don't think its necessary to go to the extreme of burying the power lines to make the grid better. Having open air lines allows more power to travel across them with less heat generation and smaller conductors.

I think a better option is what one of the posters mentioned earlier; cut down or back the trees which could potentially threaten the power lines. Sure, there would be some expense involved but, I'll bet it would be cheaper in the end than paying loads of OT to the power crews to get the lines back up, not to mention the cost of replacing transformers, transmission lines and power poles throughout the region. Some might complain about losing their 100 year old oaks but, compared to leaving thousands to suffer in the cold during an outage, I think it would be worth it.

reply to post by schuyler


I don't believe there is any system that would protect against lava flows. I was thinking about intensified storms that the scientists are predicting.