What is the worst weather disaster you ever personally experienced?

[CL82]

Like this:


But Joan Jett!

I haven't thought about the J Geils band in years. Slipping them into my playlist. Thanks!

 

[CL82]

Your dating history had to be as pitiful as mine if you'd date with someone you disliked enough, or was scared enough of, to jump out a second story window to escape her.

It was that stupid flirty stuff that teens do. And my plan was just to run through the window onto the roof, run around to the other side of the dorm and run back in through a different room. I just went one room further than the roof went.

I'm sorry...but we can't let that little phrase slide "One time I was being chased by one of the girls in the dorm and..." without hearing more details. What did she look like? Why was she chasing you?

Yeah, sorry, I just don't remember anymore. I probably teased her about something, maybe? It was all pretty benign as I said above. She was pretty, about 5'9" with wavy chestnut brown hair that went down to about the middle of her back. That was the reason that I was flirting with her in the first place. We were pretty serious for a couple years.

 

[CL82]

If y are handy and understand electricity there is a 4th option…..

A 4kw generator with a 30a 240 output is prob $400 plus. If y want a dual fuel
Prob 5-600. So prob 1.5 with the electrician imo.

I am handy, and I do understand electricity, but wiring in a transfer switch feels like a bridge too far for me.

 

[FearThePups]

Mine is Super Typhoon Pamela, 1976, island of Guam. Serving in USAF at the time, the storm raged for 24 hours in total as it stalled. 12 hours, then silent for 1 hour as the eye wall passed then a final 12 hours. Sustained winds over 190 mph. Island without power for 3 months.
Typhoon Pamela

On May 20, 1976—49 years ago this week—Typhoon Pamelastruck Guam. Described as a “supertyphoon,” Pamela generated winds up to 190 mph during its peak.

the term super typhoon is used for tropical cyclones with sustained winds exceeding 150 mph.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I lived in Eastern NC during Hurricane Floyd. I saw things I would not have believed if someone was describing them to me. Water can do amazing and horrifying things.

 

[Rocktheworld]

CT snowstorm in October of 2011 had power down for a week and pretty much canceled Halloween.

That was a crazy time.

Yup I was a senior. Lived in Oak Grove, which was basically on the campus grid, so never lost power. My friends all in Willy Oaks were not so lucky. Huge pine branches were weighed and iced down such that cars were trapped underneath. My place became the spot, mostly for people to take showers lol poor folks in I think cedar ridge got it the worst, no power for at least a week

Even worse was the series of storms we got in Boston late winter 2015. But of course I was on city grid and never lost power thankfully

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I am handy, and I do understand electricity, but wiring in a transfer switch feels like a bridge too far for me.

You absolutely need a professional and you should do it with a standby generator, not a portable (even if the portable generator has sufficient wattage).

 

[Kathy]

How do you wire it into your home? Thankfully, I had a generator for Sandy, but I was just running extension cords up to critical things like heaters, and the refrigerator, etc.

Sandy was definitely the worst I've seen. Urban sprawl in New Jersey creates a lot of light, even out into the suburbs. Everything was pitch black. I can remember driving down Route 10, which is pretty developed and everything was pitch black except for the occasional generated powered traffic light. It was eerie.

I remember the blizzard of 78 but for whatever reason it doesn't seem as impactful for me. For Sandy, we were without power for a couple weeks.

Had a portable in my house in CT. They put a small panel near the circuit box and an out let outside the garage to plug it into. Still needed to throw the switch in the basement add gas and start it. Kept the well, refrigerator, a few outlets and heat going.

Have an automatic whole house that runs on propane down here in DE - runs everything

 

[storrsroars]

She was... about 5'9"

Back in your day, that's a center for the women's team. At least a power forward.

 

[ihatepants]

I was living in Manila, Philippines during Typhoon Ketsana in 2009. Got ready in the morning to go out, walked down the stairs from my apartment, saw people in the street wading through chest high water and proceeded to go back to bed. Didnt have electricity for days.

 

[CL82]

Back in your day, that's a center for the women's team. At least a power forward.

I think the center for the women's basketball team was named Shelia and stood about 6 feet maybe 6' 1" if I recall correctly. I remember talking with her one time at a party in Putnam.

 

[Dove]

Superstorm Sandy.

Was watching TV and watching Mother Nature blow ferociously out the windows to the front lawn. Saw a tree split in two, rotate and land at an angle a bit away from where we reclined.

Incredibly, the winds blew westward. If they blew eastward like regular superstorms, my last post would have been in 2012 and I would never have been thought of since.

 

[YukonDolt6]

2024 DANA in Valencia Spain. Confirmed 237 people died. Massive flooding and widespread destruction - about €11B estimated in damages. We still can see acres of abandoned cars piled in stacks in a lot to the south of the city. Things didn't get back to normal for months. Many of my coworkers were directly affected. Also our office compound and data center was flooded. The data center was back up within a few days but the offices were shut down for repairs for months. Luckily we live in a high altitude area so my family was safe and our property wasn't damaged.

 

[freescooter]

Blizzard of 78. My neighbor went into labor and the RI National Guard came in a half track personnel vehicle and took her too the hospital because their car was useless and the ambulance got stuck in a snow drift. My roommate and I thought we were going to have to help deliver a baby!

Maine Ice Storm of January 1998. In Waterville the staff at Colby College did yeoman’s work housing and feeding a couple of thousand people in the Athletic Center.

 

[YukonDolt6]

Thread vibes

 

[boba]

I remember the blizzard of '78, if only because I worked at Bridgeport Hospital and was one of the few who came into work. As I recall I earned a great deal of OT.
The worst was not a single event but a winter in Germany (86?) where snow that fell in November was still around in May. I had to drive a 14' plow on a deuce and a half through a gate 15' wide... Barely made it. Needed to use the same deuce and a half to pull many people out of the snow, including our commander.
Best time was when I rode in a dirty thirty (C-130) through a tropical storm with the hurricane hunters. I didn't do anything, just sat and watched.

 

[Flipside]

2024 DANA in Valencia Spain. Confirmed 237 people died. Massive flooding and widespread destruction - about €11B estimated in damages. We still can see acres of abandoned cars piled in stacks in a lot to the south of the city. Things didn't get back to normal for months. Many of my coworkers were directly affected. Also our office compound and data center was flooded. The data center was back up within a few days but the offices were shut down for repairs for months. Luckily we live in a high altitude area so my family was safe and our property wasn't damaged.

gracias por compartir ... viví cerca en Alicante, España (y Isla de Tabarca), durante un verano en los años 80 ... este post me toca el corazón

 

[OviedoFLHusky]

We lost power for over a week in the 1973 thing

We lost power too; that's why we all were sleeping next to the fire in the fireplace - our house had electric heat.

Most people in my town (Tolland) lost power, I think. Going back to school, once power was restored to "critical" buildings, I remember it didn't exactly smell great - no one had been able to bathe! Thankfully the showers in the locker rooms were working!

 

[Ewekon]

The view from Fairfield.

I was alive and well and 12-17 years old, in Fairfield, for the 70s weather events being cited. I don't particularly remember any...

My biggest weather event was probably February, 1984 in Ithaca NY. Lake snow saw 3 measured feet in 36 hours.

Was doing a post grad year and to this day I have never seen a weather event so intense.

 

[HooperScooper]

Blizzard of 1978. I remember being stuck at home with no electricity and no heat. Our family huddled up in the living room next to the fireplace and put blankets over the doorways to keep the heat in the room. Even slept in that room. Luckily our oven and stovetop were gas so we could cook. I think we were all ready to kill each other after those few days! Lol

 

[NEforceUConn]

I was at Trinity for blizzard of 78, living in High Rise. I must have been on a massive bender because nothing stands out to me. That or it’s time for the memory ward

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I was at Trinity for blizzard of 78, living in High Rise. I must have been on a massive bender because nothing stands out to me. That or it’s time for the memory ward

The Trin-Trin way

 

[Robrio89]

For myself it was Winter Storm Alfred in 2011.

Was living in an apartment with my ex and my 10 month old son. Was working in a hotel by the airport at the time and was working the evening shift. Around 4-5pm the power starts going out. When a hotel line goes down it typically alerts the call center and corporate to contact the hotel to see what is going on, but not at the La Quinta. Instead people started booking online and we ended up selling out. Hours later trees are falling everywhere, LazFly vans dropping people off with us even though we had no power. No elevator. Doors had to be pried open. People crying because they weren’t from the area and were stuck. My relief couldn’t get out of his driveway so I worked 16 hours straight at the desk with about 100 people staying there. Was complete chaos. Follow that by 10 days without power, constantly checking CL&P website to see when power would return. It was that storm that made me realize my son’s mom would be my future ex. Trying to go from families houses who also didn’t have power with a 10 month old who needed formula was hectic. I get about 10,000 more words on this experience but I’ll leave it at that.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Labor Day Nor'easter in central NJ. I was finishing laps at our outdoor pool when the guard stops me and says I better get home as a big storm was coming. By the time I got out, dried off and drove a mile home I sat in my driveway while a tornado went over my house, taking out three trees luckily which did not land on the car or house but took out all our patio furniture and bbq grill. My wife and daughter were huddled in a nearby store and eventually had to walk home. We were a 1 sq mile town but the tornado took out over 1000 trees and downed power lines everywhere making driving impossible. I was on our town's rescue squad and spent the rest of the day walking door to door to houses with patients on oxygen as their O2 generators were all alarming. We lost power for 5 days and like others had a huge block party which involved chain saws, log splitters and multiple cookouts.

 

[Chin Diesel]

We lost power for over a week in the 1973 thing

I was alive for that but too young to have any memories.

I vaguely recall stories of losing power and sleeping in living room in front of fire place

I also remember stories of refrigerator food being put in coolers in the back yard and some neighbors dog getting in to it and having a feast.

 

[UCTitleTown]

Drove my car through the path of a tornado. The air turned completely brown from dirt and debris, tree limbs flew past, and I neatly hit a tree that had fallen across the road. I didn't see it until I was right upon it and had to slam on the breaks and then drive across someone's lawn to get around it.

 

[HW611]

Yup I was a senior. Lived in Oak Grove, which was basically on the campus grid, so never lost power. My friends all in Willy Oaks were not so lucky. Huge pine branches were weighed and iced down such that cars were trapped underneath. My place became the spot, mostly for people to take showers lol poor folks in I think cedar ridge got it the worst, no power for at least a week

Even worse was the series of storms we got in Boston late winter 2015. But of course I was on city grid and never lost power thankfully

My family didn't have a generator so we were not so lucky. At night we had to gather wood for fire to stay warm.

I mostly remember being super bored as I was in HS at the time. It was fortunate that my friends were in walking distance so even if I had a dead phone I can just knock on their door to walk around the town and find ANYTHING to do.

My job also had a generator (grocery store) so I spent a lot of time there because I could charge my phone, use a microwave to eat food, and had people there to talk to outside of my family that after our 10th game of crazy eights in a row I had to get away from. Lmao

Never spent so much time at work off the clock in my life.

 

[husky99]

Category 4 hurricane near St. Petersburg and the blizzard of 2013. Superstorm sandy

 

[Spaceman213J]

October 3, 1979 tornado that struck Windsor, Windsor Locks and Suffield. I will never forget the green colored sky or watching tall oak tree tops touching the ground then swinging back the other way.

I was only 4 when that happened, but my dad tells a story of golfing somewhere relatively close by and all of a sudden some insulation and a pair of some guys tighty whities came floating down out of the sky and onto the green they were on.

I live in Virginia now, and about 15 years ago a tornado touched down near Surry (If it sounds familiar, it's where Vick had his dogfighting compound). I played with my brother at a course near there and they did a good job in just like a week getting the course cleaned up, but there was a 3 hole stretch where the tops of the pines and some other trees were decorated with insulation, clothes, shoes, a stuff animal and a bicycle wheel. In the middle of a pond there was a metal cabinet sticking out of the water.