It looks like power has been restored to some areas but unfortunately ours still isn’t one of them. The city crews have cleared out a majority of the fallen trees and debris from the roads now but there is still quite a bit to be done. The cold front had finally cone in and it is providing much relief. Since the power is out, we have been relying on open windows and the occasional breeze for relief from the heat and humidity. FEMA has started sending in trailers of supplies of meals ready to eat, ice and water to point of distribution sites around town. Fuel lines are still very long with some of them wrapping around street corners. Stores with varipus supplies are letting people in a few at a time to avoid a rush on basic supplies. Yesterday, krogers was throwing away boxes of perishable goods but at least people were getting what they needed for their families.
On the bright side, things do seem to be getting back to normal. The memorial city mall seems to have power and wifi. Seems to be a pretty popular hangout spot now.
Been there and done that. I was out of electricity for 14 days when Wilma hit. South Florida is a very hot and humid place and we thanked goodness that a cold front followed the storm or people would have rioted. It doesn’t sound like your gas lines are as long as ours, but on the bright-side you will see many of gas stations install emergency generators for the next time. The really sad thing is that I finally broke down and bought a generator which had to be shipped from Georgia, it arrived the morning of the 14th day, so I never actually got to use it. However, I will gladly trade not firing it up verses another storm though.
I checked out the local Sears store here, they fortunately still had generators around. However some people don’t realize that putting a generator in the garage or next the air intake is not a good idea. Last night I heard that 33 people were taken to the ER for carbon monoxide poisoning. Unfortunately with the generators, you have to have fuel and that is another commodity which is short supply.