Well after five days I finally got electricity back. They say there are still about 300,000 powerless, down from around 2 million on Thursday afternoon when the storm peaked.

A lot of the stores and gas stations are open again, but short on goods as deliveries haven't started coming in yet.

The oceanfront survived fine, the storm surge wasn't that high. The waves were barely breaking over the boardwalk. The Mayor and city council are happy, they just spent ~85million on the beach this year. And Isabel let them keep it.

The downtown tunnel to Norfolk is flooded, they say it will take over a week to pump out the ~6million gallons of water that poured in during the storm.

Everywhere is the sound of chainsaws and generators, ahhhh, the sounds of the aftermath.

The worst part of all....... five days with no RCGroups chatter..... bummer.

Jimmy

Jimmy, glad you're fine. How about some AP pics of the area??
Don

Glad to hear you and the family are ok. Get any flying done?

--Paul

Good to hear your ok and everything is back up and running.

Didja fly during the eye of the cane?

We were supposwed to get the tail...but today's storm was worse than the "afteramath"

Your Planes survived too I hope......

Noah

Jimmy,
I spent the storm hunkered down on base while the wife and kids evacuated to NC. We lost 5 trees and 50 feet of fence, but were lucky compared to a lot of neighbors. Two houses were a total loss due to HUGE trees coming down. We were fortunate enought to be part of the 5% of VA Beach that had power after the storm. Spent Friday cleaning up and went flying on Saturday.
Eric

Here in Richmond, VA we still have lots of folks without power (had a storm go thru with more high winds this morning), lost many large trees in my yard and on our cul de sac --neighbors have trees on their houses. I spent the daylight hours of Saturday and Sunday building my Tantrum--great kit! Got my power on yesterday.

Went out to the Richmond Airport on Sunday morning to see the National Air Tour come through on their way to Frederick, Maryland. Twenty one beautiful planes including a Fokker Universal, a Ford Trimotor, a Stinson Trimotor and a Bushmaster (Stout designed it) trimotor. Some beautiful planes and all the pilots and passengers in period garb (plus 4s, argyles and two tone shoes!).

Pat

We survived as well. Felt very fortunate that we didn't lose power, cable, or water. Spent saturday and sunday on the outer banks checking on my brothers beach house. Aside from some water damage to his ceiling, the house is fine. Had a great time catching bluefish in the surf.

Pat, I see you're in Midlothian also, Curious as to where you fly, I havent been able to get out much and the local school is busy every afternoon since school has started.

John

John

I fly mostly in the cul de sac and also out at a private field in Powhatan. Where do you live? I am near Robious school.

Pat

Pat

Sounds great, I wish i had enough room in my cul de sac but even with the hurricane there are still too many trees.

I live in Woodlake and I usually fly at the Clover Hill Elementary School. I used to belong to the club up in Oilville but it got to be such a hike that I stopped going.

I have often thought it would be great to try and form an all electric club locally but I havent met many flyers in my neck of the woods. Maybe its something we could work on?


John

John

send me your phone no. at my email address. I would like to get some electric folks together. What do you fly? I like small parkflyers and small scale stuff. Also fly some free flight. Do you do any water planes? Been thinking about renting one of the party boats at Brandermill and going lake flying. Have a TM and Cub on floats.
My email is iluvyash@aol.com
Pat

Pat,

I emailed you the details and my phone number. I havent gotten brave enough to try float planes yet but would very much like to in the future. I think I might have a solution for your floating flying platform. See my email.

look forward to hearing from you.

John

Thanks guys,
Yep everthing of mine survived OK, but a tree fell on my neighbors house across the street. They've been three days getting the tree out and fixing the roof. And a few doors down a big oak tree fell across their Ford Explorer. It has a big "V" crimp in the roof, mashed it all the way down to the bottom of the windows. I went by and the poor guy was sitting in a lawn chair in the midst of all the broken limbs just looking at his Explorer.

Eric,
I can't believe you had power, I didn't think there was anyone in VB with power still on. I know it was really dark at night, not much light pollution for a while here.

The weather was nice afterward, but I was dragging limbs and bagging like everyone else. I should have tried for some aerial photos, I may still do that, that might be interesting.

Actually I meant for this to be in off topic, but I missed and put it in open discussion by mistake, sorry.

Jimmy

Sorry Capt. Electron sorta got off topic on your post. Glad you guys came through Isabel with minimal problems. I know I am keeping everyone who is struggling in my prayers. Especially those on the OBX in Kill Devil Hills, Nags Head, and south

John

Nothing much happened here in Potomac MD, other than we lost power at midnight, Thursday last and got it back Tuesday around 7PM. The Pathetic Electric Power Co, AKA PEPCO, made their usual bumbling noises and were overwhelmed and underinterested as usual.

The area has weathered it as always. The first wave of soccermoms stripped the grocery stores of D cells and water, and are probably still trying to buy flashlights to use the D cells in. Packs of wild SUVs have been roaming the region trying to find cell phone signals, but rumours that the White House Press Corps have all been using a SuckBucks internet coffee house that mistakenly got power back early to file press reports are probably a little far-fetched.

Suspect the Great Sue Nation is about to rise though. PEPCO not only has managed to leave the most affluent DC suburb without power, they left a huge tree and many power lines down in their main thoroughfare. Not a good thing to do to a neighbourhood with more mulitmillioniare lawyers to the square foot than anywhere else in the world ... Big Law Suits have been threatened, nay promised.

On the toy airplanes front, all work was suspended due to my unfortunate siting of my workshop - in a windowless basement. Decided not to go flying - too windy and too many trees lying around in the roads.

I think this region will have to make A Decision. Do we want scabby old trees all over our power lines, waiting a slight breeze to topple them - and the electric power for thousands - or do we want electricity.

Reckon a committee should be formed to decide the fate of trees overhanging power lines - from the last dozen PEPCO "customers" to have their power restored ...

I'd like to think it's over for the year, but I'm sure PEPCO will manage to make us miserable some more before the next Spring storms.

Who said "time to re-regulate electricity'?

Please.

D