We have had and continue to have quite a storm here in Northern Ohio, but we are so much better off than the East Coast. Nevertheless, we are still having extremely strong winds that almost pull your car door off the hinges. It is cold and rainy and we are among the 4500 residences in our town without electricity. It went off late yesterday and we just got a phone call saying we should prepare for an extended period without it.
Fallen trees are the culprit. Whole trees and large branches have fallen across wires to put us into the dark. Trees are one of the reasons we love Ohio. There are millions of stately old trees. We mourn the loss of even one.
Water is the other culprit. Lake Erie is wild this week with huge crashing waves. This photo was taken by a bystander by a lighthouse in Cleveland. It is awesome in it's fury.
Creeks, rivers, ponds, lakes and newly formed oversized puddles have also done much harm. Because we have no electricity and because the rain has not stopped in three days, our electric sump pump has let us down and our finished basement (John's pride and joy) is flooded and under about 3-4" of water. We raised everything we were able to, but were hindered by the dark and the weight of some items. The two of us were totally unable to budge the heavy wood pool table. We could not vacuum the water...no electricity.
The wind has done a bit of damage here at our home, too. We have lost part of our arbor and our fence blew down. Two majestic plants on either side of our front door are just about to fall over.
We called around to all the hotels within 30 minutes driving time of our home and either they were without electricity too or there was just no vacancy at the inns. So we have our blankets, our book lights to read by and Panera's which is very crowded, but has soup and an occasional outlet available for one's laptop.
Westlake, where Small Studio resides, also has pockets of outage. Our store is without electricity also. Maybe tomorrow will bring us back to civilization.
Enduring all this is an adventure and nothing compared to what is happening elsewhere. Our hearts go out to all of our friends in the East.
Oh Ginny...here in Parma, we had the electricity go out a few times, but luckily it came back on & eventually stayed on. I'm so sorry to hear of your damage. I didn't sleep all night as it sounded as if our roof would blow off...but we're lucky that we didn't have the damage others have experienced. I was able to call some of my friends back east & found out they have weathered the storm.
My heart goes out to all who are struggling with the damage...including YOU & John. Here's hoping your power gets restored soon.
Posted by: D | Wednesday, 31 October 2012 at 05:18 AM
They were showing Lake Erie on the news yesterday, so I had a feeling you were headed for trouble. So sorry about your basement. I know it's just "things", but the mental effort for the clean up is exhausting. Funny, I have been more affected by hurricanes since I've lived in Kentucky (leftover winds, etc) than I ever was when I lived near Galveston! Hang tough, lady. I know you and John are strong! An adventure for sure.
Pat P.
Posted by: Www | Wednesday, 31 October 2012 at 06:04 AM
hoping power is restored soon...the camping out aspect loses appeal quickly. Hang in there
Posted by: Catherine Withrow | Thursday, 01 November 2012 at 02:10 PM