Blow Off About the Big Blow

With much ballyhoo, hype and fanfare, Hurricane Irene blew up the coast a weekend ago. There were places hard hit and others not so much. As bad as it may have been for some, it was hardly the cataclysm storm of the century predicted and harped upon by the many TV reporters sent out into the wind and rain to stir up our emotions. being forewarned and prepared is one thing, scaring people to death is another. There is no need for every major TV channel to go 24/7 with these things. Regular updates, fine; features in the scheduled newscasts, fine; all day on the Weather Channel, appropriate, but otherwise shut up about it.

We were very fortunate here on this street where I live. Damage was certainly minimal, mostly branches down and twigs scattered all about. A few streets over from me that big tree pictures uprooted and fell against the house.

A good many folk in the county lose power for varying lengths of time. My own went out about 10:00 PM on Saturday night as Irene regaled us with her opening salvos. Sunday morning I was up early as usual and then by the dawn's early light sat reading a book by the front window. I heard a large vehicle coming down the street and turned just in time to see a white rear of it pass by and down the street. I couldn't see what it was, but guessed it might be a Delmarva Power Truck. I has buried with my book, a couple of cats and a pillow so was not quick to extricate myself and get to the front door to try and get a better look. Agin I only caught a white tail as it turned left on the lower street.

I decided to follow and see if I could find out where it went.  I walked down the street, turned and at the next drive behind us saw a DP&L truck parked halfway up that avenue. I walked up as an orange suited gentleman in a hardhat walked behind a house with a large limb in the drive. The occupants were standing outside. The power guy told us a transformer had blown on the next street over and we would probably have our power back in two hours.

He was right. At ten AM our lights snapped on, which is when we discovered we had no cable, so no TV, no internet and no phones. The cable came back on sometime around 9:00 on Monday, then went out again around 4:00PM. It returned again sometime around 7:00 PM and so far as remained. As I said, we were fortunate. Some people in our same community, just on the other side of where I-95 cuts us in half, didn't have power until at least this just past Thursday.  I went out Thursday morning for my regular walk and their were nine Delmarva trucks and crews along that street and one tree services the power company uses.

After a few tried, I was finally able to get back into the state parks for my hikes.  Brandywine Creek State Park was a mess.

I shot some video just before Irene arrived and then the morning after. I shot some walking about my community and then more in some of our parks, Bellevue, Bringhurst Woods and Rockwood, but mostly in Brandywine Creek State Park.  These videos follow (four altogether). I suggest you turn off my music player by scrolling down to it and then turn your speakers up some.