lays for everyone else.
“It’s important drivers take a few minutes to check their vehicles, plan their journeys, check the weather forecast and carry an emergency kit. In the most severe weather, they should even consider whether their journey is really necessary before they set out.”Read More.
Solar Power Limitations?
The thousands of solar-powered New Jersey homeowners have spent the last week at the mercy of the power grid, just like everyone else.
“I’ve been asked that all week long,” says Jeff Lega, whose home in Brick is covered in rooftop solar panels. “’Why don’t you have power?’”
Understanding the answer requires an understanding of how residential solar panels function. On a sunny day, rooftop panels can produce more electricity than is needed to power a home. But with no way to store it, the excess juice is sent back to the power grid for consumption elsewhere.
During outages, solar panels connected to the grid cut off automatically so they can’t send a wave of electricity through while a utility worker is doing power line repairs. It’s a necessary safety precaution, but for the last week or so it has left in the dark people who have a free supply of electricity right over their heads.
“People are like, ‘You’ve got solar, what’s the big deal?’” Tom Rogers, of Wall Township said. “No, no. You don’t get it. Solar has nothing to do with generating electricity for your house -- it’s about selling it back to the power company.”Read more.
Small Earthquake Rattles Eastern Kentucky
An earthquake in Kentucky on Saturday was felt as far away as the Carolinas, according to the United States Geological Survey. The 4.3 magnitude quake struck at 12:08 p.m. near Whitesburg, KY.
According to the United States Geological Survey, shaking from the tremor was felt as far away as the North Carolina-South Carolina state line. However, some FOX Carolina News Facebook fans in Taylors and Ealsey also reported feeling the ground shake. There were no immediate reports of damage. Read More.
Would You Be Ready?
My heart goes out to all the people who are suffering in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Watching this tragedy unfold was a stark reminder about the importance of emergency preparedness. And it should be a wake-up call to everyone that we can’t rely on the government to help in an emergency like this. That’s not a knock against the government—it’s a recognition of harsh realities: if tens of thousands of people need help, and basic infrastructure is damaged (roads, bridges, etc.), there is a limit to how fast mere humans can move to help, and there may be limits to what they can do. In a widespread disaster, stores will quickly run out of groceries and batteries; gas stations will quickly run out of fuel.
It pays for every one of us to be thinking of backup plans, and building that kind of thinking into our everyday lives. I’m not talking about the kind of disaster preparedness featured on National Geographic Channel’s “Doomsday Preppers” show, where people are building underground bunkers and stockpiling weapons. None of us can plan for every eventuality, and to focus on all the bad things that could happen to us could have us living in fear. However, there are some things we can do to help us cope when disaster strikes. I recently heard this referred to not as emergency planning, but as “redundancy planning.”
That’s a great way to think about it, because that’s what it’s really what it’s all about. Read More.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the northeastern United States and especially devastated the New Jersey and New York shores, many people are soberly appraising their preparedness. It’s hard to anticipate everything you might need to deal with a disaster like Sandy. Do you require a generator? Don’t forget batteries, flashlights, candles, canned foods, matches galore, and of course a hand-crank emergency radio so you know what’s happening when all the power goes out.
One aspect of emergency preparedness is first aid. What do you need? For starters, it’s wise to store up on bandages. If you’re fortunate, y