Huntsville Mafia please check in!
- Thread starter redrumloa
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2005
- Messages
- 14,970
- Reaction score
- 2,154
Tornadoes take staggering toll in Alabama and Deep South
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0...aggering-toll-in-Alabama-and-Deep-South-video
:cry:
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0...aggering-toll-in-Alabama-and-Deep-South-video
:cry:
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Messages
- 12,256
- Reaction score
- 2,693
There was a twister in Virginia that took out power to a nuke station there last week and they had to go on diesel backups for cooling. I hear that the recent storms in Alabama took out some more power and put a couple of nuke stations there on their diesel backups too.
This sort of thing probably happens all the time but in light of what the Japanese have been dealing with it's scary. It doesn't take too many bits of bad luck before things really start to race out of control.
This sort of thing probably happens all the time but in light of what the Japanese have been dealing with it's scary. It doesn't take too many bits of bad luck before things really start to race out of control.
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2005
- Messages
- 614
- Reaction score
- 31
What the big one looked like heading into Birmingham.
It was a mile wide and stayed on the ground starting in Mississippi, through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham Alabama, through Georgia into North Carolina.
Missed me by a mile.
Well really, about three miles.
It was a mile wide and stayed on the ground starting in Mississippi, through Tuscaloosa and Birmingham Alabama, through Georgia into North Carolina.
Missed me by a mile.
Well really, about three miles.
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Messages
- 12,256
- Reaction score
- 2,693
Fade said:
It's good to be amongst the tall buildings when the twisters come by - they can't go into places like that and tend to go around looking for trailer parks instead. Still, that one was a monster. That's quite a thing to see.
- Joined
- May 17, 2005
- Messages
- 12,256
- Reaction score
- 2,693
Yikes!
http://spotted.heraldtribune.com/images/100047/photos/2011/04/28/zoom/2323673.jpg]Pictures of the damage[/url]
http://spotted.heraldtribune.com/images/100047/photos/2011/04/28/zoom/2323673.jpg]Pictures of the damage[/url]
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2005
- Messages
- 578
- Reaction score
- 42
Hello all,
Local "mafia" checking in. The power across North Alabama (including all of Huntsville) went out last Wednesday night at 5:30pm. 98% of North Alabama gets its power (almost exclusively) from TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, just west of Athens, Alabama. While the plant escaped without damage, the 6 primary 500kva transmission lines were severed a few hundred yards from the plant cutting all power, sending the three reactors into shutdown (again, no damage... shutdown occurred as designed). Aside from the 6 primary lines, another 84 transmission lines and various high tension towers were destroyed by various tornadoes rolling through the various counties (including Madison County, where Huntsville is the county seat).
Huntsville itself suffered relatively little damage (mostly upended trees, roof and hail damage) but its electronic infrastructure was rendered useless when Browns Ferry was shutdown. While there are some dedicated generators in town for key facilities, they proved to be fewer than desired. It took two days for extra generators (business and personal) to be brought in to provide temporary relief. In the meantime, TVA was able to restore some transmission lines beginning Sunday afternoon. My power returned at 1130 pm CDT on Sunday (for which I am most grateful). Thus far, TVA / Huntsville Utilities has restored 7% of the regular power grid. Work continues with over 4000 TVA employees working 24 hours a day to restore services. As of today (Monday) over 500,000 people across North Alabama are still without power and it may be up to a week more before everyone gets power back.
While people around Madison County certainly suffered (Triana, Phil Campbell and Meridianville have major damage or no longer exist), what happened elsewhere in the state and other states makes Huntsville realize just how lucky we were.
For Jim - No, Big Ed's Pizza (and all other restaurants in the area) had to dispose of all refrigerated food items due to loss of power. The local land fills will certainly reek for some time to come.
As for my situation, it was like an unplanned (and unwelcome) camping trip. As Wayne already knows, my "paranoia" (as we both jokingly call it) prepared me better than many in my area. I have Coleman camping gear (including propane stove, battery lamps) battery radio and battery television in an emergency kit. I also keep in inverter in my Mitsu Montero and was able to keep my computer and cell phone charged. I was getting tired of eating MREs however. ;-)
Finally, as a nod to all here whom I have spoken with in the past, there was violence / looting in the immediate days after the storm. Even though a sundown to sun up curfew was enacted, some people chose to attempt burglary and looting of damaged stores. The result was the county sheriff (considered the highest law enforcement officer under state law) issuing the statement that everyone had the right to defend themselves and their businesses (aka 2nd amendment). Thankfully I did not have to use any of the weapons in my collection but I did actually choose a few to keep loaded and close by.
If anyone has questions, I will attempt to answer them. I'm glad to be back online!
Regards,
Ltstanfo
Local "mafia" checking in. The power across North Alabama (including all of Huntsville) went out last Wednesday night at 5:30pm. 98% of North Alabama gets its power (almost exclusively) from TVA's Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant, just west of Athens, Alabama. While the plant escaped without damage, the 6 primary 500kva transmission lines were severed a few hundred yards from the plant cutting all power, sending the three reactors into shutdown (again, no damage... shutdown occurred as designed). Aside from the 6 primary lines, another 84 transmission lines and various high tension towers were destroyed by various tornadoes rolling through the various counties (including Madison County, where Huntsville is the county seat).
Huntsville itself suffered relatively little damage (mostly upended trees, roof and hail damage) but its electronic infrastructure was rendered useless when Browns Ferry was shutdown. While there are some dedicated generators in town for key facilities, they proved to be fewer than desired. It took two days for extra generators (business and personal) to be brought in to provide temporary relief. In the meantime, TVA was able to restore some transmission lines beginning Sunday afternoon. My power returned at 1130 pm CDT on Sunday (for which I am most grateful). Thus far, TVA / Huntsville Utilities has restored 7% of the regular power grid. Work continues with over 4000 TVA employees working 24 hours a day to restore services. As of today (Monday) over 500,000 people across North Alabama are still without power and it may be up to a week more before everyone gets power back.
While people around Madison County certainly suffered (Triana, Phil Campbell and Meridianville have major damage or no longer exist), what happened elsewhere in the state and other states makes Huntsville realize just how lucky we were.
For Jim - No, Big Ed's Pizza (and all other restaurants in the area) had to dispose of all refrigerated food items due to loss of power. The local land fills will certainly reek for some time to come.
As for my situation, it was like an unplanned (and unwelcome) camping trip. As Wayne already knows, my "paranoia" (as we both jokingly call it) prepared me better than many in my area. I have Coleman camping gear (including propane stove, battery lamps) battery radio and battery television in an emergency kit. I also keep in inverter in my Mitsu Montero and was able to keep my computer and cell phone charged. I was getting tired of eating MREs however. ;-)
Finally, as a nod to all here whom I have spoken with in the past, there was violence / looting in the immediate days after the storm. Even though a sundown to sun up curfew was enacted, some people chose to attempt burglary and looting of damaged stores. The result was the county sheriff (considered the highest law enforcement officer under state law) issuing the statement that everyone had the right to defend themselves and their businesses (aka 2nd amendment). Thankfully I did not have to use any of the weapons in my collection but I did actually choose a few to keep loaded and close by.
If anyone has questions, I will attempt to answer them. I'm glad to be back online!
Regards,
Ltstanfo
