I’ve been trying to get through to my elderly mother, and my sister in Arlington, Va. Landlines, cell phone, and email knocked out. Neither will survive a prolonged power outage. Neither took steps to prepare for this eventuality, despite my numerous pleas otherwise. Any Freepers know of current situation Arlington specific?
The Sun Gazette just posted that 60% of the Arlington county is without power.
Prayers up for your family, PowderMonkey.
What part of Arlington? It's a big place. I live in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington - it's a high-rise apartment, so I have power, and cell and internet are fine. I don't have a landline though.
Pretty astounding storm when it came through though.
The next time you go to see mother/sister, take each a battery fan (uses D batteries) and each a water bottle/fan (takes two AA batteries). The water bottle/fan reduces ambiant air temp. around you by 20 degrees.
They will have these fans for the next time. I use these after a hurricane comes through and they keep me reasonably cool. I use the larger battery fan to help me sleep at night. After Ike, it would have been unbearable to sleep in that heat - the battery fan was vital. The water bottle/fan kept me cool during the day.
Maybe after this, they will store some water. For chespest food for a few days, give them a case of MANCHURIAN noddle “cups”, fill with hot water, wait 3 min. and eat. Give cans of soup with meat in it and several cans of canned heat with a Sterno stove and a few cigarette lighters. Just these items will guarantee having enough to last several days depending on how much you give them.
It will make you feel better that they have something and probably after this, they will be glad to get it in case this happens again or something else happens for them to need it.
You could add a few jar candles and they would have light. In the winter, jar candles give off heat - not much, but they do.
I gave these type items as gifts to family who don’t prepare, plus I gave them an emergency radio. You see, if they are gifts, they have to take them because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. I chose that method to get something in their houses.
My neighbor has a cabin next to my place but his home is in Arlington. He is at the cabin, but his wife is home. When I last saw him at 11:00 this morning, the power was still out in Arlington according to his wife.
Call the Arlington Police non-emergency number,(703)558-2222. Explain your family’s situation, and ask if a patrol working that area could stop by. I know they are concerned about the elderly.
911 phones are only semi-restored, last I heard. You have the advantage of Arlington’s being a fairly populous area, so restoration work would be completed there more quickly than in a remote, rural area.