Thriving Without Power on the 4th

What an evening we had on July 4th in Audubon Forest! It all started around 1:00pm or so, when two trees fell on Benjamin E. Mays and hit the power polls, which resulted in the electrical power being out across the Audubon Forest Neighborhood area for over ten (10) hours. Well, you know me, I was very curious about the situation, so I called Georgia Power via 1-888-0660-5890 and reported the power outage and received feedback that the situation was being worked and would be corrected by 3:15pm on July 4th. Well, curiosity reasserted itself and my Neighborhood Protective DNA kicked in, so I texted a few people in Audubon Forest who are part of the Audubon Forest “GroupMe” and reported my findings.

The Neighborhood Protective DNA, along with my “Gut Feelings” shifted into high alert, because we had hit the 3:15pm timeframe and the electricity was still out. So, my husband and I headed out in the car to tour the neighborhood, to determine what was happening – we knew it had to be big. We found everything in good shape until we reached Benjamin E. Mays and a big surprise sit in the middle of the road. The street was blocked by a huge tree and barricades had already been erected. Well, we continued our tour and circled the block – remember this tour was two-fold: to truly understand what was going on and to ensure that the Glover household was fully prepared.

So, we stopped at CVS (I was looking for a battery pack for the iPhone – I knew it would be a long night). We left CVS and headed West on Benjamin E. Mays and circled around Flamingo and headed back toward Cascade Road. We stopped to talk with a Georgia Power representative and he shared with us that our situation was by far one of the worst he had seen within the City, and he predicted that we would not have power until the morning (8:00am or 9:00am).

Well, we headed to Radio Shack (by now, the Gut Feeling was fully satisfied and the “Batten Down the Hatch Genes” were on high alert: I was mentally making a list of the necessities to survive the evening):

(1)    The landline was not working, so we needed the smart phones operational;

(2)    Food was critical; and

(3)    Some sort of light source was also important for this camp-in we would soon undergo.

We headed to Radio Shack and purchased an “enercell” by RadioShack – a gorgeous little smartphone portable power bank, which will charge the iPod and iPhone for ten (10) hours – Mission #2 was covered, so the Batten Down the Hatch Genes were also satisfied. The next stop was to ensure that there was a continuous source of food (we were in a crisis situation). J So we headed to McDonald’s where the service was outstanding (I’m keen on customer service, it will quickly make or break a relationship for me). After leaving McDonald’s we headed home, because we were in good shape as far as the lighting resource were concerned. You see over the Xmas Holidays, I went into an extreme battery candle mode and fell so in love that I kept the candles on my tables throughout the year.

So, when we got home, we strategically placed the battery operated candles around the house (kitchen, living room, dining room, hall way and bathroom). We save the “big guns” for last: The “RAY-O-VAC. The (Rayovac) is a battery powered lantern that will light up an entire room and run for about ten (10) hours. You don’t have to purchase the Rayovac Sportsman LED Lantern (SE3DLN) by Rayovac , but I highly recommend utilizing battery operated lighting resources, instead of the flame candles – they are far safer. Also, nothing beats having a lantern that you can just sit on a table while you read or eat. In fact things went so well, I heading out to Home Depot this afternoon and purchased two more RAY-O-VACs (one for the kitchen, bedroom and family room).  I will continue to utilize the battery powered candles in other rooms within the house.

I also had another lantern with is part of an emergency radio and we kept that on all night so that we could have contact with the outside world. Please note a quick list of the things you will need to have on hand to survive in your home when you experience a power outage:

1.      Battery operated lanterns (the type you can sit on a table);

2.      Emergency Radio (battery operated) – if there are weather threats – this is the tool you need;

3.      Battery to recharge your iPhone or Smart Phone – you may need to call out for support or receive said calls from friends and neighbors;

4.      Food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated and lots of water, so always keep bottle water on hand (we also had ice in the refrigerator);

5.      The time of the year will also drive other tools and resources that you might need (i.e., blankets, generators (only utilize these if you understand the safety factors involved, and whatever you do, don’t pull out a generator that you have had for dozens of years and have not updated).

6.      Know the safe places within your own home, just in case the weather impacts your ability to move-about externally.

7.      See FEMA recommendations for other types of emergencies: http://www.ready.gov/basic-disaster-supplies-kit .

Tree Safety

This emergency was driven by a fallen tree and Atlanta-metro has seen more than a number of these events over the last several months, and we are bound to see more since rain is predicted for the next week or so (i.e., extreme drought conditions last year and now excessive rain tends to uproot trees). There are indicators when you have an unhealthy tree: know the signs and ensure that you have a very reliable arborist to take down or treat your trees (assigning this to a good handy man/person is not a good idea (see articles below)).

Also, please be advised that the City of Atlanta requires that you submit a request to have a tree removed (see below). Take time to walk your yard and if you find trees that have the problems, based on the article by Walter Reeves’: http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/tree-when-to-take-down/, call in an Arborist. If these trees are located in your neighbor’s yard, make sure that you are notifying them (sometimes in neighborhoods like Audubon Forest, our acreage is so extensive that we don’t always see what could be threatening to our neighbors). So share the information.

 Important URLs:

  I.          Tree Maintenance and Selection of Tree Removal Companies:

1.      Identifying a Tree Removable Company

Most of us have Yard Men/Women and other service providers and that is a good thing. If you don’t have such a service provider, please utilize the following tips to ensure that you are getting good service without jeopardizing your home, property and your safety. Remember, if the person you want to hire is not fully insured, it could very well result in your home having a lien placed against it so, please read the following article extremely well.

2.      About.com: Landscaping - Hiring Tree Services
“How to Hire Tree Services for Tree Limbing, Tree Removal”
http://landscaping.about.com/cs/landscapedesigner/a/limbing_trees.htm

3.      “How to Avoid Being Scammed By a Tree Service” (this company is advertising its services, but the information is  solid and should be taken very seriously)
http://dementtreeservice.com/howtoavoidbeingscammed.html

4.      UGA Center for Urban Agriculture

http://www.ugaurbanag.com/content/drought-damages-stately-trees

5.      Walter Reeves

http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/tree-when-to-take-down/

 II.          City of Atlanta Information Related to Tree Removal: The situation on the ground will dictate the response from the City, although the forms indicate that it is a ten (10) day process. Even after hours, they will respond. City of Atlanta has a 311 and if you have an emergency or concern after hours, please dial 311 and let them know your concern. I will be talking with the Manager of the Arborist Division, Jorge Rivera, to gain more insight on how to deal with these matters.

1.      Don Rosenthal, Director of Buildings (Arborist Division);
55 Trinity Avenue, 3rd Floor - Suite 3800, Atlanta, Georgia 30303, Phone: (404) 330-6874, dlrosenthal@atlantaga.gov 

a.      Jorge L. Rivera 
Arboricultural Manager
jlrivera@atlantaga.gov

b.      Arborist for SE/SW: Gregory Ihle       -  (404) 330-6882  - gihle@atlantaga.gov

2.      Tree Removal/Inspection Forms, etc. http://www.atlantaga.gov/index.aspx?page=342

In closing, I want to thank Georgia Power for the outstanding job they did in support of the Audubon Forest neighborhood. They worked through the night to ensure that we at last had electricity in our homes. There are other wonderful folk who also contributed and thanks to you as well.

Great Customer Service Acknowledgement goes to:
1. Georgia Power (hard working experts who did not leave until the job was done)
2. McDonald's on Cascade (helpful and friendly people)
3. Radio Shack (helpful and friendly people)
4. CVS on Cascade Road (helpful and friendly people)