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Author	Topic: Lessons from the derecho storm	Post a Reply Back to Topics

bar1035 Champion Author Charlotte Posts:9,152 Points:1,297,245 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:29:48 AM Ignore bar1035 Report Abuse On June 29, 2012, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Washington D.C. and the surrounding suburbs were devastated by 60-80 MPH straight-line winds called “derecho,” Spanish for straight. The term “derecho” is new to me; we always called them straight-line winds in the south. We lived through such winds blowing over 100 mph. Emergency crews from other states rushed in to help and power was restored within a week. The situation in the northeast this time, even with lower winds is quite different because many people are connected to the Smart Grid. Touted as a revolutionary way of replacing the old and antiquated patchwork of electricity delivery, the Smart Grid is a sitting duck to any cyber attack, solar flare, or EMP attack. Under the Smart Grid, we were told that areas could be sh Visit Canada Free Press for full article

bar1035

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Charlotte

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Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:29:48 AM

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On June 29, 2012, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Washington D.C. and the surrounding suburbs were devastated by 60-80 MPH straight-line winds called “derecho,” Spanish for straight. The term “derecho” is new to me; we always called them straight-line winds in the south. We lived through such winds blowing over 100 mph. Emergency crews from other states rushed in to help and power was restored within a week.

The situation in the northeast this time, even with lower winds is quite different because many people are connected to the Smart Grid. Touted as a revolutionary way of replacing the old and antiquated patchwork of electricity delivery, the Smart Grid is a sitting duck to any cyber attack, solar flare, or EMP attack. Under the Smart Grid, we were told that areas could be sh
Visit Canada Free Press for full article

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remay Champion Author Houston Posts:6,963 Points:2,116,640 Joined:May 2006	Message Posted: Jul 7, 2012 12:06:46 PM Ignore remay Report Abuse The more I read the "news" article, the less I felt it was factual...
ExplorerWA Champion Author Washington Posts:4,078 Points:796,275 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 11:17:13 PM Ignore ExplorerWA Report Abuse There is a lot more to the smart grid. Do a search and you will be shocked. Like those smart grid meters? They cause tumors.
glorioussnookie Champion Author Tennessee Posts:3,761 Points:699,370 Joined:Feb 2010	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 10:13:26 PM Ignore glorioussnookie Report Abuse Oh PDQBlues you sure said it!!!! Took the words right out of my mouth!
PDQBlues Champion Author San Diego Posts:7,069 Points:1,447,350 Joined:Jan 2009	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:40:56 PM Ignore PDQBlues Report Abuse Massive fires in the west, historic droughts in the south, fierce storms and heat waves in the Midwest and east... it's a good thing that there's no such thing as Global Warming or else we will all be in big trouble.
jimgraham Champion Author Akron Posts:10,372 Points:1,979,960 Joined:Oct 2007	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 5:10:46 PM Ignore jimgraham Report Abuse We are ALL doomed!!! Well - those living in the cities are. Folks living out - waayyy out - in the country are gonna be just fine.
sciotosix Champion Author Dayton Posts:2,744 Points:665,150 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 2:24:50 PM Ignore sciotosix Report Abuse Never heard the term "derecho" before. Heard it about 15 times per hour last week-end on the Weather Channel.
TableTalk Champion Author Virginia Posts:1,184 Points:557,200 Joined:Nov 2008	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 1:22:56 PM Ignore TableTalk Report Abuse Lessons learned (what the article doesn't clearly say: Big trees planted on postage stamp strips of land easily fall over. The unexpected is unexpected. Tall trees planted near above ground power lines get whacked. Don't depend on government: Build a kit; make a plan Build a kit Help your neighbor. It's quicker than waiting for FEMA or PEPCO.
SUNOIL Champion Author Toledo Posts:5,240 Points:1,925,030 Joined:Jul 2007	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 1:18:44 PM Ignore SUNOIL Report Abuse We had them here yesterday at 89 MPH, much damage and we are still without power at 102 degrees.
NukeAtComEd All-Star Author Milwaukee Posts:725 Points:338,520 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 11:41:12 AM Ignore NukeAtComEd Report Abuse off the grid is fine, but a roof solar unit won't power the air conditioner and the wind does not blow all the time!!
evowner Champion Author Salem Posts:2,177 Points:358,285 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 10:47:59 AM Ignore evowner Report Abuse One backup program is to use you solar panels to charge the EV and store electricity for later use. This is a short term temporary solution.
Joeski1 Champion Author New Jersey Posts:9,992 Points:1,741,610 Joined:Dec 2004	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 9:24:52 AM Ignore Joeski1 Report Abuse We left Landisville, nj sat morning with no power as of 1am for a trip to west virgnia last weekend. We toured bridgeport, elkins, and beckley WV in the hybrid and witnessed the destruction and resulting choas as gasoline, water and ice lines formed . Half the roof @ the BW was in the parking lot! Having a vehicle capable of 450+ miles per tank allowed us to go everywhere and still find a gas station open to pump gas. Folks had no water cause their wells were out. They should all have wind and solar on site and off grid if need be. Landisville was out till tuesday and vineland Nj still out in parts
fuel2use Champion Author Seattle Posts:3,483 Points:732,350 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 9:16:05 AM Ignore fuel2use Report Abuse Trees take down lines.
MontanaMac Champion Author Washington Posts:1,736 Points:410,050 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:57:33 AM Ignore MontanaMac Report Abuse As much as the media wants to play it up, the weather event wasn't that outrageous, though the weakness in the grid certainly was/ is.
CheapGasFan09 Rookie Author Columbus Posts:46 Points:418,620 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:40:07 AM Ignore CheapGasFan09 Report Abuse Makes you want to run right out and buy an EV car doesn't it? We need to be smarter than the grid and get it improved. Jobs for America.
doeslayersr Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,111 Points:871,030 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:31:16 AM Ignore doeslayersr Report Abuse This is America, here we speak English. I am 2nd generation American and my grand parents left the OLD country for many reasons. When they got here, they learned English and they never looked back. They would only slip into the mother tongue language when having an argument or if one of them got mad. My grand father did not allow us to speak the mother tongue at home or any where else. We were always admonished with "We are in America now, we are Americans, we speak English here". He was a wise man, much wiser than I realized until I got older. [Edited by: doeslayersr at 7/6/2012 8:31:37 AM EST]
northeast2 Champion Author New York Posts:3,849 Points:1,007,200 Joined:Mar 2008	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:29:50 AM Ignore northeast2 Report Abuse "It was painfully evident that nobody in the area was/is prepared for a potential disaster from a powerful storm, much less a solar flare, cyber attack, or an electro-magnetic pulse." Batman and Robin are. "I am with Newt on this one, if 60-80 mph winds have caused so much havoc to our nation’s capital and its surrounding suburbs and states, are we really prepared for the massive, across the country, total power loss of a Smart Grid in the event of a solar flare, cyber attack, or an EMP? Images of “Mad Max” (the movie) of an apocalyptic world run through my head." That has nothing to do with Newt or the "Smart Grid." It has everything to do with our society being dependent on electricity and gasoline for daily functioning.
csblesson Champion Author Texas Posts:1,811 Points:352,150 Joined:May 2012	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:07:42 AM Ignore csblesson Report Abuse Let's learn to learn
Xavier80 Champion Author Victoria Posts:1,773 Points:377,465 Joined:Apr 2012	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 8:01:35 AM Ignore Xavier80 Report Abuse Interesting
GingoutMD Champion Author Maryland Posts:3,495 Points:713,305 Joined:Jan 2010	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:58:41 AM Ignore GingoutMD Report Abuse I don't care how prepared you are, Mother Nature will always throw something at us that shows just how unprepared we really are. The smart grid is still a good thing and getting better. However, we as civilized humans in the USA need to unplug once in a while so we can remember what it is like when a disaster strikes. Finally, people in the DC area need to refresh themselves of driving laws... TREAT AN INTERSECTION AS A FOUR-WAY STOP WHEN THE LIGHT IS OUT!!!!
gandalfthegrey1 Champion Author Houston Posts:1,184 Points:384,785 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:55:59 AM Ignore gandalfthegrey1 Report Abuse Progress has a dark side. Unlike buckeyee - when I told my provider I didn't want a 'smartmeter' I was told I didn't have a choice. Now I have one whether I like it or not. Aside from being vulnerable to some attack I didn't have before, a smartmeter tells the wrong people way more than they need to know. This is not just an invasion of privacy, it is more Big Brother in it's rawest form. Think not? I later found out that the Federal government provided a grant to buy and install them.
DnzsWithWombats Champion Author Connecticut Posts:8,141 Points:1,271,020 Joined:Sep 2009	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:53:22 AM Ignore DnzsWithWombats Report Abuse Straight or gay, that storm packed a punch!
dorisntx Champion Author Fort Worth Posts:2,079 Points:645,105 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:46:19 AM Ignore dorisntx Report Abuse ok
carpenter4u Champion Author Virginia Posts:2,436 Points:615,645 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:44:35 AM Ignore carpenter4u Report Abuse The smart grid needs to be smarter
mike1881 Champion Author Fayetteville Posts:1,295 Points:564,425 Joined:Feb 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:41:58 AM Ignore mike1881 Report Abuse Let's just call them straight. This is America, keep spanish out of our language.
Hunter724 Champion Author New Hampshire Posts:8,116 Points:1,645,100 Joined:Sep 2008	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:41:21 AM Ignore Hunter724 Report Abuse Looks like big trouble in the future for this system....
cdrrod Champion Author Wisconsin Posts:4,149 Points:782,800 Joined:Feb 2006	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:38:28 AM Ignore cdrrod Report Abuse Agreed, the derecho outplayed 'em all!
Buckeyee Champion Author Maine Posts:4,602 Points:898,780 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:36:01 AM Ignore Buckeyee Report Abuse In Maine, if you refused the smartmeter you are charged a monthly fee for your meter.
wrunner Champion Author Virginia Posts:4,440 Points:1,136,360 Joined:Dec 2009	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:35:27 AM Ignore wrunner Report Abuse The Smart Grid is no match for derecho.
Rockinrobby Veteran Author Tallahassee Posts:444 Points:276,990 Joined:Mar 2011	Message Posted: Jul 6, 2012 7:32:11 AM Ignore Rockinrobby Report Abuse interesting