[MassChestnutOrchards] Ice Storm Damage - Updates?

[Mike or Penny Novack]

Kendra

> I know much of MA got hit hard by the ice storm last Friday and wanted 
> to check in on how you all made out. I’ve heard much of the state is 
> still without power and I hope you are all at least warm and dry! 
> Please drop me a line when you can to let me know how you, and your 
> orchard, are doing. It seems some areas were hit much harder than 
> others, and would appreciate hearing from you when you have a chance.
>
>
Penny and I are fine. Two days without power, but we are pretty well 
prepared. Heat with an old fashioned wood stove, cook with bottled gas, 
keep a week or so supply of spring water bottled (our own spring), have 
our camping headlamps, candles, oil lamps, etc. With the storm on the 
way, filled up a bunch of buckets so as to be able to flush a few times. 
If it had gone on longer we could have lost the stuff in our freezers 
(the chest freezer a bit longer as it has 5 gallons of saturated brine 
frozen as a buffer).

Kendra, we need to hear from Brian to know how things might be up in 
Apple Valley. They really don't want people coming to gawk as the power 
company and phone folks and town crews clear roads, re-erect poles, 
restring wires, etc. Where Penny and I live is at the fringe of the 
devastation. A mile up the road looked like was shelled, splintered 
trees and utility poles, wires all over the road, etc. . At the height 
of this 100% of Hawley and 102% of Ashfield* was knocked out. So how 
about I wait a bit to make sure roads clear to get to the entrance gate. 
I can walk in even if they haven't cleared the drive. But I doubt there 
would be all that much damage in the orchard. Perhaps some pruning of 
horizontal limbs. No large trees nearby.


* The Buckland policeman who dropped in to do a "welfare check" on us 
told us that and said it puzzled him. I bet he's forgetting that there's 
a bit of Buckland on the Ashfield side of the ridge behind us, only 
drivable roads via Ashfield and that's how power supplied. So probably 
the power company reports outages there as being "Ashfield" (over 100%) 
and all of Buckland being out would be a bit under 100%.