So, yes, we made it safe to Utah. On the day we left, at 730am, we were awakened by a loud 'crack'. Ith didn't think anything about it, since it's the beginning of the month and a lot of people move in at the beginning of the month, and our apartment is right on the parking lot.
Then, the saws started...
A two story plus tree that was in the parking lot between our apartment bulding and the next cracked in two down the middle. Pieces were all over the car port, the other side of our building, and it forced part of another tree onto the laundry building, which is next to us.
Yes, storm season had started.
Oh, and about the national coverage... We get storms like that every year, multiple times of the year. Trees fall, the power goes out, all that... This was just the first big one of the year.
So, it's pouring rain, and I'm loading the car... Had to actually change clothes because I got so soaked.
We decided we were lucky to be leaving the Monterey Peninsula that day, since the power was flickering all morning, and went out totally about half an hour before we left.
According to one of Ith's co-workers, the power in our area was only out for a few hours. However, Carmel and Pacific Grove had been without power for a day plus. But, that, again, is normal for this time of year...
So, this was your Ninjababe-Masquerading-as-Ithidrial update! :)