I'm glad your tank pulled through, but feel sorry for your neighbors. I suppose it could have been alot worse.

I keep a power inverter in my truck for times like these. If the power were to go out for any length of time all I have to do is turn on my truck and run an extension cord into the house. I only had to use it once before I tore my tank down and it worked great. I powered my vortech, return pump, and skimmer. My tank never missed a beat.