Hurricane Irma Aftermath

[WTP-GC]

Well, what can you say...after a week of 24/7 news coverage, endless doomsday pontifications, mass evacuations, and great hysteria...the storm is gone. Lots of regional flooding, downed trees and power lines, but really limited structural damage. The only notable fatalities in FL were things like falling off ladders, heart attacks, and vehicles accidents (most of which has not been directly confirmed to be storm-related). Now we move onto the aftermath and cleanup.

To anyone looking at traveling to FL right now, for your sake, consider a change of plans. Southbound traffic is horrendous and gas station lines are backed up into the streets. I saw a report that roughly half of FL is without power. It will be at least another week before things begin to appear normal again.

Of course, after such an event, you begin to look around and wonder "what-if". You second-guess evacuation plans, storm prep efforts, travel plans, etc. We know of people who evacuated from areas that were supposed to take a direct hit, but they evacuated to an area that ended up being more in the path. Many places were (or are) limiting evacuees from returning until such time that the local officials could fully assess the damage. School systems, businesses, universities, etc. are extending their closures day-by-day, leaving many people without any ability to plan the coming days.

We didn't evacuate, and it was absolutely the right call. That was right for us, but certainly not right for everyone. We had a backup plan, generator, plenty of gas, and were well prepared. Trees near your home are certainly cause for concern, but the heavily wooded terrain we live in helped to soften the blow of the wind. Overall, it was certainly a very sleepless night and tiring lead-up. But once we recover from the restlessness, we'll be all good 😉

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

It IS good to be an RVer - when you know you have a shelter/power/heat/AC no matter what, it's a good thing. My next-door neighbors still haven't heard if their Bonita Springs house survived Irma; but they plan to head there with their 5er, which might have to be their home while they rebuild.

[Don___Barb_Bogu]

I was really surprised at the number of RV parked next to houses with no roofs. My dads home in Pensacola was made of brick with roof anchors every 18 inches. This home was built over 60 years ago it is still standing, last I herd. If we had a warning of a 6 pointer earth- quake in one week, we would load the RV and go. Look out Verdy Valley here we come. As it is we git no warning so the RV will be our home if needed.

[Gulfcoast]

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[John_Joey]

There was a reason you couldn't give Florida land away back in the 30, 40, and 50's. Now you have half a million to a million dollar entry level conch houses in the keys, which with FEMA's (and the tax payers) help will be rebuilt.

Best place for power if there are trees is in the ground, but if every time you dig a ditch you fill with water, guess that won't work. Might explain why fill dirt is so expensive.

Sorry to hear about rivers rising. Hard to be 10-20 feet above sea level and not enjoy having a water view.

Glad life is getting back to "good" (AC working) for many. There's a very valid reason State Farm Ins left Florida.

[Allworth]

And, just ignore those who are not speaking from personal experience!

The power is back on. Life is returning to GOOD!

[WTP-GC]

As I alluded to before, Florida neither "dodged a bullet" or "didn't dodge a bullet". Guess what...we fine folks in FL got exactly what we would have gotten anyway. The bullet went where it wanted to, and we either took the bullet or the shrapnel or the sonic burst or just missed it. One way or another, EVERYONE in FL (and arguably much of the SE) is feeling the effects of the Hurricane. If you live in FL, you might not have lost your house or taken any damage, but your street might be flooded and previously convenient everyday necessities have suddenly become scarce or simply absent.

Some folks in our community were so thankful that they received no damage, but then they watched the river rise 15 feet in 36 hours...and still rising. Yeah, they dodged the bullet of the storm, but they aint gonna get away from the flood bullet.

Our utility crews are working in Texas right now due to Harvey. Well, the lines closest to my house were repaired by a group of linemen from Texas. We have some local utility workers that had to leave our area and travel to central FL to assist those crews. And while we greatly appreciate the work those folks are doing, keep in mind, they're in it for the money. Almost all those employees will make HUGE money tending to storm damage.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

NYCgrrl wrote:


Key West was supposed to take a massive hit and surprise, surprise it did. Now precious resources are spent rescuing the 1/5 of it's residents (10,000 people) who decided that a mandatory evacuation meant everyone but them. I hope they are presented with a bill for their pig-headed blind to anyone's needs but their own obstructionism.

I won't disagree that there weren't a few bull-headed folks who simply refused to evacuate. But for so many, the question became: evacuate where? A friend from the Cocoa area evacuated, and drove north until she found an available hotel room. She and her husband left on Wednesday, far ahead of the "leave-by" date. They ended up just south of Atlanta. So for all the people who had jobs that couldn't leave early; or realized too late that they were in the hurricane's path - they were safer sheltering in place, than being caught in the open, in their cars, with no food, water or fuel. When you're in FL - there's only one way out: north.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

I disagree with Florida "dodging a bullet". Two people on my little street in Michigan, lost their Florida homes (Everglades City and the Lower Keys). Even if it look like an intact building, you never know what kind of water damage has occurred inside; and many folks didn't have Flood Insurance. Even my own condo, "safe" along with the others in our big strong building, could have suffered a terrible fate: due to the sewage Lift Stations being without power, we had a back-up, which fortunately, stayed within the confines of the kitchen sink (which then plugged up). Imagine if my neighbors had not checked our place to discover that and what a hellish smell that would have been after mellowing for another 6 weeks before we got there?

I realize there are thousands who would trade their demolished homes for my stinky sink - but the point is that just because you see a building that appears "fine" - it might not be.

[rockhillmanor]

:r

[NYCgrrl]

Those wonderful trucks make their way to FL and TX and points above, below and between because of the regulations that makes them "utilities" instead of straight for profit corporations:).

This bullet dodging bashing has me in severe head scratching mode.

In comparison to your off shore neighbors, Florida, DID dodge a bullet that was forecasted to be worse than it was in most parts of the state.

Key West was supposed to take a massive hit and surprise, surprise it did. Now precious resources are spent rescuing the 1/5 of it's residents (10,000 people) who decided that a mandatory evacuation meant everyone but them. I hope they are presented with a bill for their pig-headed blind to anyone's needs but their own obstructionism.

No one is making light of the discomfort of life in present day Florida...they are merely pointing out it could be worst except for pure luck.

[rockhillmanor]

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[Dutch_12078]

Don't forget that Florida wasn't the only place affected by Irma. To bring the thread back to RV's, both Edisto Beach and Hunting Island State Parks in South Carolina are closed until the end of the year while storm surge and storm related tornado damage is repaired. All reservations until then have been cancelled and refunds are being issued.

[rockhillmanor]

Florida dodged the bullet & got off light.

:?

Dodged a bullet?
What are you smoking or better yet what stations are you watching?

We had a cat4 hurricane hit and then STAY a hurricane and run right up the ENTIRE state of Florida.

Call me I'll send you a plane ticket so you can come down here and see the devastation and homes obliterated. Power/water is still out today over 50% of the state.

I could go on but can't my battery won't last that long because I still DO NOT have power or water and today is going to be in the high 90's. Gas stations empty, no where to get water or supplies. So enjoy YOUR day.

But don't say Florida dodge a bullet and got off light because they did not.

[free_radical]

To those people who lost their homes and planing to stay and build in that huricane alley again,,maybe you should consider building stronger houses..

Now Im in no way afiliated with this company so cant vouch for anything,,
but it does seems to be a perfect building system for your area..

http://www.tridipanel.com

[CavemanCharlie]

frankdamp wrote:
A former colleague at Boeing went to work for Eastern Airlines and moved to the grater Miami area in the early 1970s. I visited once during a Boeing trip and saw their house.

It was a three bedroom rambler in a major development and houses were still under construction in the neighborhood. I was amazed by the construction techniques. Vertical sections of rebar were planted about every 18" in the concrete foundations after they'd been poured. Walls were made of hollow concrete blocks threaded onto the rebar with concrete "gluing" them together.

Once the wall reached the required roof height, another concrete rectangle, similar to the foundation, was poured in forms around the top of the wall, also with horizontal rebar going all around it.

Outside doors all opened outwards so the wind couldn't blow them in. The development got hit pretty hard a few years later, but damage was minimal. I don't know if that type of design/construction was common in Florida.

Actually, no it wasn't back then. But, after awhile Florida started to get the message and changed codes to make things stronger. The reason that the damage is not worse is because of that.

I think that instead of criticizing them we should instead be thanking the weather people and the government that helped to get people out of the way of this storm. If not for the warnings that had been issued and if everyone had stayed in place think about how bad that would have been. The emergency management people would have been overwhelmed.

Then everyone would have complained about that.

They can't win.