Hurricane Irma

[MichaelB]

Hey Simple Girl, thanks for checking in. What a sage you've had so far. Hopefully you'll be able to return soon.

If your place was built with latest building code you have impact windows. If so, you hav less need for shutters.

 

[Alan]

Thanks for the update Simplegirl. Good to hear that you are safe.

 

[simple girl]

Hey Simple Girl, thanks for checking in. What a sage you've had so far. Hopefully you'll be able to return soon.

If your place was built with latest building code you have impact windows. If so, you hav less need for shutters.

Well, I said latest code - thought that was 2002. I don't think that code included impact windows. There must be a newer code that I am not aware of if impact windows are now standard in new construction.

 

[Bestwifeever]

Thanks for the update Simplegirl. Good to hear that you are safe.

+1. Hang in there.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Our home was built in 2002 and it has impact glass.

 

[MichaelB]

Well, I said latest code - thought that was 2002. I don't think that code included impact windows. There must be a newer code that I am not aware of if impact windows are now standard in new construction.

There may have been a couple of updates since then including mandatory "opening protection" on most new residential construction. Some homeowners still put shutters over impact glass, because the glass is not guaranteed shatterproof.

 

[simple girl]

Our home was built in 2002 and it has impact glass.

That's awesome. I have been told that is not standard in terms of the code. I will have to try to figure out if our windows have impact glass. Will be very good to know for the future. Florida newbie here and new homeowner - our 1 yr anniversary of moving here is Sept 26.

 

[MRG]

DW just talked to her DB, in a shelter around Ft. Meyers. He wanted to fly up to NC where they have a cabin, but his DW won that discussion.

He says they are safe, but have a lot of new friends! Not much sleeping going on last night. Actually he said he hasn't slept in 3 days.

They have a home, airplane hanger, and dental office to worry about. He's a very calm guy, but there's a lot of tension in his voice.

 

[LOL!]

Based on personal experience, I think it is better to have a hurricane go through during the daytime hours than the nighttime hours. What do y'all think?

 

[tuckeverlasting]

Saturday night update from my brother in Merritt Island (formerly lived in California)--

What with the track pushing further west than anyone expected, we’re staying in our home on Merritt Island, along with about half the neighbors. Rumor has it that many people who evac’ed are now returning. I know of one person who left Miami for Sarasota who went back to Miami.

The storm is supposed to peak (here) about 24 hours from now. It's looking like a bad California storm at this point, 60 MPH winds and about 5 or 6 inches of rain. The biggest danger now are tornadoes.

 

[socca]

If the eye stays on its current heading, it looks like it will pass over or very near Arcadia, FL.

Conditions in Sarasota as of 16:15 EST aren't too bad (wind gusts from the NE to around 60 MPH); however, the situation ain't going to get any better as Irma approaches. Still have power, but don't expect to keep it. Not fun.

 

[rayinpenn]

Watching Fox News they said there is a Huge airborne humanitarian relied effort for the keys.. complete with mobile mortuary services ...

It sounds really really bad

Edit: I found the following Facebook page "Key West Hurricane IRMA"
As cell service and power is out this site is sharing the info they have. From a post it sounds like the key west HS shelter made it through.

The news from Marathon sounds really bad.

 

[LOL!]

Watching Fox News they said there is a Huge airborne humanitarian relied effort for the keys.. complete with mobile mortuary services ...

My impression was that, like Rockport TX, all but about 30 people evacuated from Key West. I know some folks didn't go far, so "the keys" had more.

 

[Gumby]

Based on personal experience, I think it is better to have a hurricane go through during the daytime hours than the nighttime hours. What do y'all think?

I've never been through a hurricane at night, but I think it would be worse then. Irene and Sandy came through CT during the day. It was helpful to be able to see the flat part of my roof peeling back during Sandy, so I could go out and put heavy things on it to hold it down. (The young wife yelled at me the whole time I was out on the roof).

 

[rayinpenn]

My relatives are getting blasted in Sarasota ...the surge will be around 2AM .. I don't like nighttime storms ... "what was that?"

 

[NW-Bound]

Just heard that FLP (Florida Light and Power) estimated that it would take 1 million man-hours to restore power to every home when this is all clear. How many power linemen they have?

Somebody will have to wait for a long time for life to be back to normal.

 

[W2R]

Just heard that FLP (Florida Light and Power) estimated that it would take 1 million man-hours to restore power to every home when this is all clear. How many power linemen they have?

Somebody will have to wait for a long time for life to be back to normal.

After Katrina, power company employees from all over the country came in huge numbers to help. We saw truck after truck after truck of electric company workers caravanning down the interstates all the way to New Orleans. When they arrived, they worked probably 24 hours day, or as close to that as they could, and worked very hard. They were heroes and we all appreciated their efforts and accomplishments here, so much.

Does anyone here know a power company employee? If so, shake his hand and give him our most sincere thanks for what they did here in 2005.

Electricity was restored according to priorities, with the stop lights being a big one and that was restored in just a week or so, with dangerous broken power lines being fixed ASAP too. Electricity was restored to my home after 3 weeks.

I am sure that power linemen from New Orleans, and from all over the country, are already lining up in staging areas outside the danger zones and will be flooding into Florida as soon as they can to help FLP.

 

[Meadbh]

Just heard that FLP (Florida Light and Power) estimated that it would take 1 million man-hours to restore power to every home when this is all clear. How many power linemen they have?

Somebody will have to wait for a long time for life to be back to normal.

Power company linemen from my utility in BC are now on the ground in some of the Caribbean islands affected by Irma. Meanwhile, we have had firefighting teams from Mexico, the US and Australia as well as from all over Canada this summer. In times like these, expertise crosses boundaries.

 

[simple girl]

Just heard a bit ago that Irma is projected to now be a CAT2 over Sarasota area. This is a huge relief to me, hope it is true.

Electricity was restored according to priorities, with the stop lights being a big one and that was restored in just a week or so, with dangerous broken power lines being fixed ASAP too. Electricity was restored to my home after 3 weeks.

Thank you for this information. How did people function? I teach at a local college, and it has been closed since Thursday. We are already significantly behind in the program. I don't know how we will be able to get back on track if power is out for 3 weeks. Wow.

 

[MichaelB]

After Katrina, power company employees from all over the country came in huge numbers to help. They worked probably 24 hours day, or as close to that as they could, and worked very hard. They were heroes and we all appreciated their efforts and accomplishments here, so much.

Yeah, after Wilma, professional loans & pros also came in by the busload, and it still took 2 weeks to get the first rays of power back up. I remember it well because DD#1 was married 4 days after power was restored, and we were just a day away from cancelling the reception.

There was a fair amount of radio talk last week that FPL has spent $B's in infrastructure since then to prevent another power outage similar to Wilma. Hope they are right, but power was off for 1/3 of South Fl this morning at 6am, before Irma even made landfall. I wonder if some of that is intentional, and preventative.

 

[socca]

19:15 EST Sarasota update:

+ alternating between high tropical storm / low hurricane conditions

+ power is flickering but still on (good job, FPL!!)

+ if Irma keeps heading straight north, it looks like Arcadia is still in Irma's crosshairs. If so, then no direct hit on Sarasota, which is a good thing. Gotta feel sorry for the Arcadians, though.

 

[W2R]

Thank you for this information. How did people function? I teach at a local college, and it has been closed since Thursday. We are already significantly behind in the program. I don't know how we will be able to get back on track if power is out for 3 weeks. Wow.

Simple! There were a lot fewer people here. People just had to stay in other parts of the country and make the best of it. As for colleges, other colleges in Houston and other cities took in our college students and let them finish out the semester at their colleges. Teachers like you helped out at the colleges in these other cities. It wasn't easy but people struggled by. Three weeks was one of the shorter power outages; some people did not get power back for months or longer.

It may not be that bad in your area, because we had a levee failure and we are below sea level, so it was sort of like restoring power to Atlantis I suppose. Glub glub.

 

[48Fire]

Just heard a bit ago that Irma is projected to now be a CAT2 over Sarasota area. This is a huge relief to me, hope it is true.




Thank you for this information. How did people function? I teach at a local college, and it has been closed since Thursday. We are already significantly behind in the program. I don't know how we will be able to get back on track if power is out for 3 weeks. Wow.

Great news for sure.

People get by without power. We were out of power during an ice storm for nearly a week. Since it was December in northern Indiana, it was not only dark, but very cold as well, and nearly uninhabitable, especially for small children. Florida will be hot and uncomfortable, but livable. And if you are post ER, great time to travel

 

[simple girl]

Simple! There were a lot fewer people here. People just had to stay in other parts of the country and make the best of it. As for colleges, other colleges in Houston and other cities took in our college students and let them finish out the semester at their colleges. Teachers like you helped out at the colleges in these other cities. It wasn't easy but people struggled by. Three weeks was one of the shorter power outages; some people did not get power back for months or longer.

It may not be that bad in your area, because we had a levee failure and we are below sea level, so it was sort of like restoring power to Atlantis I suppose. Glub glub.

Thanks for the insight - much appreciated!

 

[simple girl]

Great news for sure.

People get by without power. We were out of power during an ice storm for nearly a week. Since it was December in northern Indiana, it was not only dark, but very cold as well, and nearly uninhabitable, especially for small children. Florida will be hot and uncomfortable, but livable. And if you are post ER, great time to travel

Not post ER - still working part time as a college teacher (hubby full time). The program I teach is very intense - having a hard time seeing how we'll catch up on material and also teach without power. We use equipment, need lights...etc. We can get behind a few classes and cram material into future classes - but there is a limit, since we already have an incredibly fast-paced program jam packed with material to cover.

Thankfully, I am not the director! But, I will have to deal with how this is all remedied if power is out for more than a week...oh well. Honestly...it's the least of my concerns at this point. Just hadn't realized we might be out of power for weeks.