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Zane
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 12:03 pm: | 
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Any reports about north Pinellas County? I haven't seen anything in the MSM about the area. I used to live in Safety Harbor but haven't seen any reports about that area yet. |
86129squids
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 12:50 pm: |
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Zane- my aunt is down in Ruskin, IIRC a bit south of Safety Harbor, she says things are OK there. GF's daughter in Gulfport FL, all's well there.
When I lived in Tampa I loved hanging out in Safety Harbor... now my fave beach is Pass a Grille in St. Pete. |
Zane
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 03:10 pm: |
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Sounds like everything is good there. That's a relief. I lived in Safety Harbor just over 15 years and have fond memories of the place. Glad to hear that it's still there. I'm in Phoenix right now but in about 18 months may wind up back in the Tampa Bay area. I live in hope. Really miss the bike night at Quaker Steak. Wonder if Radical Randy is still the DJ/MC.
Pass a Grille is a great place to hang out. Several well wasted evening spent there.
Tampa Bay is a good place to live. Just wish there was a curvy road within 100 miles. |
Robertl
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 03:40 pm: |
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Central FL got pretty lucky the storm weakened by the time it got there.
2 friends from Safety Harbor (Tampa area) came over after seeing the eye predicted to go over their house. Of course the storm then turned.
My roommates left and had hell getting back last night because of all the traffic.
Anyone heard from Matt? I pinged him on Facebook to see if he needed anything. Same goes for the rest of you.
I will say that wasn't a whole lot of fun and thankfully it doesn't happen all the time.
I spent 4 days prepping so by the time the storm got here I was exhausted and actually slept through part of it.
Decided to buy a small generator this year. Not big enough to run my well pump but having a fridge, ceiling fan, tv, lights, and not driving around searching for ice really improves the experience. I think a small window unit and transfer pump to get water from pool to toilets is on my requirement list for next year.
House was fine. Boarded up the windows so my only concern was roof and fence. Couple of fence panels came loose but that was a quick fix. I used 14 2x4s angled into ground to support the fence in the spots where I expected it to fall. Worked well, just lot of manual labor. None of the trees I expected to fall or snap did. It was the other 10 or so but they aren't in the way and will still be there when I get around to them. |
Court
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 03:48 pm: |
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This morning . . .it was on the order of 52% of the state out of power . . . but that will come down quickly with the restoration of a few major feeders.
For the most part . . . many areas got a good rain and heavy wind. |
Robertl
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 04:15 pm: |
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Also, the water and sewer pumping stations lost power so they were asking people to limit all water usage until further notice.
We've all lost power at some point but try turning your water off a while too. Reality sets in real quick like.
For those traveling back, I read i75 might close in a few spots due to flooding from rivers. FL highway patrol is supposed to be updating Google Maps with road statuses so definitely keep an eye on roads there even if you use a different GPS.
Be safe out there and reach out if assistance is needed. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 04:52 pm: |
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Yeah, you don't really appreciate...I mean really appreciate...running water until you don't have it. |
Zac4mac
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 06:04 pm: |
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Running water is good for me.
Me running for water is not good. |
Tootal
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 06:17 pm: |
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Does anybody know Treadmarks? He was a great contributor many moons ago and lived in Miami. I believe he sold his Uly so hasn't been around the forum for a while. |
Robertl
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 13, 2017 - 10:16 pm: |
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And just like that we are back on generator. |
Hootowl
| | Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 09:29 am: |
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They may have had to turn off power temporarily to facilitate another repair. |
Robertl
| | Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 11:17 am: |
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It was back on about 4 hrs later so likely a repair as stated above.
Still haven't heard from Matt.
I was down visiting a friend in Altamonte Springs yesterday evening. Wow at the number of huge trees down everywhere. Power lines in the road (turned off obviously).
I was expecting some limbs and maybe a tree or two but it was a lot, I mean a lot.
Crane's Roost park there on I4 is also flooded as well as a few low area around there.
There are also several roads/bridges being closed around the state due to flooding. I75 could be impacted for those traveling back.
I know a lot of people hate social media but it is a good place to find updates from multiple sources. This one is posting updates on road closures and flooding:
https://www.facebook.com/VolusiaCountyEmergencyMan agement/ |
1313
| | Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 12:00 pm: |
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Still haven't heard from Matt.
I'm assuming this Matt is the one you are referring to... |
Robertl
| | Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 02:17 pm: |
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Yep. Thanks man.
Anyone else unaccounted for? |
Zac4mac
| | Posted on Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 11:51 pm: |
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I love BWB
Thanks Blake |
Britchri10
| | Posted on Friday, September 15, 2017 - 09:19 am: |
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No power/water/anything for three days here in N. Florida.
All the creeks overflowed and we were within 4 inches of flooding. Luckily the water didn't get any higher.
Power was restored Wednesday evening.
We spent our downtime clearing up the yard.
Downtown Jax was hit by severe flooding on the St.Johns river.
We were fortunate.
I'd like to offer a big shout out to all the Linemen and other volunteers who flooded into Florida and surrounding areas to help.
If you want to see the "real" America in action just follow up on some of their stories.
Chris C |
Robertl
| | Posted on Friday, September 15, 2017 - 10:10 am: |
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Glad to hear you survived Chris C.
A lot of people became frustrated with the delay in restoring power. The crews were working nonstop out there and I was impressed with how fast the roads were cleared. |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Friday, September 15, 2017 - 05:13 pm: |
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WooHoo!!!! the sound of chainsaws cutting the trees off the power lines!!! At lunch there were crews repairing the wires and such on my street. Do I dare hope to be able to go to sleep without the sound of a generator for a lullaby tonight? |
Oddball
| | Posted on Friday, September 15, 2017 - 07:57 pm: |
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They need to bury the power lines. Probably would have solved most outages.
I heard of a flood that happened after the storm. Geniuses decided to pump water out of a flooded area. Supposedly did all their calculations and said no problem. I'm sure it was comforting to the retirement community flooded by their actions. |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 05:18 pm: |
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Power was back on when I got home!!! Remarkable effort. This time, there was a solid action plan and massive co-ordination from all involved. SOMEONE needs a pat on the back for spearheading this. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 06:47 pm: |
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They need to bury the power lines. Probably would have solved most outages.
Not necessarily. See my earlier post:
http://www.badweatherbikers.com/cgibin/discus/show .cgi?tpc=4062&post=2604694#POST2604694 |
Oddball
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 07:47 pm: |
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You'll have to explain electrical vaults to me. I'm unfamiliar with the term.
In my community we had trees down, one right out front, but no power loss beyond a second or two at a time. Just the cable resetting many times over while trying to watch the storm coverage. Only time we go down is if lightning or something strikes the substation nearby. |
Sifo
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 08:29 pm: |
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Electrical vaults are below ground concrete "rooms" that are used to house the splices, etc. needed to move the wires in various directions. I know the phone companies use them too, and for those, they use air pressure in the wire conduits to help keep water out of the conduits. The vaults regularly fill with water, but not the conduits between the vaults. |
Malott442
| | Posted on Saturday, September 16, 2017 - 11:23 pm: |
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Gents. I am safe. Power came on finally this afternoon, kids and wife made it home just a few hours ago.
When I have more energy, I'll tell you about the tree that tried to kill me. |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2017 - 02:29 pm: |
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Oddball- the other downside to underground power distribution is that the transformers are moved from being atop polls to being on or under the ground. If those get flooded, they have to be replaced. So, as far as being protected from the wind and/or tree damage, underground distribution is great. It just brings a whole new set of problems if flooding occurs. |
Oddball
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2017 - 04:35 pm: |
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Hugh,
We had minor flooding in the lowest areas so the grid's water tightness wasn't put to much of a test. I'd imagine it's an impressive boom when they pop.
In MD growing up i watched our power go down many times from squirrels on the transformers in my back yard. They don't make too great of a furry fuse. lol |
Rick_a
| | Posted on Sunday, September 17, 2017 - 10:27 pm: |
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A couple people I know had to take boats to their houses. |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Monday, September 18, 2017 - 12:00 pm: |
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Today we have TONS of system down from feedback/cross voltage as the grid was crashing. |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 - 03:45 pm: |
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A new client called us today. They have a building with 4 brand new (3 month old) 50 ton units that took a power surge when a power pole broke off and crashed into a substation half a block away.
The 30 horsepower blower motors in all four units had the windings explode. There are copper BB's all over. Seven compressors are failed, and two heat exchangers are blown out. Wonder how many volts THAT took? And since we can't run them, I wonder how the ECMs and other digital controls faired?
They are crying warranty. Most of the parts are on back order. It may take setting all new units to get them back on line in a reasonable time frame. They claim a product loss of a million dollars a week without a/c. Even replacement is not quick. They are build to order. Three week expedited. But wait, there's more. Between the two hurricanes, special orders are on a 6 month wait list.
For now, rental units are the only option. $$$$$$$$$ |
Hughlysses
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 - 04:17 pm: |
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^ Wow! If they're losing that much, they could pay for rental units. |
Oddball
| | Posted on Wednesday, September 20, 2017 - 04:00 am: |
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Sounds like total losses to me.
Warranty? I think every manufacturer would consider that an act of god which isn't covered.
alibaba link, maybe there are some chinese made somewhere to tide them over?
https://www.alibaba.com/showroom/50-ton-air-condit ioner.html
Even if you had units ready to go you'd be dead in the water until that substation is back online. Freezer or refrigerated truck rentals ?
http://amcstorage.com/
http://portablerefrigerationstorage.com/20-and-40- refrigerated-trailers/?gclid=CKu_sLmls9YCFVOHswodB 3sGCg
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en& q=refrigerated+truck+rental+florida&ie=UTF-8&oe=UT F-8 |
Fast1075
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 26, 2017 - 04:25 pm: |
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The rain from Irma has cooled the water enough to start the fall bass pattern. Fishing from my paddleboard Sunday, I caught and released 32 of these little guys.
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