Helene - Milton
- Thread starter Mooseman
- Start date
Best wishes to you guys. My MIL is also in line to be hit, so its a bit tense for me as well.
Blckshdw
Moderator
Blckshdw
Moderator
I meant to post last week and follow up, but the new storm that has its sights set on us was a reminder.
I only had a single fence panel pull loose from my longest fence. Somehow, it was hanging on by a single screw on one of the top rails. Just had to clear out some sandy soil, reseat the fence, and drive some new screws.
A number of my neighbors weren't quite as lucky, with sections of fence either blowing down due to snapped posts, or worn out wood just disintegrating. Driving through the neighborhood, did notice a number of houses with missing shingles, and a couple of larger trees around the parks had fallen.
The 1 acre retention pond that sits behind all the houses on my side of the street did rise several feet as all the runoff got pumped into it, but no storm surge from the bay reached my area. A few minutes drive south towards the bay, was a different story though.
The water here, is usually down past the brush line.
We'll have to wait and see how the path of Milton changes over the next couple of days. With as saturated as the ground is now, and the coastal areas still dealing with flood damage, a direct hit is going to be pretty bad.
I only had a single fence panel pull loose from my longest fence. Somehow, it was hanging on by a single screw on one of the top rails. Just had to clear out some sandy soil, reseat the fence, and drive some new screws.
A number of my neighbors weren't quite as lucky, with sections of fence either blowing down due to snapped posts, or worn out wood just disintegrating. Driving through the neighborhood, did notice a number of houses with missing shingles, and a couple of larger trees around the parks had fallen.
The 1 acre retention pond that sits behind all the houses on my side of the street did rise several feet as all the runoff got pumped into it, but no storm surge from the bay reached my area. A few minutes drive south towards the bay, was a different story though.
The water here, is usually down past the brush line.
We'll have to wait and see how the path of Milton changes over the next couple of days. With as saturated as the ground is now, and the coastal areas still dealing with flood damage, a direct hit is going to be pretty bad.
Blckshdw
Moderator
It's probable that Milton will reach Cat 4 at some point over the gulf, but hopefully once it hits the jet stream, that will weaken it enough so that the devastation isn't on the level that we saw 2 weeks ago. 
Did that retention pond go down some? I just hope that any possible flooding won't be compounded by that leftover from Helene.
Blckshdw
Moderator
If we don't get any rain for a day, it returns to its normal height in that amount of time. Of course, that also requires the water level in Tampa Bay to also be at normal levels, or at least recede quickly. It's fine right now, but we'll have to see what happens with the rain amounts Monday and Tuesday.
I made a run to the hardware store for some duct tape and couple tubes of caulk. Gonna tape up the seams on my entry doors and slider, and have some stairstep cracks in the cinder blocks that'll get addressed before I leave.
I made a run to the hardware store for some duct tape and couple tubes of caulk. Gonna tape up the seams on my entry doors and slider, and have some stairstep cracks in the cinder blocks that'll get addressed before I leave.
Well ...My Wife and I were going to head up to North Florida and get ahead of the Storm... but unfortunately...with over 1.5 Million Locals also getting the Bad News that the Evacuation Order includes the A, B and C Flood Region Areas... there was simply nothing available anywhere along the I-275 and I-75 US Highway Corridors with all of those Unhappy Folks clogging up the Roadways, Highways and By-Ways while they're all trying to ...GTF---> OOD.
It took us a while after being turned down by every Motel Chain down here from Pillar to Post... but I finally spoke with a Dude at the Hilton Hotel near a Local Airport and while his operation was fully booked... he very kindly kept me on the Phone long enough to call around and inquire of some of his friends in the Hotel-Motel Industry and managed to locate us a decent place to Hide Out in a nearby City from this coming Tuesday, October 8th ...until Friday, October 11th, 2024.
This will cost us a Pretty Penny @ $215.00 Per Night... But regardless, the place is much more local than the 400 Mile Drive we would need to make in order to get far enough away from this Storm... AND ... the Building is a --very substantial structure-- with a decent reputation as a Hotel. Decidedly, it also has a decent Restaurant inside as well, which beat my idea of hanging out here in the Hurricane and eating around $200 worth of Snacks.
They say you can't take it with you... and that would apply even more so if we had decided to stay here at home, then got Flooded out and either Drowned ...or were at the very least, Stranded here without any real sustenance and means for more than a week without a Dry Bed, Fresh Food, HVAC or Running Water or even the inability to Flush a Toilet.
That was a price we were --NOT-- willing to PAY. And as it turned out... Our Room was THE LAST Room available in such a Nice Place... (So,,, *Whew...* Not a Moment Too Soon on the Booking......"The Hilton Escape ...from The Milton Storm...")
"It is Better to Have Thousand Friends...Than a Thousand Dollars..."
It took us a while after being turned down by every Motel Chain down here from Pillar to Post... but I finally spoke with a Dude at the Hilton Hotel near a Local Airport and while his operation was fully booked... he very kindly kept me on the Phone long enough to call around and inquire of some of his friends in the Hotel-Motel Industry and managed to locate us a decent place to Hide Out in a nearby City from this coming Tuesday, October 8th ...until Friday, October 11th, 2024.
This will cost us a Pretty Penny @ $215.00 Per Night... But regardless, the place is much more local than the 400 Mile Drive we would need to make in order to get far enough away from this Storm... AND ... the Building is a --very substantial structure-- with a decent reputation as a Hotel. Decidedly, it also has a decent Restaurant inside as well, which beat my idea of hanging out here in the Hurricane and eating around $200 worth of Snacks.
They say you can't take it with you... and that would apply even more so if we had decided to stay here at home, then got Flooded out and either Drowned ...or were at the very least, Stranded here without any real sustenance and means for more than a week without a Dry Bed, Fresh Food, HVAC or Running Water or even the inability to Flush a Toilet.
That was a price we were --NOT-- willing to PAY. And as it turned out... Our Room was THE LAST Room available in such a Nice Place... (So,,, *Whew...* Not a Moment Too Soon on the Booking......"The Hilton Escape ...from The Milton Storm...")
"It is Better to Have Thousand Friends...Than a Thousand Dollars..."
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A wise decision to get out of Dodge.
I know one of our Floridian residents was having a hard time getting insurance.. Was that one of you guys?
Did you manage to get insurance?
Did you manage to get insurance?
northcreek
Member
Milton getting upgraded to a current Cat4, expected to be Cat5 by landfall..
Stay safe guys!
Stay safe guys!
Blckshdw
Moderator
I had issues with my insurance due to the age of my roof (18 years) During that period where companies were pulling up stakes, dropping their client base and leaving the state, that's what got my problem started. Got in the door with the insurance of last resort, with the understanding they would not renew my policy until I replaced the roof myself, but they back tracked 6 months in and dropped me early anyway. I ended up having to pay for a new roof out of pocket, before someone would write me a policy.
I guess that's my big positive, my roof is only 2 years old, so it should hold up to Milton as long as nothing physically strikes it.
I guess that's my big positive, my roof is only 2 years old, so it should hold up to Milton as long as nothing physically strikes it.
Here's hoping for you all. This is apparently a one in a 100 year event for that side of the peninsula. Make sure if you don't evacuate that you have enough food, water, supplies and meds for several days or even a week. If you have a generator, make sure it works before the storm.
Beacon
Member
It's a good time for all us who have generators to start them up and run them for an hour or so. It always makes starting them easier, when you need them. I run mine about 3 or 4 times a year, just for peace of mind. use non-ethanol gas and some type of fuel preservative, (stabil, pri-g even seafoam has a some preservative in it)
Hello to All Who Dwell at GMT Nation....
I hazard to tell the story of what has happened to us over the period of Monday, October 7th on through to Monday, October 14th, 2024... mostly because there are very likely so many other Members and Visitors to GMT Nation living in the path of Hurricane Milton who suffered so much more than my Wife of Nearly Fifty Years...and yours truly experienced during this dreadful debacle.
If you read what I said back in Post #9, you might have imagined that we had the forethought and the wherewithal to escape from our home, virtually at Ground Zero for the rapid approach of Hurricane Milton into the Tampa Bay Area. Unfortunately, on the morning before we were scheduled to leave... Everything Unraveled!
I received a call at around 09:00 AM from a Young Man with a wan and apologetic voice explaining that our Hilton-- Cum --Cordova Inn Reservation was Voided and Cancelled. The Lad explained that the Hotel was in Danger of severe flooding and that as soon as all of the Guests were all evacuated, "No one... NOBODY will be HERE if you were to show up tomorrow between 4-6 PM... I'm very, very sorry, Sir..." I thanked him for the courtesy call and bade him to have Good Luck.
With that... I realized that I had to act immediately to try and find a place for us to hole up within for at least Three Days... just as Milton had strengthened to a CAT 5 Storm with horrid 165 MPH CC Winds churning up The Heart of Darkness ... Like a Gigantic Heat Pump... hurling itself towards our location in the Tampa Bay Region.
My Son, DIL and Two Grand Kids had already left several days earlier and had already arrived at my DIL's (Mom & Dad's) Home just southwest of Tallahassee. When I called him, "My Boy" (of almost 40 YOA now) firmly explained that there were NO openings for ANY rooms in any local areas in ALL of the adjacent North Florida counties.
However, as it happened, his FIL had an account at the Indigo Hotel up in Gainesville and that he would make the call and if possible... make the Reservation of Almost the Last "Resort" available for us to pursue with all due speed and alacrity.
He succeeded within the hour while my wife and I continued to check on line looking even up towards Georgia seeking some refuge. As soon as we knew a room four stories above sea level had become available... we made the "Ditch At Dawn" Mad Scramble to pile everything we knew would be necessary for our sustenance for at least three days into my Wife's Car. Later on we used the local gas station (about one mile south of our home) that was still wide open for business and pumping nothing but Mid-Grade Gasoline.
We topped off her 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5S and then headed east for I-275 and eventually I-75. That was at 10:06 AM on October 7th, 2024. I had only recently purchased a New Garmin Drive 51-LMT-S GPS Unit and, while being quite unfamiliar with it, I "doped" it out well enough to put in the Gainesville Address for the Indigo Hotel and off we went... at an Average Speed of a Demented Bag Lady, pushing a stolen Shopping Cart with TWO Wobbling Front Wheels down the sidewalk!
When we finally arrived in Gainesville... It was nearly 11:00 PM. We had only burned about 1/4 Tank of Gas and found it futile along the way to try and gain entrance to any of the "Rare I-75 Rest Stops" finally having to pull off the roadway just long enough for me to "Void" my Bladder and a"Void" wetting my pants.
My Wife is fortunate to possess a Bladder capable of holding an entire Water Cooler's worth of any (non-alcohol) liquid like a Bloody Desert Dromedary and frequently encouraged me as we crept along in traffic with disturbing stares and , hissing expressions like, "Whatever you are going to DO Next... Do NOT Pee on My CAR SEAT!"
In any case, the next part of this weird travel saga involved wending our way through some Very High End Neighborhoods in Gainesville featuring confusing "Roundy Rounds" on "Non-Manhattan Plan" curved roads, gated properties that eventually led to a Modest Private Residence. It seems that the Indigo Hotel and this Modest, Taseful Private Residence actually shared an Identical Address!
I managed to prevent stroking out while inventing and blurting out Filthy Streams of Curse Words better expressed in "Dante's Inferno" than in pleasant company. I swore a Blood Oath to Murder my Son's FIL if he thought that this was some kind of "clever joke"....with my Bare Hands.
After sitting along the roadside, waiting to be reported by "The Locals"... as Prowlers...I finally "doped" out the idea of putting the name of "The Indigo Hotel" into the Garmin... and after making a Bee-Line drive 20 Miles away...we finally arrived at the Hotel... at Midnight. The Long Drive of Hell had finally ended. We checked in and crashed in the well apointed Hotel Room for an entire day, like most "Old Folks" would find necessary to reconstitute our DNA and finally... Start Feeling like Human Beings again.
THIS Hotel is Absolutely ....AWESOME!
Every Single Person we encountered there all week long helped and provided personal assistance to us over the next Seven Days. When we bailed on Monday, October 14th... It only took Two Hours and Fifteen Minutes to make the journey back home. Along the way...my Wife counted the number of trees that had been destroyed by Milton along I-75... reaching 105 Trees by the time we were just a few miles from home.
Now comes the evidence of some kind of 'Divine Intervention' ...for when I arrived home, I discovered that due to the Winds blowing persistently from east to west and then south to southeast... four out of the six giant Pine Trees threatening my property had been yanked sideways...away...from our Brand New Miami Hurricane Standard Vinyl Fence with Aluminum Posts.
However, in doing so... wherever their Wide, Pancake Shaped Root Systems had grown deep underneath our property line... They Lifted up four or five of those New Aluminum Posts --"RTF" out of the ground-- from underneath as the Root Balls popped loose and tipped sideways away from the Fence and The House well above the ground and prying those posts as the Big Trees fell harmlessly away from "US" and onto the Ground. The result of all this erupting activity was to change my Fence Line from a "Straight-N-Level" Line Edge ... into a sort of Zig-Zag Looking arrangement.
Beyond this, the only other inconvenience was the evidence that my Giant Front Yard Oak had been all but denuded of its huge canopy of summer growth... throwing all that organic mess up and over the beveled and Flat Roofs in high winds and into our enclosed back yard. That was IT... No Flooding... (Although the Wind Driven Rain had soaked well into the lower front wooden door jamb, solidly sealing it up at some point), We had No Broken Windows... No Roof Damage... and I thought, " God and His Angels Guard Our lives, Old Man... and Long May WE Become Them!"
My Local Neighbors had pitched in during our absence and picked and piled up all of the huge broken limbs and tree debris out onto the easement to await the County's "Claw Grabber and Dump Truck Parade" to make their way along the roadside and get all of this incredible damaged vegetation picked up and burned.
Our Power finally came back on at Midnight on October 13th... and the Internet did so as well, just as we were bringing in our travel bags. My Son and DIL had arrived earlier today and vacated all of the Spoiled Food from inside of the Freezer and Fridge which left me with no immediate emergencies to contend with... So ...Time for a Hot Cup of Gevalia Coffee from the Dormant Kuerig Machine... and then... Taking a 10 Hour Nap.
I really wish that many more Floridians had been as lucky as we were over the Last Two Tropical Disasters covering 13 Horrible Days. But... Jesus Palomino... If you don't live down here... You have absolutely NO idea just how Dangerous a moving dynamic counter-clockwise storm with CAT 5 - CAT 4 Hurricane Winds that also spawned innumerable F3 Tornadoes in its wake can be.... *IT*... is an Absolute NIGHTMARE!!!
If Milton had moved a mere 25 Miles further north and THEN entered through the open waters of Tampa Bay over, around and under the Skyway Bridge... Our home would have filled with so much Gulf of Mexico Sea Water ...right up to the GD Roof Line.,,!!!
The Sound Moral of this Story... comes in Three Parts:
(1) Listen to the Authorities and Weather Folks... and if THEY tell you to Mark Your Name & DOB in Black Magic Marker on your belly so you can be identified after a Month passes before they finally find your Body... if You Do NOT Leave Early.... THEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... LEAVE EARLY!
(2) Prepare a Few "Ditch at Dawn" Bug-Out Bags with EVERYTHING You Think You will NEED. Make Up Your Mind to GTFO... SOONEST...and then... DO SO!
(3) Book your Stays with at LEAST Two Chain Hotel Locations EARLY and well away from the Strike Zone of the arriving Bad Weather... Just In Case ...ONE... of them decides to CANCEL your Reservation on Short Notice.
Here is Hoping for the Very Best of Outcomes Possible for as many of our Floridians as Possible in the coming weeks and months.
PS...
My Sincere Thanks..."Tusen Takke" (A Thousand Thanks in Norwegian) to the many well wishing Members of GMT Nation who responded to @Mooseman 's Concerns and Encouraging Thread on this Topic. We are Grateful for having Such Friends!
I hazard to tell the story of what has happened to us over the period of Monday, October 7th on through to Monday, October 14th, 2024... mostly because there are very likely so many other Members and Visitors to GMT Nation living in the path of Hurricane Milton who suffered so much more than my Wife of Nearly Fifty Years...and yours truly experienced during this dreadful debacle.
If you read what I said back in Post #9, you might have imagined that we had the forethought and the wherewithal to escape from our home, virtually at Ground Zero for the rapid approach of Hurricane Milton into the Tampa Bay Area. Unfortunately, on the morning before we were scheduled to leave... Everything Unraveled!
I received a call at around 09:00 AM from a Young Man with a wan and apologetic voice explaining that our Hilton-- Cum --Cordova Inn Reservation was Voided and Cancelled. The Lad explained that the Hotel was in Danger of severe flooding and that as soon as all of the Guests were all evacuated, "No one... NOBODY will be HERE if you were to show up tomorrow between 4-6 PM... I'm very, very sorry, Sir..." I thanked him for the courtesy call and bade him to have Good Luck.
With that... I realized that I had to act immediately to try and find a place for us to hole up within for at least Three Days... just as Milton had strengthened to a CAT 5 Storm with horrid 165 MPH CC Winds churning up The Heart of Darkness ... Like a Gigantic Heat Pump... hurling itself towards our location in the Tampa Bay Region.
My Son, DIL and Two Grand Kids had already left several days earlier and had already arrived at my DIL's (Mom & Dad's) Home just southwest of Tallahassee. When I called him, "My Boy" (of almost 40 YOA now) firmly explained that there were NO openings for ANY rooms in any local areas in ALL of the adjacent North Florida counties.
However, as it happened, his FIL had an account at the Indigo Hotel up in Gainesville and that he would make the call and if possible... make the Reservation of Almost the Last "Resort" available for us to pursue with all due speed and alacrity.
He succeeded within the hour while my wife and I continued to check on line looking even up towards Georgia seeking some refuge. As soon as we knew a room four stories above sea level had become available... we made the "Ditch At Dawn" Mad Scramble to pile everything we knew would be necessary for our sustenance for at least three days into my Wife's Car. Later on we used the local gas station (about one mile south of our home) that was still wide open for business and pumping nothing but Mid-Grade Gasoline.
We topped off her 2013 Nissan Altima 3.5S and then headed east for I-275 and eventually I-75. That was at 10:06 AM on October 7th, 2024. I had only recently purchased a New Garmin Drive 51-LMT-S GPS Unit and, while being quite unfamiliar with it, I "doped" it out well enough to put in the Gainesville Address for the Indigo Hotel and off we went... at an Average Speed of a Demented Bag Lady, pushing a stolen Shopping Cart with TWO Wobbling Front Wheels down the sidewalk!
When we finally arrived in Gainesville... It was nearly 11:00 PM. We had only burned about 1/4 Tank of Gas and found it futile along the way to try and gain entrance to any of the "Rare I-75 Rest Stops" finally having to pull off the roadway just long enough for me to "Void" my Bladder and a"Void" wetting my pants.
My Wife is fortunate to possess a Bladder capable of holding an entire Water Cooler's worth of any (non-alcohol) liquid like a Bloody Desert Dromedary and frequently encouraged me as we crept along in traffic with disturbing stares and , hissing expressions like, "Whatever you are going to DO Next... Do NOT Pee on My CAR SEAT!"
In any case, the next part of this weird travel saga involved wending our way through some Very High End Neighborhoods in Gainesville featuring confusing "Roundy Rounds" on "Non-Manhattan Plan" curved roads, gated properties that eventually led to a Modest Private Residence. It seems that the Indigo Hotel and this Modest, Taseful Private Residence actually shared an Identical Address!
I managed to prevent stroking out while inventing and blurting out Filthy Streams of Curse Words better expressed in "Dante's Inferno" than in pleasant company. I swore a Blood Oath to Murder my Son's FIL if he thought that this was some kind of "clever joke"....with my Bare Hands.
After sitting along the roadside, waiting to be reported by "The Locals"... as Prowlers...I finally "doped" out the idea of putting the name of "The Indigo Hotel" into the Garmin... and after making a Bee-Line drive 20 Miles away...we finally arrived at the Hotel... at Midnight. The Long Drive of Hell had finally ended. We checked in and crashed in the well apointed Hotel Room for an entire day, like most "Old Folks" would find necessary to reconstitute our DNA and finally... Start Feeling like Human Beings again.
THIS Hotel is Absolutely ....AWESOME!
Every Single Person we encountered there all week long helped and provided personal assistance to us over the next Seven Days. When we bailed on Monday, October 14th... It only took Two Hours and Fifteen Minutes to make the journey back home. Along the way...my Wife counted the number of trees that had been destroyed by Milton along I-75... reaching 105 Trees by the time we were just a few miles from home.
Now comes the evidence of some kind of 'Divine Intervention' ...for when I arrived home, I discovered that due to the Winds blowing persistently from east to west and then south to southeast... four out of the six giant Pine Trees threatening my property had been yanked sideways...away...from our Brand New Miami Hurricane Standard Vinyl Fence with Aluminum Posts.
However, in doing so... wherever their Wide, Pancake Shaped Root Systems had grown deep underneath our property line... They Lifted up four or five of those New Aluminum Posts --"RTF" out of the ground-- from underneath as the Root Balls popped loose and tipped sideways away from the Fence and The House well above the ground and prying those posts as the Big Trees fell harmlessly away from "US" and onto the Ground. The result of all this erupting activity was to change my Fence Line from a "Straight-N-Level" Line Edge ... into a sort of Zig-Zag Looking arrangement.
Beyond this, the only other inconvenience was the evidence that my Giant Front Yard Oak had been all but denuded of its huge canopy of summer growth... throwing all that organic mess up and over the beveled and Flat Roofs in high winds and into our enclosed back yard. That was IT... No Flooding... (Although the Wind Driven Rain had soaked well into the lower front wooden door jamb, solidly sealing it up at some point), We had No Broken Windows... No Roof Damage... and I thought, " God and His Angels Guard Our lives, Old Man... and Long May WE Become Them!"
My Local Neighbors had pitched in during our absence and picked and piled up all of the huge broken limbs and tree debris out onto the easement to await the County's "Claw Grabber and Dump Truck Parade" to make their way along the roadside and get all of this incredible damaged vegetation picked up and burned.
Our Power finally came back on at Midnight on October 13th... and the Internet did so as well, just as we were bringing in our travel bags. My Son and DIL had arrived earlier today and vacated all of the Spoiled Food from inside of the Freezer and Fridge which left me with no immediate emergencies to contend with... So ...Time for a Hot Cup of Gevalia Coffee from the Dormant Kuerig Machine... and then... Taking a 10 Hour Nap.
I really wish that many more Floridians had been as lucky as we were over the Last Two Tropical Disasters covering 13 Horrible Days. But... Jesus Palomino... If you don't live down here... You have absolutely NO idea just how Dangerous a moving dynamic counter-clockwise storm with CAT 5 - CAT 4 Hurricane Winds that also spawned innumerable F3 Tornadoes in its wake can be.... *IT*... is an Absolute NIGHTMARE!!!
If Milton had moved a mere 25 Miles further north and THEN entered through the open waters of Tampa Bay over, around and under the Skyway Bridge... Our home would have filled with so much Gulf of Mexico Sea Water ...right up to the GD Roof Line.,,!!!
The Sound Moral of this Story... comes in Three Parts:
(1) Listen to the Authorities and Weather Folks... and if THEY tell you to Mark Your Name & DOB in Black Magic Marker on your belly so you can be identified after a Month passes before they finally find your Body... if You Do NOT Leave Early.... THEN FOR THE LOVE OF GOD... LEAVE EARLY!
(2) Prepare a Few "Ditch at Dawn" Bug-Out Bags with EVERYTHING You Think You will NEED. Make Up Your Mind to GTFO... SOONEST...and then... DO SO!
(3) Book your Stays with at LEAST Two Chain Hotel Locations EARLY and well away from the Strike Zone of the arriving Bad Weather... Just In Case ...ONE... of them decides to CANCEL your Reservation on Short Notice.
Here is Hoping for the Very Best of Outcomes Possible for as many of our Floridians as Possible in the coming weeks and months.
PS...
My Sincere Thanks..."Tusen Takke" (A Thousand Thanks in Norwegian) to the many well wishing Members of GMT Nation who responded to @Mooseman 's Concerns and Encouraging Thread on this Topic. We are Grateful for having Such Friends!
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Just got in touch with @Blckshdw and he's OK. He just got power back last night and hasn't logged on yet. He didn't mention anything about damage but said he will post pictures.
On another note, my son is in Florida right now with his Badger company hydrovac truck with a co-worker in another truck. He was first sent to Georgia for the Helene cleanup but apparently were needed more in Florida. He's currently in the Fort Myers area. If you happen to see a Badger truck with Ontario plates, give a wave. He is having a hard time with the heat and humidity
. He's from Northern Ontario after all.
On another note, my son is in Florida right now with his Badger company hydrovac truck with a co-worker in another truck. He was first sent to Georgia for the Helene cleanup but apparently were needed more in Florida. He's currently in the Fort Myers area. If you happen to see a Badger truck with Ontario plates, give a wave. He is having a hard time with the heat and humidity
. He's from Northern Ontario after all.
Blckshdw
Moderator
Yep, I survived. House is fine, thanks to some tree maintenance I did a couple years ago from these posts.
Many of the branches that grew back over the past year, were considerably thinner diameter than the main trunk and what I left up there, so those broke off and fell behind and on the patio roof. Metal gutter was dented up and has a slight rip, but banged that back into place with the heel of my palm and let it be.
Spent a good half hour cutting down and dragging branches out of this area, just to clear the pavers to the back door.
The shed took a little damage, but nowhere near as bad as it could have gone. In the extended area, which I rebuilt the roof last winter, one of the Hardee panels got broken, and blown off. Not sure if something hit it from the outside, or flew through the opening facing the entrance and blew out the back. But that light you can see through the left side through the screen door, ain't supposed to be there.
The biggest issue, which I figured was a foregone conclusion with the size of the storm, and my ridiculous amount of luck in the past, was that long 200 foot fence along the street. Which got obliterated. I'll spare all the individual pics, but here's a long shot that captures most of it.
I had been home for maybe an hour, assessing things, when I heard someone on an ATV. That's not uncommon, they ride up and down the street all the time, but it sounded different this time, so I went to the master bedroom to look out back and sure enough some
was ripping around in my back yard. I had a 100 foot roll of that orange construction fencing in the shed, so grabbed that and my temporary posts to somewhat block off the far back areas. Had to go back to the hardware store, which didn't have power, to get another roll and more step in posts to cover the rest.
Granted, I knew that wouldn't keep anyone out if they REALLY wanted to get back there, but prevent people walking their dogs, or randoms give into their passing curiosity beyond looking. Sure enough, some middle school aged kids hopped a low section of the fence on Friday, but hopped back and ran away when they saw me come out into the yard.
Started reaching out to fencing companies to try and get some quotes on replacement options. I'm done with wooden fences, the constant maintenance, warping and breakage is irritating. Would like to get the aluminum style with the vertical bars, but I wouldn't be opposed to slapping some chain link up and down the street. Anything that will let wind blow through, so I don't have to worry about this nonsense in the future.
Like @Mooseman said, power came back on Monday afternoon. I've had some backup power options in a wishlist for a long time now, but other home projects took priority, as even in previous storms, this neighborhood was never without power for more than 12 hours. After being on adult timeout for 4 days, and taking cold showers, I'll be ordering a generator as soon as the one I want is back in stock. It can happily sit in the shed covered up until something else crazy happens. Also plan to buy a 10 circuit manual transfer switch, and get that wired into my electrical panel so I can run the AC, water heater, fridge etc as needed.
It's gonna be an expensive end to 2024, that's for damn sure. But in the grand scheme of things, I got off super light compared to many others who aren't too far away. So I'm grateful for that. I'm sure I've spent all my good karma reserves, so I need to be nice to people and get to earning again.
I've been out of the midwest for 20 years now, if I was subjected to that kinda weather at this point, I would probably die in 5 minutes, even if I was bundled up head to toe
When I got home from work, decided to put in some work on this tall tree right behind the house. It grows fairly quickly, and every summer I have to trim back branches from growing over the patio roof, as well as throwing shade on the solar panels in the morning hours.
After hurricane Ian, there were some thicker branches that broke off, but got hung up in the canopy. Only way to get them down was to cut the supporting branches, which needed to be done anyway, so it was less of a giant wind sail. This one is really the only threat to fall onto the house and damage it. Forgot to take a before pic, but looking at the 2nd pic, it would fill the frame from side to side when it was full of leaves. The recent cold snaps made it drop all it's leaves again, so much easier to deal with.
View attachment 106486View attachment 106487
Got as much cut down as I could reach with my ladder and electric pole saw, before I ran out of daylight. Got a pretty good pile of branches, will start cutting those down to size after work tomorrow, and drag those out to the front for the yard waste guys to take on Friday.
View attachment 106488
Yesterday, after a quick run to the grocery store after work, was back in the yard to break down the branches for disposal. Got the majority of them done before running out of daylight again, everything in that massive pile cut up and hauled to the front. Still have smaller stuff scattered in the back, and some larger branches that fell on the other side of one of my fences where the county has some utility boxes. I'll get my ladder over the fence to retrieve those later.
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I guess that's the trade off I have to live with. Being able to do yard work until almost 8pm in the summer, vs the sweltering temps all day that pretty much force you to do anything 1st thing in the morning, or last part of the day.
Many of the branches that grew back over the past year, were considerably thinner diameter than the main trunk and what I left up there, so those broke off and fell behind and on the patio roof. Metal gutter was dented up and has a slight rip, but banged that back into place with the heel of my palm and let it be.
Spent a good half hour cutting down and dragging branches out of this area, just to clear the pavers to the back door.
The shed took a little damage, but nowhere near as bad as it could have gone. In the extended area, which I rebuilt the roof last winter, one of the Hardee panels got broken, and blown off. Not sure if something hit it from the outside, or flew through the opening facing the entrance and blew out the back. But that light you can see through the left side through the screen door, ain't supposed to be there.
The biggest issue, which I figured was a foregone conclusion with the size of the storm, and my ridiculous amount of luck in the past, was that long 200 foot fence along the street. Which got obliterated. I'll spare all the individual pics, but here's a long shot that captures most of it.
I had been home for maybe an hour, assessing things, when I heard someone on an ATV. That's not uncommon, they ride up and down the street all the time, but it sounded different this time, so I went to the master bedroom to look out back and sure enough some
was ripping around in my back yard. I had a 100 foot roll of that orange construction fencing in the shed, so grabbed that and my temporary posts to somewhat block off the far back areas. Had to go back to the hardware store, which didn't have power, to get another roll and more step in posts to cover the rest.Granted, I knew that wouldn't keep anyone out if they REALLY wanted to get back there, but prevent people walking their dogs, or randoms give into their passing curiosity beyond looking. Sure enough, some middle school aged kids hopped a low section of the fence on Friday, but hopped back and ran away when they saw me come out into the yard.
Started reaching out to fencing companies to try and get some quotes on replacement options. I'm done with wooden fences, the constant maintenance, warping and breakage is irritating. Would like to get the aluminum style with the vertical bars, but I wouldn't be opposed to slapping some chain link up and down the street. Anything that will let wind blow through, so I don't have to worry about this nonsense in the future.
Like @Mooseman said, power came back on Monday afternoon. I've had some backup power options in a wishlist for a long time now, but other home projects took priority, as even in previous storms, this neighborhood was never without power for more than 12 hours. After being on adult timeout for 4 days, and taking cold showers, I'll be ordering a generator as soon as the one I want is back in stock. It can happily sit in the shed covered up until something else crazy happens. Also plan to buy a 10 circuit manual transfer switch, and get that wired into my electrical panel so I can run the AC, water heater, fridge etc as needed.
It's gonna be an expensive end to 2024, that's for damn sure. But in the grand scheme of things, I got off super light compared to many others who aren't too far away. So I'm grateful for that. I'm sure I've spent all my good karma reserves, so I need to be nice to people and get to earning again.