Hurricane Irma

#12

Joined Nov 30, 2010
18,224
7kw isn't enough to boil coffee? Was his grandma's life support running on the generator?
No, just his 6000 BTU window air conditioner and a refrigerator, which were also not available to me. I made coffee on his grille the second day, but he was out of charcoal by the 5th day.:(
Did you try placing the cup of water on top pf the generator's engine to warm it up? o_O:D
No, I put him on my, "Ignore" list.:D

Things I learned:
A vehicle with a full gas tank is a precious commodity. A workable Cell Phone comes in a close second...right after the Cell Towers resume working. Then, a chain saw (to get the tree out of your house).:(
Essential Services and retail stores will get electricity before the residential customers. KFC was up and running 8 hours before my home. I was hoping a bucket truck would drive by and reset the local circuit breaker, but the rumor is that they are stringing new wires everywhere to get FEMA to pay for long overdue system maintenance.

Essential Services include hospitals, fire stations, draw bridges, traffic signals, Cell Towers, broadcasting stations, and gas stations, then grocery stores and other retail stores. The police think they are essential, but the only thing I saw was six to eight happy looking, exquisitely weaponized, police officers, standing around under portable tent tops in the center of intersections which had non-functional traffic lights, while the drivers treated the intersections as 4-way stops.:mad: The world did not descend into chaos and looting just because nobody was driving around in police cars. (Might that be caused by all the personal firearms that might be inside the dark houses which probably contain Americans?)

A 70 F (ground water temperature) shower is always a thrill, no matter how many times you have done it this week.:eek:
The water gets warmer if you put some in buckets and wait for it to achieve room temperature, but then it isn't a shower...it's a sponge bath. No matter how uncomfortable life gets, it's always better if you just had a nice, soapy, wash.:)

I was finally uncomfortable enough to shave with cold water, using a candle in front of a mirror on the 6th day. (The windows are still boarded up, so no sunlight in the bathroom. Now that I have air conditioning, I will risk getting overheated taking down the plywood.)

Absolute minimum water budget is 1/2 gallon of liquid per person per day, EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT DOING ANYTHING SWEATY!
Soda pop seems to be effective enough, especially if you can't get enough calories from regular food. Neither milk nor ice will be available, at any price. (Getting two large drink cups full of ice at KFC was considered a lucky find by today's standards.)

Insulin isn't the only life threatening drug dependency. Two days without blood pressure medicine (like Lisinopril) will risk your death!

You can't eat a whole day worth of food in one meal. Maybe if you're 15 or 25, but not at 65. Make plans to eat at least twice a day.

Laundry day comes a lot faster than you want it to (without air conditioning, you get stinkier, quicker). Figure out your laundry plan by day 3.

The yappy little ankle snapper is not half as dangerous as the idiot who keeps screaming, "You hit my dog!" when she was staring directly at the fact that you didn't even swing at the dog after it attached its teeth. (I'm sure I have previously mentioned the 50% lesser risk of dog bite when you have a wooden leg.)

The next description is of a different person:
Psychiatric cases who can function under optimum conditions are driven into public by a major disaster. One young lady in my group was the guest of honor at a command performance of, "The Baker Act". She was then awarded the coveted Long Sleeve Jacket and a free ride to the loony bin.

with all that kindling.....hot coffee should not be a problem.
All the fallen trees are green, and got rained on.:(
What happened the burgers, beer and broads? ;)
The burger places were sold out, I don't drink, and you just read the description of the broads.:rolleyes:
Being vegetarian, that sounds like a pretty good supper,
Breakfast the next day was one can each of sardines, peaches, and Coke...all at room temperature. Supper was a 10 ounce can of chicken and another room temperature Coke. My next meal was going to be room temperature brown bread and Dinty Moore Beef Stew, but my phone machine answered and I was on the road to home in about 4 minutes.:):):):):)

Who's in Oregon? That guy I sent free LM741 chips to?

Edit: Your stomach shrinks. I just found out I can't eat a whole can of chili.:(
Edit again: It's re-training day. I have been trained to not turn on the lights when I enter a room because, "light switches don't work". I am surprised at how well I can function by memory and feel, but I think I'll re-learn how to use light switches.
Edit again, 20Sept2017. Still no half&half or hard boiled eggs in the grocery store, but I did get some yummy fried chicken and a gallon of milk.:)
 
Last edited:

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,321
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-hurricane-irma-stinky-smell-20170919-story.html
Residents across the region Tuesday reported catching a whiff of a foul, rancid smell that officials blamed on dead fish, stagnant water, flooded ponds and rotting debris — but likely not sewage.

Juliana Calloway said she started to notice the smell Sunday — an acrid odor in the air outside her home in Altamonte Springs, like spent fireworks. At first, she feared a neighbor was burning debris. Soon, Calloway realized the stink wasn’t just in her neighborhood — it was outside her office in Winter Park, too, and at her son’s preschool.

“This morning, it was just so bad,” she said. “I have a 4-year-old, and he was like, ‘It smells like rotten eggs out here, Mommy.’ ”
That's the typical tropic funk you smell overseas.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,321
Nuts. Visiting the Keys has been on my vacation wishlist for quite a while. I think it will recover well but it will take a few years.
Sombrero Beach, Marathon Florida



Cleaning up will take a while but it's a 365 day growing season so the vegetation will be back soon. I've seen that brown stripped look often in the tropics from storms. In 6 months it was a green hell again.
https://www.simoncroberts.com/work/after-the-typhoon/
 
Last edited:

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
16,321
Planning another Florida Keys trip for the 2019 to 2020 time-frame. The recovery looks OK for major structures from Irma for such a short period of time.

Really looking forward to some nice fishing in that beautiful water.

 
Last edited:

wayneh

Joined Sep 9, 2010
18,104
Planning another Florida Keys trip for the 2019 to 2020 time-frame. The recovery looks OK for major structures from Irma for such a short period of time.
Just got back from Daytona and Orlando. I tried to get to the keys but it didn't work out this time. I've never been there and it's on my bucket list.

Speaking of bucket list items, I did get to see an Atlas V launch from Canaveral beach. I grew up during the space race and had never seen a launch in person. I can't recommend it enough. One thing I was unprepared for was how bright the flame was. It was fireworks-bright in full daylight. No video or TV can reproduce that so I had never appreciated that before.
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,889
Glad you had an enjoyable trip. Last year I finally managed the NAVAIR museum in Pensacola. Been to the cape but never caught a launch, that remains on my bucket list.

Ron
 
Top