Thank you In all sincerity, it’s just another experience, and if experience builds character I’m quite the character by now, lol… The family is safe, actually we now have been blessed with a granddaughter at all of 5 months who was with us during the duration of the storm. As she evidently means the world to us our priority was to make the very best safe place. That said this is my 6th or 7th storm and everyone is different. This one as what seems the norm was totally mis-forecasted once again, Tampa it’s heading your way as Tampa barely turned on the wiper blades. That in itself is a mental equation as what your being told from the experts doesn’t happen. This particular storm in our area wasn’t as intense as Irma but it’s slow moving duration was beyond agonizing. It just wouldn’t go away and with that it created chaos and incredible amounts of rain and tidal surges and the destruction we are witnessing. I will say this the rather expensive investment in a full house Generac generator is highly recommended. It popped on 30 seconds after the power went out and ran faithfully until yesterday at 1 pm burning around 45% of the propane in our tank so we still had days left I learned later on. As for farming I’m 58, I’ve been doing it for at least 40 years with the last 37 driving a 100 mile round trip, I’m tired and it’s time to either do something else or consult a bit in the field. That said I’m humbled by the needs of those suffering, the jobs lost, the guy at Publix today who lost two walls and is fighting insurance and the beauty of what I knew as SW Florida that has been lost by the tides…
Great to read that your family and you are safe but sorry to read what you endured. I think you went through enough character building cataclysms and deserve some years of life on cruise control with smooth roads and sunny skies.
Ralph how big of a propane tank do you have? My sister in Vero Beach got a Generac this summer but because she lives on the barrier island the gas company won't run lines to it so if you want gas you have to have a propane tank, but she is living in a patio style home so her tank isn't that big and she can't run the whole house had to make some choices. Here in Houston a lot of people put them in after Harvey and then the Big Freeze. But most have natural gas lines to power them.
Sorry that I stay away so long. We have two of our kids, if you can call people in their 50's kids , living in Florida. Kissimmee and Jacksonville. They came through ok. Some other family in Punta Gorda are ok but lots of damage.
Bill you worked in the Electric Utility business, why aren't more utilities burried like they are in the Villages. Also why won't gas companies run natural gas to the barrier islands?
Just an FYI, as bad as this storm was FPL did not lose a single Transmission structure. They are built to withstand 150 MPH but in Andrew lost a lot of them.
Can't answer the last question about natural gas Terry and have been retired for a long time. However the way power companies are structured, at least when I was there, is for overhead lines and if underground the builder payed for the extra cost. It comes down to what it costs to build. And when it comes to transmission lines they are much higher voltage and much more expensive to put in underground. But like I said those lines are built to withstand 150 mph winds. But of course nothing will survive a tornado.
I saw an article Bill that said FPL is ahead of schedule in restoring power to habitable homes. My niece in Sarasota got power back pretty quickly, in fact some area's of Sarasota never lost power.
Yeah they are doing a good job. However I doubt some of those places where it came on shore will be back very soon.
We have a 500 gal tank that's buried. A friend of ours just didn't have the room for a large tank and went two 200 gal tanks
When Sandy came through NJ here in 2011 (?) it was the storm surge that wreaked the most havoc. It pretty much destroyed everything from Long Beach Island to Staten Island which covers about 60 miles of beach front. One entire small beach town just south me was wiped off the map.
One of the hidden enjoyments in dealing with the hard working men restoring power last hurricane and this one is these are guys thrown down from wherever USA. I had guys at the citrus grove in 2017 servicing our blown over power lines from Maine. I’m of decent size, bigger in the gut than needed these days but good gawd the entire crew of this crew from Maine had to be 6 foot 4 inches plus. As I spoke with these Vikings their goal was to see an alligator and nothing else. I made that happen and was just so thankful for them being there