Florida Peeps...here comes Ian.

https://twitter.com/JimmyPatronis/status/1575626925384802304

 

If there ever were an information source that screams credibility, that's it.

 

Apart from the big connector lines most of the power lines in the UK and Europe are buried.

 

No word on power, definitely going to be a few days at least, especially if they are focusing on more severely hit areas. Running essentials off the track genny still.

All things considered, waking up this morning to beautiful weather that feels more like Florida November than September is pretty nice. Ian pulled all the moisture but left the cool temps and gently breeze. Just sitting here being thankful and trying to stay up to date with work which, despite my best attempts, is moving along whether I like it or not.

Cheers, gents. Wishing all my FL peeps the best......we'll get through this one like every bastard before it.

 

Bad thing on this is that people on the interior who did not (quite reasonably) have flood insurance could be in for horrible times after coming through this. Sounds like areas that never do, did flood. 500 year flood declared.

 

My power was restored yesterday late afternoon. I've done 28 days without during Francis and Gene so I feel for the peeps who got it worse.

 

If anyone from Orlando area (or going close to Orlando on the way) is planning a trip to take supplies over the the coast, please drop me a PM. I'd like to take a trip over, but not sure if it's going to work out, but at the least I'd like to send some stuff over that way.

 

Power came back on around 3AM this morning. I was very lucky....very lucky and thankful as well. My neighborhood sustained very little damage considering what happened to the rest of Ft Myers. All I have are a few downed branches , a random squashed bush and a couple loose bolts in my pool cage.

 

Cape Coral is in bad shape. LCEC shows 200K without power, which is the population of Cape. A trickle of water came back on, this morning. With the number of broken poles, I don’t foresee power being completely restored for weeks.

Pine Island and Sanibel Island are separated from the mainland, due to causeway/bridge damages. CG/military Blackhawks have steadily been rescuing. Lot of lives lost, as the surge washed away entire homes and their occupants.

Parts of Port Charlotte were absolutely destroyed, looking more like tornado damage. Nothing but walls left of any home with a shallow-pitch roof.

Today:
Buckingham had power, but, everything boarded up.

Labelle had very long gas lines and long line into Walmart.

Clewiston had long gas lines, no rooms, everything open.

South Bay had no gas lines and everything open.

We ended up in West Palm where there are almost no rooms. This place had one room left, when I checked in. Not sure how long we’re staying, ATM.

A Cat 4 directly passing over the top of us for 8hrs, catching the winds from every direction, did an unbelievable amount of damage. People who’ve not experienced it, just wouldn’t understand how the directional changes of the wind ripped apart everything. Stuff got hit from every side, with weaknesses found and exploited. The worst part of this is the widespread path.

 

I’d seen mention of the winged cars being at Fort Myers Beach. I don’t think so. Estero Blvd runs the full-length of those islands, from FMB down to Estero. Searching the house number “27804” isn’t a valid address; it’s Bayside Park at Lover’s Key. It’s a clear, ocean view through the garage doors, so the place is definitely on a beach, somewhere.

 

Have you got any word on what things are like at your place? My good friend's parents are in Port Charlotte, apparently their roof was damaged and leaking and the inside ceilings collapsed.

 

The Waffle House index is a scary indicator of southwest Florida devastation, I heard but can’t confirm that 11 are closed.

 

I have a 16 ft box truck, getting 4 new rear tires Monday morning. Blew an inside driving yesterday. I'm up in Mt Dora. If we can get donations of anything that's needed I'll gladly drive down as far as needed and deliver everything. We were spared up here luckily, lots and lots of flooding in Orlando area and east coast also but so so lucky here. I have a couple of generators I can donate and plenty of room to pack stuff in.

 

We left our place, this morning. We hadn’t showered since Wednesday and it was time to take a break from the misery of no power and condo life.

I-75/Palm Beach Blvd, Ft Myers, location had lights on and vehicles in the parking lot. I don’t know how, unless they have a generator I couldn’t see. There’s no power anywhere else around there. Every other location had the windows covered in corrugated sheetmetal.

Wawa, Pine Island Rd/Del Prado, Cape Coral, had a big generator and pumping gas. But, that won’t last long, without a steady line of tankers to supply them. Cars stretched way south on Del Prado, as if the in-ground tanks are limitless. Not sure where the tank farm is located, around here.

 

We have no power to pump the gas from the stations.

I was blown away by how packed the roadways were, everywhere around Cape Coral and points east. People are driving around like we’re going to get power back, tomorrow. If I wasn’t heading toward gas, I wouldn’t have been out.

 

We still have no electricity. Lost most of the shingles off of the roof, had water coming in all over the house. Lost siding, soffits, and other damage. It’s overwhelming.

 

My MIL in Cape Coral evaded the canal water getting into her house because they built on the highest plot on her street. People across the canal definitely have canal/storm surge water several feet deep inside. Her roof leaked and her ceilings got wet which is a concern. No power and no water still. Downed power lines in her driveway. She’s going to fly out to Boston on Sunday to stay with her other daughter for a few weeks until things are cleaned up. All things considered, she was very fortunate to evade the storm surge.

 

Have a friend on here named Rich who’s dropping off a couple of cases of water as we speak. Can’t remember his screen name but he’s a solid dude for this. We are in Ohio and can’t do much to help her from here. I wish I could afford to go down there for a month to make sure she doesn’t get ripped off and gets her house repaired correctly.

 

Finally got a minute to check in. Running on generator, power went off at 11:30 Wednesday night. Internet has stayed on the entire time.

We had wind and rain that was insane. Over 3 feet of water in the road, we had 4-6 inches in the house until this morning and it has finally gotten about an inch below the pad so started sweeping and sucking water out, tearing carpet and tile out because the city lift station went down and sewer backed up through the shower drains so it is nasty.

still about 2 1/2 feet of water in the road.

I hope everyone made it through with their health. The rest is just stuff.

 

Haven't been able to contact my wife's cousin in Ft Meyer but he's 82 and in a 700-acre retirement community with their own hospital and lives in a third or fourth-story apartment so we're not too worried.