Hurricane ian and floridians (Miami, Tampa: house, refrigerators, neighborhood)
Tampa BayTampa - St. Petersburg - Clearwater
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We were lucky in the Tampa Bay area with Ian. One mistake we were making when looking at the computer models projected path days out was the CONE. They put a white line in the middle and everyone looks at that line likes its the exact path. It isn't.... Our wonderful weather men Dellagato and Phillips kept bringing attention to the fact that Ian had to get on our radar here so they could monitor the direction and wobbling of the EYE. Then they do not have to rely on computers as much. And they did a great job but Hurricanes can wobble and there is nothing anyone can do or any computer that can predict exact landfall days ahead. Everyone had enough time everywhere to evacuate. Some more then others. Our governor is a wonderful compassionate man that does not take guff or false facts from anyone. The response has been outstanding here. Do not listen to any fake news telling a different story. Neighbors come together in Florida at times like these. Do not listen to jealous imbeciles who have political agendas !!!!!!!!
The NHC makes it very clear that the "cone" is what everyone should pay attention to, not the models - at least not until the storm is only maybe 6-8 hours away, if that. No one made "mistakes".
I'll skip the political trolling. That's for another forum.
As for neighbors, I have no idea how most of mine fared - yet. I never lost power because I have a whole house generator. Plenty of my neighbors were without power, but that's their problem - I took the initiative and prepared so I could avoid such inconveniences. Given that they've had just as much of an opportunity to prepare as I did but chose not to is not my concern. I did not prepare for such events to be the neighborhood shelter. That's the County's job.
Maybe now they'll give it some thought? Not likely.
We were lucky in the Tampa Bay area with Ian. One mistake we were making when looking at the computer models projected path days out was the CONE. They put a white line in the middle and everyone looks at that line likes its the exact path. It isn't.... Our wonderful weather men Dellagato and Phillips kept bringing attention to the fact that Ian had to get on our radar here so they could monitor the direction and wobbling of the EYE. Then they do not have to rely on computers as much. And they did a great job but Hurricanes can wobble and there is nothing anyone can do or any computer that can predict exact landfall days ahead. Everyone had enough time everywhere to evacuate. Some more then others. Our governor is a wonderful compassionate man that does not take guff or false facts from anyone. The response has been outstanding here. Do not listen to any fake news telling a different story. Neighbors come together in Florida at times like these. Do not listen to jealous imbeciles who have political agendas !!!!!!!!
The real deal will be coming soon with a CAT5 coming up the pipe with Gust to 230mph and will be in Oct and make landfall around Tarpon springs. Our number is gonna get pulled after 100 years of luck buck.
As for neighbors, I have no idea how most of mine fared - yet. I never lost power because I have a whole house generator. Plenty of my neighbors were without power, but that's their problem - I took the initiative and prepared so I could avoid such inconveniences. Given that they've had just as much of an opportunity to prepare as I did but chose not to is not my concern. I did not prepare for such events to be the neighborhood shelter. That's the County's job.
Maybe now they'll give it some thought? Not likely.
RM
Ladies an Gentleman.May I make a correction. SOME Floridians come together and help their neighbors and care. Not everyone can afford whole house generators. So they were without power and its their problem? WOW!!! I am so glad you are not my neighbor. It must be great to be you....We have a generator & we made ice cubes days in advance & told a neighbor if they lost power & could not get ice to give us their milk for their 1 year old. That is what good neighbors do.
Ladies an Gentleman.May I make a correction. SOME Floridians come together and help their neighbors and care. Not everyone can afford whole house generators. So they were without power and its their problem? WOW!!! I am so glad you are not my neighbor. It must be great to be you....We have a generator & we made ice cubes days in advance & told a neighbor if they lost power & could not get ice to give us their milk for their 1 year old. That is what good neighbors do.
Just because I have a whole house generator I'm not about to become the local Red Cross shelter. Back in the early 2000s when we had three hurricanes in rapid succession I was doing just fine with my whole house generator while people around me were without power for over a week. Did any of them make any effort after that to get even a portable generator for their homes? Nope. Not my problem. It's called self-sufficiency, and if people choose to ignore it, it's on them to make do - not me.
There were a few who approached me to see if they could run extension cords to their freezers and refrigerators from my house. Sure, for $100.
Say what you like, but that 500 gallon propane tank that my generator runs off of didn't get filled for free. Not only that, such behavior only encourages people to not prepare for future events, because someone else covered their ass.
So it wasn't like I wouldn't help, it's more like they can cover the cost of their usage. It's only fair. They didn't seem to care, especially when we discussed the rationale for payment. It's also something that we discuss amongst ourselves on a somewhat regular basis when the weather gets ugly, so they know that in a pinch they can get some basic service if it's even for just a short time.
And I would also point out that I was this time, as with previous events, out the next day with my chain saw clearing trees and cleaning up the yards of my neighbors with them, so the effort to paint me in a negative light is pretty lame, and rather sad and judgemental on your part. And I'm glad you're not my neighbor, either.
Just because I have a whole house generator I'm not about to become the local Red Cross shelter. Back in the early 2000s when we had three hurricanes in rapid succession I was doing just fine with my whole house generator while people around me were without power for over a week. Did any of them make any effort after that to get even a portable generator for their homes? Nope. Not my problem. It's called self-sufficiency, and if people choose to ignore it, it's on them to make do - not me.
There were a few who approached me to see if they could run extension cords to their freezers and refrigerators from my house. Sure, for $100.
Say what you like, but that 500 gallon propane tank that my generator runs off of didn't get filled for free. Not only that, such behavior only encourages people to not prepare for future events, because someone else covered their ass.
So it wasn't like I wouldn't help, it's more like they can cover the cost of their usage. It's only fair. They didn't seem to care, especially when we discussed the rationale for payment. It's also something that we discuss amongst ourselves on a somewhat regular basis when the weather gets ugly, so they know that in a pinch they can get some basic service if it's even for just a short time.
And I would also point out that I was this time, as with previous events, out the next day with my chain saw clearing trees and cleaning up the yards of my neighbors with them, so the effort to paint me in a negative light is pretty lame, and rather sad and judgemental on your part. And I'm glad you're not my neighbor, either.
RM
I live in South Tampa and my property there loses power every couple months; basically if a squirrel farts, I lose power thanks to TECO and its incompetent lack of maintenance of the grid. I was out of town for Ian but my caretaker said my home lost power for 6 days; not at all surprising. During Irma (another non-event in Tampa) I had no power for 8 days.
Despite TECO's unreliable electricity service, however, I do not have a generator. I just don't think it should be necessary for me to spend thousands of dollars for something that TECO should reliably provide. It is not a foregone conclusion that if you live in Florida, you should expect continual outages and have to purchase a generator. There are many people I know who live in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Ormond Beach, Tallahassee, Orlando, Lake City, Key Largo, Sarasota who RARELY LOSE POWER even during tropical storms/hurricanes. My brother in Miami, he lives in Pinecrest, in a 1967 ranch home. Never loses power. I think the last time he lost power was for Category 3 Irma in 2017 and that was for 2 days. Not 6 days, not 8 days, but just 2 days! If Tampa ever gets hit with Cat 3 winds, we won't have power for months!
There is a MAJOR problem with the grid in Tampa, and with TECO.
All of that said, it is MY choice not to buy a generator and I would never expect my neighbors to offer up their generator for my use. In fact, if they did, I would probably refuse, as I would not want to be responsible for any electrical fire or other problem as a result of my hookup to their generator.
I live in South Tampa and my property there loses power every couple months; basically if a squirrel farts, I lose power thanks to TECO and its incompetent lack of maintenance of the grid. I was out of town for Ian but my caretaker said my home lost power for 6 days; not at all surprising. During Irma (another non-event in Tampa) I had no power for 8 days.
Despite TECO's unreliable electricity service, however, I do not have a generator. I just don't think it should be necessary for me to spend thousands of dollars for something that TECO should reliably provide. It is not a foregone conclusion that if you live in Florida, you should expect continual outages and have to purchase a generator. There are many people I know who live in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Ormond Beach, Tallahassee, Orlando, Lake City, Key Largo, Sarasota who RARELY LOSE POWER even during tropical storms/hurricanes. My brother in Miami, he lives in Pinecrest, in a 1967 ranch home. Never loses power. I think the last time he lost power was for Category 3 Irma in 2017 and that was for 2 days. Not 6 days, not 8 days, but just 2 days! If Tampa ever gets hit with Cat 3 winds, we won't have power for months!
There is a MAJOR problem with the grid in Tampa, and with TECO.
All of that said, it is MY choice not to buy a generator and I would never expect my neighbors to offer up their generator for my use. In fact, if they did, I would probably refuse, as I would not want to be responsible for any electrical fire or other problem as a result of my hookup to their generator.
RM is doing the right thing!
I live in a fairly modern area where all of the utilities are underground and we're fed off of a loop feeder, that is, there are two major substations capable of feeding our power. In the 25 years I've lived here, only once were we without power for any length of time. As this is my primary residence and I don't care to evacuate (and don't have to as I'm not in an evacuation zone) I want to be as self-sufficient as possible. I've got all of the recommended stores to live independently for several weeks, so if I've got power I'm good to go.
Yes, a whole house generator is a substantial expenditure, easily $20k and up if you go with a fuel system adequate for an extended time and a high quality, name brand model. I weighed that cost against what it would cost to have to bug out and go elsewhere for a week or more, as well as factoring the inconvenience of leaving my property unattended for the same period of time, and the numbers made sense for me.
There are far less expensive ways to go about this, well under $1000 if you don't want AC and are just concerned about basic functions - well within the budget of someone who can afford a home that costs a half million or more. If not, there are more serious issues that need to be addressed.
If I lived in an area like South Tampa where evacuation was likely it wouldn't make any sense to do this. I would just expect to bug out and go. However, between the utility setup I have and that I'm well over 50 feet above sea level, it makes total sense to be able to hunker down and live independently for a week or two if necessary.
I live in South Tampa and my property there loses power every couple months; basically if a squirrel farts, I lose power thanks to TECO and its incompetent lack of maintenance of the grid. I was out of town for Ian but my caretaker said my home lost power for 6 days; not at all surprising. During Irma (another non-event in Tampa) I had no power for 8 days.
Despite TECO's unreliable electricity service, however, I do not have a generator. I just don't think it should be necessary for me to spend thousands of dollars for something that TECO should reliably provide. It is not a foregone conclusion that if you live in Florida, you should expect continual outages and have to purchase a generator. There are many people I know who live in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Ormond Beach, Tallahassee, Orlando, Lake City, Key Largo, Sarasota who RARELY LOSE POWER even during tropical storms/hurricanes. My brother in Miami, he lives in Pinecrest, in a 1967 ranch home. Never loses power. I think the last time he lost power was for Category 3 Irma in 2017 and that was for 2 days. Not 6 days, not 8 days, but just 2 days! If Tampa ever gets hit with Cat 3 winds, we won't have power for months!
There is a MAJOR problem with the grid in Tampa, and with TECO.
All of that said, it is MY choice not to buy a generator and I would never expect my neighbors to offer up their generator for my use. In fact, if they did, I would probably refuse, as I would not want to be responsible for any electrical fire or other problem as a result of my hookup to their generator.
RM is doing the right thing!
My POW WOW goes everytime a gnat farts as well mel.
If I lived in an area like South Tampa where evacuation was likely it wouldn't make any sense to do this. I would just expect to bug out and go. However, between the utility setup I have and that I'm well over 50 feet above sea level, it makes total sense to be able to hunker down and live independently for a week or two if necessary.
RM
That is a GREAT point and South Tampa would also be underwater anyway so the generator would go kaput. The only reason to have a generator in South Tampa is for the frequent 2-3 hour outages on non-storm, normal days every couple months. Which again is just pathetic and should not be permitted by the Public Service Commission.
Does Henderson still flood at the blink of an eye, or have they improved the sewer system there? Haven't lived in So. Tampa since the 80's but still curious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sinatras
That is a GREAT point and South Tampa would also be underwater anyway so the generator would go kaput. The only reason to have a generator in South Tampa is for the frequent 2-3 hour outages on non-storm, normal days every couple months. Which again is just pathetic and should not be permitted by the Public Service Commission.
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