Hurricane Irma - #3

Hope everyone is ok I am taking a IRMA break!!

[video=youtube;5iqxOBRfNQo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iqxOBRfNQo[/video]

Good for you,CARIIS! Have a GOOD day!

I haven't seen Gone Girl post recently. her elderly mom was in a mandatory evacuation zone in Port Charlotte but they had refused to leave. wondering how they fared.

JerseyGirl said:

Authorities in south Florida may pursue felony charges against people who abandoned their animals as Hurricane Irma approached the Florida peninsula.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...left-unable-escape-irma-bears-down/651030001/

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I read a similar article yesterday that showed a pic of a dog tied to a car bumper and up to its neck in flood waters. It also spoke about pets in crates, tied to trees, etc. I was so mad, it affected me for multiple hours after I read it. I just don't understand....

Help 4 Hurricane Relief telethon raises $430,239

DETROIT - Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit*are proud to announce Tuesday's all-day "Help 4 Hurricane Relief" telethon raised a grand total $430,239.*

This money will be donated to the*American Red Cross relief efforts*for hurricane devastation in Texas, and if needed, in Florida. Hurricane Irma is the second-strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and has the entire state of Florida on high alert... *

https://www.clickondetroit.com/station/help-4-hurricane-relief-telethon-raises-430239

At least 4 carbon monoxide poisoning deaths reported.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-volusia-carbon-monoxide-death-0913-story.html

One person is dead and two others are hospitalized after they sustained carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator at a home in Volusia County, the Daytona BeachFire Department said Wednesday morning.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article172781521.html

[h=3]The Latest: 3 dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning[/h]

Three people are dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning at a Florida home following Hurricane Irma, and four others have been hospitalized.

Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jeff Williams says a deputy responded to the Orlando home Tuesday evening following a 911 call from what sounded like a juvenile. The deputy was overcome by fumes while approaching the home and called for fire rescue.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article172781521.html#storylink=cpy

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Jax49 said:

At least 4 carbon monoxide poisoning deaths reported.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/hurricane/os-volusia-carbon-monoxide-death-0913-story.html

One person is dead and two others are hospitalized after they sustained carbon-monoxide poisoning from a generator at a home in Volusia County, the Daytona BeachFire Department said Wednesday morning.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/article172781521.html

[h=3]The Latest: 3 dead from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning[/h]

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This is so sad and so preventable. No one should use a generator unless they know all of the dos and donts. No one should ever use a gas generator inside of their home.

Rescue workers found a portable gasoline generator running inside the home.

I hope the rest of the family recovers.

Federal Assistance from Irma Damage

FEMA is requesting people of Florida affected by the storm to apply for federal assistance. This is very important, if you have flood or homeowner's insurance you will still need to apply to FEMA to obtain a FEMA disaster case number. You 'll need this when you start filing claims with your insurance companies.

I forgot to add that even if you're renting or have a business you need to apply! FEMA assistance is not just for homeowners!

You can apply here: https://www.disasterassistance.gov/

Also at the link is another link for Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program hotels. APPLY NOW if you are still without power, and/or water, or your home is not inhabitable!

Pinellas County, Florida Residents:


Hurricane Irma Citizen Damage Reporting - Please let us know what type of public damage you have experienced on your property. This information will be used for reporting and damage assessment team field assignments only. No follow up or contact will be made with the reporting party.

http://pinellas-egis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/GeoForm/index.html?appid=0bf23b4b00594866ae5ed9a081f9ab7b

Link was found on their homepage: http://www.pinellascounty.org/

BetteDavisEyes said:

Help 4 Hurricane Relief telethon raises $430,239

DETROIT - Local 4 and ClickOnDetroit*are proud to announce Tuesday's all-day "Help 4 Hurricane Relief" telethon raised a grand total $430,239.*

This money will be donated to the*American Red Cross relief efforts*for hurricane devastation in Texas, and if needed, in Florida. Hurricane Irma is the second-strongest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, and has the entire state of Florida on high alert... *

https://www.clickondetroit.com/station/help-4-hurricane-relief-telethon-raises-430239

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I can't say enough good things about the American Red Cross. During Sandy's cleanup, we had no power and spent all of our time and effort trying to get everything soaked in ocean water out of the house - EVERYTHING. We were without power for over 2 weeks. The American Red Cross had trucks every late afternoon delivering hot meals to our door for those of us who stayed behind in our homes. They also provide blankets when a week or so after Sandy we were hit by a snowstorm. Ask them what other assistance they provide, it could be helpful information.

JEA (Jacksonville Electric Authority) making progress restoring power. Customers affected down from 280,000.

Active Electric Outages: 621 Customers Affected: 111,912
Last Updated: Sep 13 2017, 8:20 AM

Updates on the Key Deer, Marsh Rabbits and the Miami Blue Butterflies

Key Deer
David Sutta, a reporter for CBS in Miami, shared a video of a trotting quartet of deer on Big Pine Key, where the refuge sits. Sutta's video certainly means they're not extinct. Key deer have been on the islands for 13,000 years, weathered many a previous hurricane and are strong swimmers. Evacuating the herd — which some fans have suggested should have been done — would have been impractical and might have caused some deer to die of stress, he said. The biggest immediate concern now is fresh water, though the nature of the storm — which dumped down fresh water — makes it unlikely the deer will go thirsty. The deer eat more than 200 species of plants and have plenty of habitat, so food shouldn't be a problem.

Marsh Rabbits
Clark said he's more worried about other threatened and endangered species on the refuges he manages. Among the most vulnerable are Lower Keys marsh rabbits, whose little legs would have prevented them from moving fast or far to seek shelter. "They exist in very small pockets," Clark said. "Their host plants could be damaged."

Miami Blue Butterflies
The very rare Miami blue butterfly, which was thought to have gone extinct after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, might also be in trouble.

I'm sorry if I'm posting silly little things like this. We have vacationed in the Florida Keys every Christmas/New Years for over 20 years now, on Bahia Honda, Key West, and Key Largo. It just breaks my heart seeing this area badly, badly damaged and the effects of the wild animals that roamed the islands. I don't own there (although my husband and I look at real estate whenever we're down there as we have for a long time thought about trading in the beachfront home in NJ for something in FL - but, it's was out of our price range).


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...e-know-about-its-fate/?utm_term=.337a36eef4bb

In other news the death toll didn't rise since last night. I've been watching videos on YouTube, Twitter, SnapChat Maps and Periscope (NEVER heard of this app until Irma - love the app!) and some people have rumored that the death toll will rise, that they are still assessing the damage on Cudjoe, Marathon and Sugarloaf Keys and a few of the smaller keys to the right of the approaching storm, or the "dirty side", another reference I learned during Irma.

Forgot to add, here is aerial footage of Big Pine Key, the hardest hit of the Keys. Big Pine Key is a big key (in Keys terms). When we were looking at real estate Big Pine Key's real estate prices (on the bay side, not the ocean side) were within reach for a middle class family. Marathon and Big Pine Key were mostly homes where people lived year around, these are actual homes, not trailers. I see some 2 story homes in the video that had been lifted off their foundation and in streets, some appear to have been shattered in pieces. Truly heartbreaking.

[video]https://youtu.be/Hl-9BdPkp-0[/video]

[video=youtube;2eE7bOR1O7g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eE7bOR1O7g&t=69[/video]

Major Update From Monroe County (Florida Keys) Emergency Management

Sen. Anitere Flores was on the conference call when all the progress was discussed and said: “It’s only been 48 hours after the storm hit and it’s absolutely remarkable what has been accomplished.”:

Search and rescue teams have been going door to door in the hardest hit areas of the Keys, including Big Pine Key and Cudjoe Key. Military personnel have helped LE break through the debris and assist in the search. They will continue door to door searches of the areas they haven’t covered. They are expecting to cover about 90% of the hardest hit areas by [today]. The search teams do not enter shuttered homes at this time.

FEMA has arrived in Key West.

FDOT reports that it has inspected 100% of the 42 bridges along U.S. 1 and they are all safe for travel. FDOT also repaired two stretches of U.S. 1 that washed away, at MM 75 and MM 37, and they are ready for travel.

Mariners Hospital in Tavernier has opened its emergency room. Disaster Medical Assistance Teams have arrived and will be setting up in Key West, the Florida Keys Community College and the City of Marathon Park.

Two distribution centers for food and water became operational in Key West on Tuesday. One is at the Sears Town Plaza in New Town and the other is in Bahama Village in Old Town. Two other distribution sites are in the works at Sugarloaf School and the National Key Deer Refuge office on the Overseas Highway in Big Pine Key.

In Key West, the sewer treatment facility is now functioning. Anyone with running water or a bucket of water will be able to flush.

There still is no power in the Lower Keys. They are expecting to be able to bring power to Key West in a few days. The hardest hit areas around Big Pine Key and Cudjoe Key will take longer. There is about 300 downed power poles, which take time to replace.

Monroe County has set up a temporary jail in Marathon. A local judge will hold first appearances every other day. One looter is now in custody. Monroe County Sheriff’s Office is being helped from a large contingent of law enforcement officers from outside the County to help with security.

The Winn-Dixie and Publix grocery stores opened today in Key Largo with limited hours.

https://keysnews.com/article/story/major-update-from-monroe-county-emergency-management/

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173019111.html

5 dead, others evacuated at Hollywood nursing home without power after Irma



Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article173019111.html#storylink=cpy

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Five Hollywood nursing home residents died Wednesday morning after they fell ill in a building left without air conditioning after Irma blasted South Florida, according to authorities at the scene.

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I've been wondering about the Burrowing Owls. Silly little things with oddly long legs,they nest in the ground.

If you look at them too long, they get agitated and start to bob and scold you.

Looking at these videos, I just keep wondering how they'll get rid of all the debris. I cannot imagine having to dig through a squashed house trying to salvage memories. It's so sad. Hugs and prayers for all those having to deal with this.

NOAA Releases Interactive Damage Map for Florida Keys

NOAA aircraft passed over the Keys twice on Monday and once on Tuesday after the storm made landfall and captured images of the homes and businesses in the Keys. The aircraft captured clear images with impressive detail, and NOAA placed them on an interactive map for residents to view.

To see the interactive map, please click here and zoom down to the Keys. https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/irma/index.html
The map will turn into an aerial image, and you can use the search functionality in the upper left-hand corner to zoom down to street level and see a specific area as it looked on Monday.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/noaa-interactive-map-hurricane-irma-florida-keys-damage

Edit to add: There is no visual from Sugarloaf Key, Cudjoe Key, Summerland Key, Ram Rod Key, Little Torch Key, Big Pine Key and No Name Key (the hardest hit areas where homes stood).

FlossyMay said:

Looking at these videos, I just keep wondering how they'll get rid of all the debris. I cannot imagine having to dig through a squashed house trying to salvage memories. It's so sad. Hugs and prayers for all those having to deal with this.

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During Sandy, they had garbage trucks and front loaders that came up and down the block at LEAST ten times a day, if not more for at least a month or more.

At first they came with front loaders and dump trucks which picked up the debris from the streets. Once the streets were cleared, they came around with garbage trucks and picked up everything (by hand) that was being put out by people who were either cleaning up their property or removing all of the soaked carpets, furniture, wet walls, EVERYTHING, in their house.

Jax49 said:

Ongoing situation...deaths apparently from heat. moo

https://twitter.com/fox5dc/status/907971074616328193

[video=twitter;907971074616328193]https://twitter.com/fox5dc/status/907971074616328193[/video]

5 dead, 120 evacuated from Florida nursing home due to intense heat, loss of power

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I was afraid of that, they need to open shelters for people without power. Screens on a lot of home are broken, how will people survive if they leave their windows open. The standing floodwater is going to produce mosquitoes and we could have a major outbreak of West Nile, Zika. :moo: