Hurricane Maria Live Thread

NHC/NOAA ^ | 9/16/2017 | NHC/NOAA

[nutmeg]

Thanks for the heads up, FRiend -- and for your extremely hard work before, during and after Irma!

I didn't realize "Potential Tropical Cyclone 15" is now called "Maria".

[nutmeg]

Here comes more trouble ping!

[nutmeg]

My sister, too. She’s been out for days in Miami.

We have friends in (South) Venice, FL who are still without power, too.

[nutmeg]

with all best wishes for rapid and complete recovery to our FRiends and neighbors in Florida, Texas and PR.

AMEN.

[nutmeg]

Hope it plows right into the DC area and sits there for a few days. Churn that cesspool up so bad that it flushes the place.

Hmm... I like it!

[fungoking]

Wow. Leaving tomorrow on a mission trip to Cuba for hurricane relief. Scheduled to leave about the time the next one is supposed to get there.

[Dilbert San Diego]

I think the cost of labor and materials and sheer amount of construction work needed, are what prevents us from putting more electrical lines underground.

There have been efforts in San Diego to put power lines underground. In newly developed areas, they are routinely put underground, as new areas are developed. In established urban or suburban areas, only a handful have had their lines buried.

I heard cost estimates of tens of billions of dollars, and a time line of decades, in order to get all the power lines in San Diego underground. When you get into the billions of dollars, you are talking serious money, and the efforts to put power lines underground competes with other spending priorities.

Is there enough money, and especially manpower; do we have enough trained men to do that actual work, to get it done?? That’s the question.

[NautiNurse]

Stay alert to weather reports, and know the plan if Maria threatens. Godspeed.

[LostInBayport]

Is there enough money, and especially manpower; do we have enough trained men to do that actual work, to get it done?? That’s the question.

I'm thinking the answer is "no", based upon how long it takes to get power restored in situations like this. Up here, after that ice storm, they did make a point of doing some massive tree-trimming pretty much everywhere. I guess that is the best money and manpower will allow at this time.

[nutmeg]

We had a late autumn ice storm up here a few years back and it downed trees and power lines everywhere. We had no power for a week and we spent days with chainsaws clearing the driveway so we could get out.

We got a part of that miserable storm here in northern Connecticut, too - The Freak Snowstorm of October 2011. (Was it a named storm?)

We had no power for 8-12 days in this area. No working ATMs, no water, no heat. Witnessed long lines - and fist fights - at gas stations... price gougers hawking generators on street corners. Hubby said it was like "Mad Max" at times.

We were away from home when it hit and couldn't get back home. We were just out for the night in southern CT at an event we had paid for months before.

Took our lives in our hands just driving through the snowstorm from the place we were to the nearest hotel (we packed bags beforehand 'just in case'). NO plows on any roads... It was surreal.

4-5 massive trees fell across our driveway. We couldn't drive up the "lawn" as our front yard is all woods, a colonial stone wall, big rocks and underbrush. It took forever to find anyone who could help cut and move the trees. What a nightmare...

[nutmeg]

Man, I sure hope jose and Maria don’t come here and have anchor babies.

LOL!

[Guenevere]

Noooooo......

I still have friends without power!

....and our roof sprung a leak during Irma!

[nutmeg]

There is something I have always wondered, and I am sure some smart person will tell me: why in the 21st Century do we not put our power lines underground? I know it will cost a fortune in labor and permissions, but are we not losing a fortune every time we get a hurricane or an ice storm? I’m sure there is a reason, but I still wonder why we still hang wires on poles and wait for them to get knocked down.

Amen! I know there are many places (ie new housing developments) that do bury their utilities, but I don't know either why it isn't more widespread, especially up here in snow and ice country.

We are in a deeply wooded area in northern CT, and one little tree branch that falls on a power line can cause an hours-long power outage. We had a short outage on Thursday, and a power outage that lasted 3 hours about two weeks ago. On clear nights with no breeze. It gets old.

[Nateman]

There's Norma off the West cost of Mexico as well. Typhoon Talim is trashing Japan right now as well .

[CardCarryingMember.VastRightWC]

“Jose and Maria”? Isn’t that the same couple who rode a burro to Bethlehem one December night a very long time ago?

[NautiNurse]

Good catch!

[montag813]

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

Jose, Maria?

They should name a hurricane “Jesus.” Then we’ll have the entire Holy Family.

[NautiNurse]

Wondering whether the parade of storms is why our Irmageddon yard waste is being picked up much more quickly than anticipated.

[steve86]

What are we to make of that?