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Florida officials warn of fires after electric vehicles’ exposure to saltwater during Hurricane Helene
Yahoo News ^ | September 26,2024 | Andrew Wulfeck

Posted on 09/28/2024 8:06:24 PM PDT by Hojczyk

Video at site

TAMPA – The combination of storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico and lithium-ion batteries in vehicles has proven to be a recipe for disaster, as Florida agencies report responding to numerous fires in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Photos and videos from the Tampa Bay area show the aftermath of highly combustible batteries being exposed to saltwater, leaving homes damaged and cars destroyed.

A surge of 5-8 feet was reported across the metro during Helene, flooding thousands of homes and raising the potential for further destruction.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor warned that she’s seen reports of cars and even scooters that were exposed to saltwater and exploded in the days since landfall.

Helene is not the first hurricane where an increase in EV-related fires has occurred, a similar streak of incidents were reported during Hurricanes Idalia and Ian, both of which were powerful storms that impacted the Florida coastline.

New Challenge To Firefighters During Hurricanes: Electric Vehicle Fires

Florida’s Chief Financial Officer and State Fire Marshal Jimmy Patronis has been one of the leading voices warning of the dangers that electric vehicles face during floodwaters.

"We saw a number of fires associated with EVs from Hurricane Ian," Patronis previously stated. "We know that the saltwater from storm surge can compromise these batteries, causing fires which cannot be easily suppressed. The best fire teams can do is keep water on the battery until the fuel burns out."

Officials in Pinellas County, a hotbed for EV ownership, said it has been messaging its residents warning about the dangers associated with the floodwaters.

"If you have an electric vehicle or golf cart, and it was exposed to salt water, it needs to be moved away from your home by at least 50 feet. These vehicles may catch fire

(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: automotive; batteries; ev; fire; florida; hurricane; weather

1 posted on 09/28/2024 8:06:24 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk

You would think people would know this by now.

Meanwhile, gasoline powered cars are NOT spontaneously combusting and not electrocuting firefighters.


2 posted on 09/28/2024 8:09:53 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (May the soy boys, feminazis, and alphabet weirdos choke on the toxic fumes of our masculinity)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

The house must have been damaged …so the water could get in the garage..


3 posted on 09/28/2024 8:24:47 PM PDT by Hojczyk
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To: Hojczyk

Houses are not watertight, especially garages. They fill up with water very fast.

The daughter of a neighbor and her husband live in Tampa. They bought a house that is built on stilts 10 feet in the air. Plus, they hang their belongings in the garage from the overhead joists. Nothing sits on the floor. They got a few inches of water but nothing was damaged. They also moved their cars to high ground.

I just heard a little while ago that the arriving tenants for their attached AirBnB decided to come even though the hurricane was about to hit. The tenants didn’t move their brand-new car to high ground a few blocks away and the car is now totaled.


4 posted on 09/28/2024 8:35:38 PM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom (May the soy boys, feminazis, and alphabet weirdos choke on the toxic fumes of our masculinity)
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To: Hojczyk
This might give EV owners and their neighbors something to think about in the Midwest, too.

.


5 posted on 09/28/2024 9:01:22 PM PDT by Karl Spooner (")
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To: wattojawa

Newsmax (Xfinity 1115) will be be debuting “Revolt”: An expose of the EV mandates at 9 PM EDT 9/29;


6 posted on 09/28/2024 9:26:57 PM PDT by lightman (I am a binary Trinitarian. Deal with it!)
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To: Karl Spooner
"This might give EV owners and their neighbors something to think about in the Midwest, too."

It probably takes longer in the midwest. Tiny cracks from a pothole might speed things up a bit if it does not first total the car.
7 posted on 09/28/2024 11:19:54 PM PDT by clearcarbon (Fraudulent elections have consequences.)
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To: Hojczyk

Where’s TexasGator and his
abhorant defense of EV’s?
Never heard of any ICE
vehicle warning to park
the car 50 from your home
after it’s fallen victim
to storm surge.


8 posted on 09/29/2024 1:05:36 AM PDT by Lean-Right (Eat More Moose)
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To: NautiNurse

ping


9 posted on 09/29/2024 2:04:30 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: Hojczyk

10 posted on 09/29/2024 2:55:42 AM PDT by Bonemaker (invictus maneo)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

It has been a few years since a buddy had condo reservations around Indian Shores. The owner or the management firm called him and told him not come down. There was a hurricane threatening the east coast and that many people drive to the other side of the state to get out of the way. Evidently it is a complete mess. Since he was retired, my buddy was able to delay the trip by a couple of weeks.


11 posted on 09/29/2024 4:15:28 AM PDT by EVO X ( )
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To: Hojczyk

A surge of 5-8 feet was reported

One town hit with 9 foot surge and another, reportedly - not confirmed - hit with a 16 foot (non-survivable) surge.


12 posted on 09/29/2024 4:26:39 AM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: Hojczyk

You buy an EV you get what you get... I wouldn’t accept one if it was given to me.


13 posted on 09/29/2024 4:44:01 AM PDT by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: Hojczyk

Did any of the EV Cult pop in with “BuT iCe VeHiClEs CaTcH fIrE tOo!” yet?


14 posted on 09/29/2024 4:58:26 AM PDT by Cold_Red_Steel
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