Florida officials warn of fires after electric vehicles’ exposure to saltwater during Hurricane Helene

Yahoo News ^ | September 26,2024 | Andrew Wulfeck

[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

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

[ProtectOurFreedom]

You would think people would know this by now.

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

[Hojczyk]

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

[ProtectOurFreedom]

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.

[Karl Spooner]

This might give EV owners and their neighbors something to think about in the Midwest, too.

.

[lightman]

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

[clearcarbon]

"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.

[Lean-Right]

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.

[FreedomPoster]

ping

[Bonemaker]

[EVO X]

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.

[PIF]

A surge of 5-8 feet was reported

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

[maddog55]

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

[Cold_Red_Steel]

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