Although he's a long ways out, let's start the thread for Isaac.
One observation, we'll see if it holds true. In my experience, TS and hurricanes whose eye comes in over one of the four major Greater Antilles islands, usually hit the US mainland. Those that come in north of the GA's, usually turn out to sea. Those that go south of the GA's, usually hit Mexico or Central America.
We'll see where this one goes. Right now, they have it tracking for the armpit of Florida.
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at4+shtml/025753.shtml?5-daynl#contents
At least maybe we'll get some rain out of it (don't need much right here, but some folks some places still need the rain). However, looking at the drought monitor, it looks like in that area, only central Georgia really needs it.
http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
okrefarmer,we have about 500 acres of corn left to pull .the wend is what worries us.
Quote from: slider on August 23, 2012, 07:34:59 AM
okrefarmer,we have about 500 acres of corn left to pull .the wend is what worries us.
Yes, if you have a harvestable (or nearly harvestable) crop, that could be a problem.
The weather guys are now showing the highs that are creating the alleyway for Isaac. This could become more than just interesting.
Quote from: Magicman on August 23, 2012, 08:20:38 AM
The weather guys are now showing the highs that are creating the alleyway for Isaac. This could become more than just interesting.
Let's see, on the fascination scale, what comes after interesting, is it fascinating, or disturbing?
Either way the RNC in Tampa is going to be a wet week.
Yup, "interesting" applies to everyone that lives one state away from the Gulf or the Atlantic.
The rest of us gets the "more than". :-\
...AND, there's another tropical depression coming this way on Isaac's heels. Wait and see what that one does.
"The armpit of Florida"? :D :D Gee, thanks. :D
There is still a pretty wide "cone" of possibilities, but we are smack-dab in the middle of it. It will be my week to stay with my Mom, so I won't be at home. Wherever it chooses to go, I hope they need the rain. We don't!!
Quote from: DanG on August 23, 2012, 09:39:26 AM
"The armpit of Florida"? :D :D Gee, thanks. :D
Well. . . . . uh. . . . . I guess there are other things I could have called it. ::)
But now the estimated track looks like its headed for Pensacola.
Not that they know.
Don't worry DanG, after this year I'm pretty sure I live in the armpit of the world, and apparently the world doesn't perspire. You folks stay safe down there, we'll be thinking of you.
We definitely need the rain, bad. We just don't need everything tore up along with it.
What's that red dot there on my back?
Quote from: Slabs on August 23, 2012, 11:53:23 PM
What's that red dot there on my back?
??? :o
smiley_deadheader alligator
For some reason, every time I look at the NOAA map, it shows the track farther and farther west. They have it headed for Gulfport MS now, or is it New Orleans, and if this goes on much longer, it'll be headed for Brownsville. ???
all I know is the "I's" tear up this area something fierce
Isabel, Irene, I don't want to see Isaac
Quote from: Dan_Shade on August 24, 2012, 12:37:38 AM
all I know is the "I's" tear up this area something fierce
Isabel, Irene, I don't want to see Isaac
I worked "Ike" down in Baytown, TX, 2008.
Our Son, Marty, who works for the local telephone company and now has 5 hurricanes under his belt, is in the get ready stage. He is considered the preparation and restoration guru, so whatever happens, he will be in the action.
Looks like you won't run out of work, MM. People will be begging you to come saw their logs.
I noticed that the gas companies are taking advantage...our local gas went up $0.17 from Thursday to Friday.... >:( Guess which day I had to fill up?
Quote from: Riggs on August 25, 2012, 07:22:14 AM
I noticed that the gas companies are taking advantage...our local gas went up $0.17 from Thursday to Friday.... >:( Guess which day I had to fill up?
:D :D :D It'll happen every time Riggs. :D :D :D
I filled up the ute pickup today for $3.32, I think. I better fill up the van tomorrow. Maybe get some in a jug as well. :-X
Anybody thinking about doing cleanup work? Obviously we don't know the damage yet, and it may be rather minor as hurricanes go. Just wondering.
Unless it stalls out and changes course, Isaac will completely miss me, but you guys could be in for some wet.
I went down for Ike 4 years ago and stayed 10 weeks. This looks a lot closer. Have to see if it's big enough to be worth it, though.
We don't have any wind yet but I was sure lightning hit in our yard last night and expected the see some damage. I haven't found any yet but I saw the fireball and the boom was immediate.
Maybe it was next door? (I don't know how big your property is).
Their best guess right now is a cat 2 'cane hitting northwest FL Tuesday.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/atlantic-depression-storm-nine-20120817
The computer models changed overnight and now have Issac tracking further West.
My Grandson, who works for an oilfield service company and will be home Tuesday night, says that they have been busy "capping" wells. This is his first time to be involved in storm preparation,
I was wondering, have some you in the south cut blow downs from hurricanes before? and is there allot of wind shake damage to the trees? Just wondering.
Just guessing, I would have to think it does a number on those pine plantations.
MM, yep, they've got it tracking closer to you now.
Yes, trees that simply are uprooted and blow over are fine. Hurricanes spawn tornadoes which cause a great amount to damage. These trees may/may not be suitable for salvage, same as any other tornado damaged trees.
I have read that shake is caused by bacteria which may be true. Since I am not burdened by education, I can only rely on the experience that I have based on what I see. Shake is illusive. I have seen more of this damage in SYP trees that did not blow over and seemingly survived. Several years later a tree that was severely bent over may die. I regularly saw SYP trees that have shake that I suspect was caused by Katrina, which was 7 years ago.
I cut hundreds of pines after a tornado went through Bertie County, North Carolina in 2011. Lots of those trees were cracked and splintered, internally. Conversely, I have cut several trees after a couple hurricanes that looked fine.
thanks guys, I have seen this too, May 2009, a strong system came through leaving a path of destruction. the tops were gone but allot of the remaining trunk not too bad. As a side note, my wife predicted this storm to act like Katrina a few days ago, lets hope this is not the case for you guys in the path,
We have a beach vacation planned for the pahandle next weekend. ::) I guess we'll get to see what the tide brought in. We were to leave Thursday after school, but will have to wait and see where the remnants end up as our travel route is due south through Alabama. :-\
Here in the Tampa Bay area it's getting windy, stores are about out of water, batteries and staples. Gas is high.
I flew in with many going to the RNC this week. Going to get pretty wet for them as the convention center there is not the much above sea level and they close it at 50 MPH winds.
While on the plane yesterday I mentioned to one couple going that if we could get the RNC and the DNC at the same place and have them both washed out to sea...........
If this rain keeps up we will be flooded.
It wouldn't be the first time there is a moat around the house.
The predicted track is starting to resemble Katrina now, but it is not as powerful at this stage in the game, as Kat was when she went over south FL. Let's hope that is an indicator of strength when it hits-- they're aiming it between Gulfport and New Orleans now.
Quote from: Mooseherder on August 26, 2012, 01:21:41 PM
If this rain keeps up we will be flooded.
It wouldn't be the first time there is a moat around the house.
Just started to sprinkle here but will be here soon. You guys been getting it pretty steady I see.
Pasta models show it going away from us towards the west.
I am on the local Emergency Assistance Committee. I just got a call and we will have our first meeting tonight. Our purpose is to assist any evacuees that arrive in Brookhaven needing food or shelter.
I am also a member of the city's Tree Board. We will meet sometime this week to lay out our preliminary plans. If we only get rain and a mild wind, those old Red Oak trees will start giving way and causing a mess. No one can prevent that, but restoration is always a challenge and folks with damage claims have to be directed to the proper channels.
Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, MM. I'm looking for some storm work, one way or another. The possibilities are multiple-- wherever I go I will also be a roofing company salesman, too, it looks.
We've been getting a lot of heavy downpours, not much wind.
We are about 10 miles west of West Palm. I'm sure there will be some flooding in areas. I'll be amongst it tomorrow. This thing appears to be gaining strength with its path though. Not a good thing.
As far inland as we are, we should not have much widespread restoration activity. Katrina was different, because it was a much larger and stronger storm. Hopefully this one will move swiftly and not pick up much more energy from the warm Gulf water.
Since we are on Interstate 55 which is a direct route North from New Orleans and Southern Louisiana, where evacuation has already begun, we will start seeing folks tomorrow. Both lanes of I55 will be one way Northbound.
I will be in charge of security at our Red Cross approved shelter and the main thing is to state the rules to the evacuees as they check in. Katrina and Gustav taught us to have the ground rules establish and to keep the upper hand with those that attempt to be disruptive. Also, we will always have a law enforcement official present. 99% of the evacuees are very appreciative and co-operative. You just have to keep a watchful eye out for that 1%.
Our mission is to house, sleep, and feed folks until they can return home.
The folks protesting at the RNC have been complaning about the 1%'s too--most likely a different 1%. Good luck with the shelter and the storm.
Caveman
Hey Lynn, I had a sneaking feeling you were into more than just cutting the good ole SYP! Real proud of you and your work brother, God Bless you and the good folks preparing for this coming week.
Every time I look, it's going farther and farther west. Now going straight for New Orleans. If this keeps up any longer, it'll hit Corpus Christi by the time it makes up its mind.
We're looking at some tentative plans for putting a crew together. If the 'cane is wide enough and powerful enough, we'll probably come on down.
The higher winds started at midnight for a couple hours.
Looks like we have water going over the road connecting the ditches.
The area is under flood watch.
Well, it looks like the storm is headed away from you, Moose, and Florida is starting to breathe again even as Louisiana turns to face the threat.
Yup, and now West of me which puts me on the "wet side". It will blast right over the top of most of our Louisiana friends.
I called my parents to check in. They have a hotel room saved in Baton Rouge, but are waiting to see how this developes before committing to leave NOLA. So many of these hurricanes have moved and dissipated from projected actions that many folks just don't think the worst will happen.
I know that sounds crazy and a bit ironic that the landfall place and time is the same as Katrina 7 years ago, but what can I do from here to convince them to bug out? ::) There is a point of no return,... rather, point of no leave. If you wait too long to leave, you'll be stuck on the interstae in your car in a virtual parking lot with no protection from the weather. So you may as well hunker down at home.
But if you leave too early, and the forcast changes, you may end up in the line of fire. ::)
Yup, it is a guessing game, and there is absolutely a time when the "go" window closes and I55 & I59 will be parking lots. The I55 "contraflow ends just South of us, so the Brookhaven exits are the first exits available for all of the Northbound traffic. That is the reason that our evacuee shelters fill up so quickly. We will have folks that will drive straight to ours because that is where they stayed the last two times. They get "two hots and a cot". :)
Presently, we are stocking our food pantry and organizing our teams.
I think the National Hurricane Center will probably classify it as a hurricane at the 8 PM update tonight. If I were anywhere between Panama City and the Texas border, on the coast, I would be headed north, or east.
I pray everyone in the path heeds the official warnings and comes out of this storm okay.
we may dodge the storm afterall, dont wont to wish anyone any bad luck, but i am glad it might go to the east of us, If it goes like they are predicting. Best of luck to the ones in the path of the storm. I think I will still pack a pound or 2 of gritts just in case it gets to close for comfort and we have to leave here in a hurry.
Definitely! Don't Give Up The Grits!!! :)
Reports say we got 14 inches of rain. Our house is now on an island. I took a few photos when coming into the driveway. Any higher and I wouldn't be able to drive in. One of the pictures is 3 piles of fire ants floating on the top of the water on to their new hole/home. They were carrying their larvae on tops of the mounds sailing northwest. Its funny how they work together and make a raft out of their bodies. Talk about teamwork. My wake pushed them towards the hedges. I'm sure my fire ants will end up down the street and the ones east of me will have a new home here. ::)
My PC is fried and we have been operating from the iPad for a few weeks.
I'll post pictures when we get a new system.
I ate a nice bait of grits with a side of hot tamales tonight for supper. Now if we loose electrical power, I can still operate like Popeye after downing a can of spinach.
If you stash enough grits on your ground floor, they will actually soak up all the water that floods into your house. I do believe you fellers are onto something! 8)
Looks like it will probably hit me dead center, but I'm about 200 miles inland, so likely will be just wind and rain by the time it gets here. Just in case, I already gassed up the tractors, chainsaws and generator. Had a hard time getting the generator started, danG mudd daubers in the gas line. The flood of refugees is already starting. There's one small motel in the entire parish, so refugees bed down whever they can find a place. Most of them are decent family people, but the bad guys leave town too. Taking a few precautions there also. All the local hospitals and nursing homes will be taking in lots of folks.
Ok, so, now we are more seriously looking at going down. My boss is tentatively making plans for me to lead a team down to the gulf while he stays with the rest of the crew working at home.
I need to know, for AL, MS, and LA, what the procedure is for business licensing. I've been told that Georgia is a single license that covers the entire state. Here in SC, though, you need a separate license for every city. >:( Who can tell me what I need to do for those states, to do residential tree work? We have liability insurance and workman's comp.
Well, understandably, no one from MS or LA is answering, no doubt because they are extremely busy getting ready for the storm. I hope everybody's ok. The TS force winds are coming ashore now and we are poised for a NOAA update in five minutes. As of the last one, the little red dot indicating hurricane force winds had not yet shown up, but they are still calling for it to happen. Here's praying for our friends that they'll get their homes, belongings, and families secured and everyone will be all right.
:-\
I imagine folks like Cypressstump are really busy. Isaac should pass directly over him.
It appears that since this is a category 1 storm, folks may be just riding it out and not really fleeing the coastal area. As yet, we are not seeing a large influx of evacuees.
Also, the storm is entering a mostly swampy and relatively sparsely populated area. Flooding will be the principle damaging element rather than wind.
On thing that will heavily affect us is that the oil supply will be shut down for several weeks. Everything is capped off and the refineries closed for now. :-\
Can you tell me anything about business licenses, MM?
Okra
Have you tried the internet?
For LA, here is a possible source.
http://louisiana.gov/Services/Licenses/
For MS,
http://www.businesslicenses.com/Licenses/MS/
Quote from: Okrafarmer on August 28, 2012, 09:10:58 AM
Can you tell me anything about business licenses, MM?
I did not respond because I had no idea about contractor license. Looks like beenthere did the footwork. :)
Tonight on my way home from the office, there were Asplundh trucks and utility trucks everywhere at all the hotels and pouring in on I-20. At one hotel the boom trucks had their booms extended with cables dropped and the American flag flying from the cable. It was ... well .... a sight that struck me to my core. Neighbors from all the adjacent States, showing up, and staging here ... ready to come to the aid of those to the South of us ( or here for that matter) if and when things get ugly. That's the American spirit at work.
There's nothing else quite like the sight of all those pumpkin trucks rolling, rolling, along.
8) 8) 8) 8)
Okra
Are you heading out to the storm area? Or held up with the licensing problem?
We got more thunderstorms yesterday that made the ride into the driveway too close for comfort. The car will have to stay in the driveway for a couple days or longer if it keeps raining. We had to pickup our neighbors with the truck and bring them for supplies. Their cars won't be going anywhere for a week.
Thankfully our homes are high and dry. This is the fourth time I can remember this much water here, just never this high before.
Except for the possibility of tornadoes, lowland flooding should be our only "event".
There has been limited evacuation from Louisiana because this was a Cat 1 storm and those folks have ridden out worse. Many folks feel that they have nowhere to go and limited funds to get there anyway, so they simply choose to stay and try to protect what they do have. Many homes in Isaac's path are shanties and mobile homes because that area is still struggling to recover from Katrina.
Roofing materials will be in short supply very quickly throughout the Isaac path.
Quote from: beenthere on August 29, 2012, 01:29:11 AM
Okra
Are you heading out to the storm area? Or held up with the licensing problem?
I don't think the licensing would be too hard to overcome, I just wondered if anyone knew off hand. Right now I'm hovering over the choice to not go, because I don't think there's been "enough" damage to warrant going down for. Not to say there hasn't been plenty of damage, as far as the residents are concerned, I just wonder if there is enough there to be worth it to us to come from so far. I'm considering doing a little survey trip, I just don't know whether it's worth it. I am trying to imagine how many contractors will be squabbling over the available work. It does look now like the storm is headed over toward Lafayette, which means more possibilities over there, but I just am having a hard time determining our role.
From a humanitarian stand-point, the good news is that the storm has not delivered as advertised, probably won't get any faster than the current or recent 80-mph, and seems to be wearing itself out churning up the mangroves, baldcypress, alligators, and cottonmouths of Louisiana's impenetrable and largely uninhabited (by humans) coastal swamp land.
Let me know if you think the conditions are otherly; we would be happy to come down if it looks like it's warranted, but we did just land a nice big job up here, so we have plenty of work available for the time being. (if I came down, I would bring part of our crew and probably recruit at least one extra, the boss would stay home with the rest of our crew).
Anyway, I hope for everyone down there that it doesn't go too badly, but unless it seems like there aren't enough contractors to go around for the work, we'll probably just sit tight. ;)
I'm traveling today for business north with a co worker.
Just took a picture of a caravan of power trucks headed to LA.
The second caravan was a company of trucks from Louisiana.
Apparantly they were in Florida staged for the storm and now have to head back home.
Its 9 AM and I am on the north east side of the eye wall. Storm is not as bad as I thought it would be. No trees down yet and very little rain at this time. Power it still on. My location is Washington Parish.
Quote from: Magicman on August 29, 2012, 08:28:56 AM
Many homes in Isaac's path are shanties and mobile homes because that area is still struggling to recover from Katrina.
In looking back, I may have indicated that the only shelters and homes in Louisiana's Southern Parishes were shanties and mobile homes. There are certainly homes along Bayou Terrebonne and other nearby waterways that show signs of affluence, but this section was devastated by Katrina, and recovery is very slow or virtually impossible for some of the residents that lost everything that they owned. Some folks are simply doing as best that they can.
At the rate this thing is moving, I think my family might run out of beer. :o :o
Good grief, it just parked and made itself comfortable. ::)
Many of our gas stations have bagged their pumps and the shelves look lonesome in the grocery stores. There are no "D" batteries or 5 gallon gas cans available, and our Home Depot sold 178 generators yesterday.
Katrina was a velocity storm. Issac is a persistent storm. The radio reported that 18" of rain had fallen in 7 hours in some lower Louisiana areas. As information, the pumps in New Orleans can only reduce the water level ½" per hour without any additional rain or inflow.
I watched an interview last night from within NO, and the interviewee was a Corp of Engineers "head". Said they were confident they could keep up with thier new pumps getting the water out and over the new levees and gates. Said the big pump could empty an Olympic size swimming pool in 4 seconds.
Sounds like they have their work cut out for them. Heard someone say they've poured in over 14 billion dollars into NO post Katrina.
Maybe time to move to higher ground and let the delta have it back. ::)
New Orleans was not intentionally built there. It just sorta happened as the settlement grew. When the Mississippi River is high, it is an eerie feeling to stand in downtown New Orleans and look up and watch river boats pass by. There are times when not only the top of the ship is visible, but also nearly all of the hull. :o
MM,
At lunch today I was telling my buddy the exact same thing regarding looking up at ships. :D
QuoteHeard someone say they've poured in over 14 billion dollars into NO post Katrina.
Maybe time to move to higher ground and let the delta have it back.
Some things are easier said than done. Here is an article that states the importance of of New Orleans to our national economy much more elloquently than I can say it...
http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Argument:_New_Orleans_is_an_economically_essential_port_city
Let's not let this discussion get moved to the restricted topics board, please.
Quote from: metalspinner on August 29, 2012, 02:32:24 PM
Let's not let this discussion get moved to the restricted topics board, please.
Certainly not my intention when I started the thread.
You are right that New Orleans is a critical port. If the river is blocked or New Orleans can't deal cargo, it's something like a heart attack to the freight transportation system of the US.
Super windy up here in NW Louisiana already. If you didn't know what was coming, it would actually be a beautiful breezy day. This wind has blown most of the humidity out of here. I just came in to get a dry change of clothes, a sandwich and get back out there to make preparations. This is a pain in the butt to say the least. Never a dull moment when you live in LA.
Going to be a LOT of trees down this time around with all the dead trees we lost do to the drought that are still standing. This storm and the rain coming should lay them over. That's going to be a mess. ::)
Well, do you think I should come down? Let me know how it is afterward. If all the cities and parishes have a goodly number of trees down in people's yards, it may be worth it after all. At this point I figured the big mess, where people live, would be concentrated to the greater New Orleans area, and maybe Lafayette, as well as the smaller cities of New Iberia and Houma. But if there are tons of trees down all over the place as far off as Baton Rouge, Lake Charles, Alexandria, etc. then it may be worth it for us. Just let me know.
Anyway, we're tuning our trucks, replacing our turn signals, sharpening our saw chains, and selling our pigs just in case. We can do it or not.
Please don't take my posts as being uncaring for the people who are there. I was down for Ike in 2008 and I saw the devastation. I came down on relief for Katrina for a few days and witnessed and helped people in extreme distress.
Just trying to make a business decision here. We don't want to come down if we're just in the way. That's what I experience when I went down to south Florida after Katrina trying to do tree work. I didn't even make enough money to pay for my gas down there and back, because I didn't know what to expect and couldn't figure out how to make some money. Everybody there seemed to have it under control, and I was not needed. Now I know a little better, but I don't want a repeat of that experience.
A couple weeks later I went down to Gulfport with a team from my church, just to take some supplies for the folks down there and help out.
Okra, we ain't ignoring you, but it is just impossible to tell at this point. It looks like this is going to be more of a rain/flood event than anything else. On the other hand, if it turns to a major disaster, Homeland Security will be there to make sure nobody can help. ::)
Logdog, maybe some of the healthy trees will knock down those dead ones for ya. :D Leafless trees don't have much wind resistance and don't blow over as easy. Sometimes ya just can't win!
WDH, there's a big ol' rain band comin' through here, headed your way. Sure hope you get a good soaking from it!
Our rain event arrived here a couple of hours ago, along with loosing our power. Thankfully, the power is back on and hopefully it will stay. I have two generators on standby and plenty of gasoline if needed.
Our wind is really gusty and swirling. It is knocking plenty of older dead limbs down, so cleanup will be a chore.
As DanG said FEMA will take over, bid a big contract, cut out all the small guys. The guy who got the contract in Smithville, MS after the tornado had no equipment and no employees, he hired guys like you, paid them very little, and pocketed the profits. I worked a volunteer coordinator for the town, I had to stop volunteers from coming in to work, taking money away from contractor. Private contractors could not do business with residents after the contract was awarded. Did I mention I do not like FEMA.
I hadn't heard anything from my family all day. Have to assume all power is out including cell service.
Maybe we'll have them go east and meet us at the beach in Florida while NOLA dries out...
While watching the news this morning at 5 AM, they were reporting the levee overflowing, and the head of the parish said that a local resident with a boat was going out to rescue people. The newscaster said, "Not the Coast Guard or the National Guard?" The guy repeated that a local man with a boat who knew the area was going.
Then, I read this piece from ABC News:
Residents of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana were shocked by Hurricane Isaac Wednesday morning when ocean water burst over the Mississippi River levee, covering their town and leaving thousands trapped in attics and on roofs.
Jesse Shaffer, 25, and his father, also named Jesse Shaffer, 53, both of Braithwaite, La., stayed behind in their town to rescue their friends.
While police and the fire department were unable to reach some stranded people using their vehicles, the Shaffers were able to save lives using boats.
THIS is the American way. Find someone that knows what they are doing, regardless of title or department, and get out of their way! :) They saved 120 people!
The Weather Channel referred to us as the "land mass between NOLA and Mobile". I wonder if they know that our state has a name?
I've often wondered why Mississippi has been overlooked in the news. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they just handle their business and just get back to work rebuilding and living. smiley_clapping
Quote from: Buck on August 29, 2012, 08:25:43 PM
I've often wondered why Mississippi has been overlooked in the news. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that they just handle their business and just get back to work rebuilding and living. smiley_clapping
To interested in the politics involved and not the people who are affected. American's are used to helping they're neighbors, at least most of them apparently. Also curious to see how this helps the drought situation down that way.
Still windy here. Dark clouds are rolling in. I didn't get near enough done today. Spun my front tire off it's rim toward the end of the day. Going to try to get that back on first thing and hope the rain isn't here by then.
The pictures of Braithwaite were really something. 12 feet of water in amongst all those $200K-$300K brick shanties and trailers.... ;)
DanG ... Those dead trees of ours been standing dead long enough around here that they'll get creamed by a good wind. They've been going down progressively anyway. This will take the lot of them down. I'm not hoping mind you .... I'd just as soon it stay east of me. Magicman needs the sawing anyway. :)
Quote from: DanG on August 29, 2012, 04:37:54 PM
Okra, we ain't ignoring you, but it is just impossible to tell at this point. It looks like this is going to be more of a rain/flood event than anything else. On the other hand, if it turns to a major disaster, Homeland Security will be there to make sure nobody can help. ::)
Not sure, but I don't think they keep you from doing private residential work. Just the official sidewalk cleanup stuff. I could be wrong. A lot of people clean up their own yards, but some don't have the ability to do it. When I was down in Ike 4 years ago, the FEMA crews (which I monitored for) took brush from 15 feet off the side of the curb, but the homeowners were responsible for everything beyond that. Has that changed? Surely FEMA contractors don't go into everyone's back yard and do the stuff back there???
I wasn't referring to the actual operation of removing the trees. Now I don't know what might have changed since then, but after Katrina, Homeland Security wasn't letting anybody into the area until they had cleared them. Many crews went there expecting to get work, but were held outside the area for days. Many of them went home without ever cranking a saw.
The guys with the boat are heroes! It has been hushed by the MSM, but the locals with shallow-water boats rescued many roof dwellers after Katrina, once they told Homeland Security where to stick it and went in against orders. I'm reminded of the 14 year-old kid who stole a school bus and hauled a load of refugees to Houston. He committed a crime in doing so, but was haled as a hero for his action.
Well, Katrina was, admittedly, an unusual case, to say the least. So many lives lost, massive devastation, etc. It is not surprising to me that it took a while to get the act together. The size and scope of the storm and damage dictates how many days are needed before each part of the recovery effort can begin. For small storms, tree recovery can begin almost immediately. For bigger ones, it may take a few days until all the initial hoo-ha has been dealt with. For Katrina-- well we're talking weeks. But one local arborist from here in the Greenville area went down to Katrina and stayed for nearly a year, and brush hauling crews I know from eastern TN stayed over a year.
Okrafarmer ... DanG is right. You probably couldn't even get into South LA right now do to road and bridge closures. If a guy wants to get this work, what I've gleaned from crews working down there in Katrina is that you have to be staged down in there ahead of time, and make your deal ahead of the storm. If I were you guys, I'd sit tight and see what happens and where and then make a well thought out plan. For me personally, unless I could make a boatload of money (from a business standpoint only ...not addressing lending a hand to people in need) ... I'd just as soon sleep in my own bed with my wife and hang out with my dogs or in your case kids. But that's just me. Now if you could scare up a good contract or something .... that may be worth the inconvenience. I spent 6 weeks in a trailer in Slidell,LA after Katrina. It's a sacrifice for sure when you're away from your home and your family.
I spent 10 weeks in the Baytown area right after Ike, and only one night was in a hotel. Camped in my car and in a tent after that. I don't mind that one bit.
You shouldn't have to have contracts (with companies or govt agencies) to do private residential tree work. That is what I am talking about doing. Not big contract work. Going down there light with pickups and minimal gear, not dump trucks, loaders, etc. We have a climber I can take, and so basically it would be front-and-back-yard tree cleanup.
I wouldn't dream of trying to go down until after the weekend. People need a little time to orient themselves and make sure everyone is rescued who needs to be rescued, etc. The power starts to come on, at least for the business districts that are least effected, etc. and then you are eventually able to buy gas, water, limited groceries, etc. That's how it was for Ike. I was load monitoring and I got there about three days after the storm left town, and I was a day late for starting as a monitor. But that is the govt. contract work, which I am not looking at this time.
The crew I would take is used to roughing it. The conditions we would face doesn't concern me too much, just whether or not there is enough work in people's private property to warrant the trip. There may very well not be, this time.
From my far-off perspective in South Carolina, which admittedly is a limited view, it appears from all sources that the biggest problems from this TS system are storm surge and flooding. Let us know how it goes. That flood damage can be brutal, and I know there isn't a whole lot of high ground in the southern part of Louisiana. :-\
We have been without power since early yesterday evening, but are now up on generator power. If we are not restored within a couple of hours, I will be bringing the large generator up to run the freezer.
Our "event" continued throughout the night with high gusting winds and continual rain, but it is still nothing compared with what our South Louisiana friends got. This East side of the storm is really being dumped on, and look out South Arkansas, because you will be next. :o
High winds over here in the Shreveport/Bossier area. Only a few sprinkles. Lots of dark clouds. So far so good. Looks pretty ugly to our East. Maybe this thing will stay East ... or maybe it just hasn't got to us yet in it's rotation. Fingers crossed that it avoids us. If we get it, with it's rain, I'll likely see 6-7 feet of flooding at my place. Maybe more. :-\
Let's hope not, Logdog. That could put a crimp in your style. :(
Isac has arrived in north La. Rain started about mid nite. We still have power, but it's just a matter of time before trees start taking down power lines. Flooding won't be a problem for me, any direction from my house is down hill. Could be some flooded out roads tho.
Our power just came on, so I will unhook the Honda Generator.....for now. ;)
That's a good sign Magicman. Always an encouraging sign when the power comes back on. Raining here now, lots of wind 25-35 mph. Kind of coming in spurts. My gut tells me we'll be ok. Knock on wood....
I did 40 miles westbound on I-10 last night, from Mom's place to mine. The highway and every motel parking lot is filled with bucket trucks headed thataway.
Our Son who works for AT&T, is out making damage surveys this morning. When the service is on "joint use" poles, their restoration will immediately follow the power companies. Cable TV is always last.
Since my telephone days are past, I plan for my "damage survey" to be made from the lounge chair today.
Anybody that has the bright idea of storm chasing might rethink their position on that .Many have done so but few have been successfull .
If you do you must keep in mind the big boys like Asplundh and Daveys already have contracts with the power companies .You have to have good equipment ,lots of cash and a place to stay other then the bed of a chip truck with a 5 gallon bucket for a toilet .
That aside from the local front in northern Ohio they predict the weather will be affected as a result of the tropical storm and likely be here to some extent this coming week end .
If it's typical the weather front will come north making an easterly turn and follow the southern end of the great lakes possibly dumping rain clear up to the New England states .
Once again proving that for various reasons even in drought conditions eventually the precipitation will about even out for the year .It's just too bad it can't be in a more timely fashion .
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo014_28Small29.jpg)
Our front yard cleanup will be more of a nuisance than a job. Just broken and dead pine limbs and duff. The side and back are a bit worse, but not much.
We were very fortunate. :)
Yep, anytime you can do your cleanup with a leaf rake, you have been fortunate. Glad you didn't have any damage, MM! 8) I'll bet those green pine cones made a scary racket on that tin roof though! :o :D :D
Lynn, real glad to see it was no worse, I figured you guys were off grid just watching the radar, clouds here rolling in winds have picked up somewhat. Looking for some much needed rain. Lynn, Glad you and the family are well.
My Guy in Slidell just called apparently a levee broke and he's lost his house again, Katrina being the other time. The water levels 7' up his walls.
Yep, Slidell is in bad shape.
We lost power but got it back within 40 minutes or so of reporting it. These SWEPCO guys are awesome. We never have to wait long for restoration of power here. It's still driving rain outside. More wind and it makes the rain look worse than it is. Overall accumulation hasn't been much. I lost one dead tree and two tops of two other dead trees near the yard here. After the storms gone I'll see what the rest of the acreage looks like.
Flooding doesn't look like something we'll see for the moment. A lot will depend how much rain gets dumped North of us in the watershed though. We draw from a pretty large area.
Looks pretty tough over Pineywoods way on the radar. Hope everything is ok over there at his place.
Lynn, glad you didn't have any damage.
Thanks guys. Yup, those limbs and green pine cones made a racket last night. And did I say that it was dark? ???
I was not feeling really secure with eight 20"+ SYP trees in the front, all of which would easily reach the house. Several of our neighbors have trees on their homes. We have another line coming, but it should only be rain now.
Just got off the phone with Dodgy Loner in McComb. He asked me to report he has been without power today, so couldn't check in. He says all is good at his house, no major damage, he expects power to return within 24 hours.
Glad your okay MM, lets hope your treefarm fared as well.
We had lots of rain and strong winds, no major damage that I have seen. I haven't checked fences yet. It got rough this morning when we had tornado warnings. Radio says lots of trees down in parts of the county. I have heard a tornado touched down in Clarke County just south of us. No verification yet.
Glad MM and DL are ok and without too much damage. These close calls make a person thankful for an uneventful every day life for sure. It's really let up here for the time being. Less wind, fine rain, not much accumulation.
The storm has settled down to a solid overcast and a gentle continuous rain. We made a trip to town this am, a few trees down, no flooding, business as usual in town. At this rate we will probably get a total of 6 to 8 inches of rain, slow enough to soak in and not run off. Lost power briefly just once so far...If it stays this cool, I'll get some serious sawing done over the weekend.
That's one good thing that comes out of a hurricane down here ... it cools things off. It was about 76-78 degrees this afternoon over here and it was so nice to have a cool down. Glad things are ok at your place Pineywoods.
Glad you guys are all ok. I am a little surprised to see there were some levee failures. Goes to show the rain and storm surge can do as much damage as the wind.
Quote from: fishpharmer on August 30, 2012, 04:54:13 PM
Glad your okay MM, lets hope your treefarm fared as well.
I am going over tomorrow. It would be really bad if the power is out and I did not know that everything in the refrigerator had ruined. Things need checking out.
Great to hear all the good reports from you folks down there, I hope they keep coming.
Ivan, Arkansas, is about 65 miles south of Little Rock. Thursday the electricity was off for about 4 hrs. Had wind but nothing to write about. The rain was steady but slow enough that there was no runoff. Late evening Issac's eye crossed into Arkansas south of El Dorado at Union, Arkansas/Louisiana.
This morning at 7:45am, the rain is much harder. Issac is now centered east of Mena, Arkansas and we are on the east/southeast side....the wet side of the storm. Looked at NOAA radar a few minutes ago....Pine Bluff has a wet band going through the town, What's wierd is the wet band (red) running north and south is crossed by a another wet band (red) running east west. Never seen that before.
Pine Bluff has a big "X" marks the spot.
Charles Westmoreland RF
Ivan, Arkansas
Conroe, Texas
UPDATE:
10:26 am central time Issac is making up for low rainfall yesterday. Intense, hard tropical rain for the last two hrs.
Charles
Grab a branch and hang on, Ouachita! Don't want to hear about you floating down the hill! :o :D
Quote from: DanG on August 31, 2012, 11:43:53 AM
Grab a branch and hang on, Ouachita! Don't want to hear about you floating down the hill! :o :D
I'm down river a ways from ouachita. If he floats off, I'll try to catch him when he comes by ;D
FF members workin' together! That's the way we roll! 8) 8) 8) :D
Raining in mid Missouri at this time. It has increased in intensity over the last couples of hrs.
Ron
Got a report from another forum .It seems to be raining cats and dogs in Alexandria La .The front is moving at a snails pace at 10 MPH as it comes north .It must have sucked up enough moisture from the Atlantic to refill the Mississippi river once again .Might be too much for the mighty river to hold for that matter .
I intended to go to the Cabin today and check it out for damage. The possibility of rain changed my mind so I started our yard cleanup. I got the easier front done before the "possibility of rain" disappeared. Maybe after this clears, I can start on the back yard. :o
I have two neighbors with large, 24"+ trees down. One Red Oak and the other SYP. :-\
Me thinks the mighty river gets filled from the top, not the bottom. ;D
And it's near bone dry up here. ;)
The Mississippi River was so low that barge traffic was having difficulty. I hope that Isaac helps.
Quote from: Al_Smith on August 31, 2012, 01:02:05 PM
Got a report from another forum .It seems to be raining cats and dogs in Alexandria La .The front is moving at a snails pace at 10 MPH as it comes north .It must have sucked up enough moisture from the Atlantic to refill the Mississippi river once again .Might be too much for the mighty river to hold for that matter .
Hot and humid up in Shreveport right now. I just checked the radar and the cell that Al mentions seems to be just South of town. Shows up as red ... that can't be good. :-\ I was hoping we were done with this.
I'll tell you what .... I'll take the biggest, baddest snowstorm you can give me in MN, WI, or the U.P. of Michigan over one of these hurricanes or tropical storms. At least the snow just piles up, doesn't run, won't flood your house ...even if the house was buried by the snow.
Quote from: Magicman on August 31, 2012, 01:30:05 PM
I have two neighbors with large, 24"+ trees down. One Red Oak and the other SYP. :-\
Well there ya go,you know a guy with a bandsaw . ;)
We have had about 3" of rain here in Biggers. Wind picked up a little last night but nothing over maybe 30 mph. This one was nothing to write home about for us, hope everyone south of us is safe though will be keeping everyone down there in my thoughts.
We got no rain from Isaac in NE MS. Predictions were for 3 - 6 inches Wed thru today. We have had cloudy sky with light wind since Wed. The humidity arrived, high today was 89.2 with 85% humidity. We are very dry, no rain for weeks. All the deer hunters have planted food plots, none are showing anything coming up.
Power is back on in nola. My parents report they did not loose their freezer. So that's some good news. Lots of traffic accidents around town because street lights are out and folks are not being nice drivers.
We have many isolated homes and businesses without power, and some of them will require extensive work before restoration is possible. :-\
The outlier clouds from Isaac arrived early afternoon. Weatherman says to expect 2 inches or more in our area, but we are about as far north as it should go.
Air show going on in Davenport and that might be cancelled due to low visibility and heavy rain
We are still very dry, so if this isn't too hard we will be thankful
Sounds good, guys. Tonight the debris monitor company called me and asked me to come down and monitor-- don't know if I will, I would like too, but we'll see about logistics. Different ball game from contracting/ yard working.
Folks here that don't (aren't able to) do their own yard work such as mowing, etc. have contractors to do that work. Those same contractors are now busy clearing debris. Several of the yards on my street got done yesterday.
We got two inches of steady, slow rain yesterday morning. We've been setting in the doughnut hole for the past 18 hours with heavy rain all around. Got 1/10" rain since midnight.
The two inches we got was soaked up by dry grass, trees and dust. No water standing or running off.
Quote from: LOGDOG on August 31, 2012, 04:12:42 PM
.... I'll take the biggest, baddest snowstorm you can give me in MN, WI, or the U.P. of Michigan over one of these hurricanes or tropical storms. At least the snow just piles up, doesn't run, won't flood your house ...even if the house was buried by the snow.
Umm, well. Three things ...
1) That snow doesn't just come and go. It accumulates.
2) Just an extra degree cooler in the late fall and early spring makes a huge difference to the accumulation.
3) Sooner or later it's all going to melt.
My roof is designed to handle 90 pounds per square foot, or about 15 feet of fresh snow! That's the equivalent of 18" of rain. On my roof that's 90 tons of snow. The snowpack has exceeded the limit more than once and I've had to get up and shovel it off :(.
We all learn to cope with whatever is common in our own neck of the woods.
I'm well aware of snowfall Brucer. I spent the first 25 years of my life in WI, MN, and the U.P. of Michigan and still have all my family up there. Spent my youth shoveling roofs for money. Snow can be moved away from the house, off the top of the house etc. Flood waters can't.
Here's something you don't get the pleasure of with a snowstorm .... All these areas down South that have homes flooded right now ... With that flooding comes millions of fire ants that float on the surface of the flood waters in rafts and into these homes. Then there's the alligators and snakes that float right up into the houses. Oh and the rats ... can't leave the rats out. They float right up in there with everything else.
I didn't get anything from Isaac, but I did get some rain last week. The soybeans are getting that look right before they go yellow. My question to those east of me, is it too late for the beans in Missouri and Illinois? I would well imagine its too late for the corn; half of it around here has been harvested already.
We finally were able to go over and check the Cabin out. The power had been off for some time, so everything in the refrigerator was thawed and had to be cleaned out.
We then made a quick trip to check the woods out. Well after many turnarounds and backtracking because of fallen trees, we finally figured out a way to make it through. No worry about where the firewood will come from for a couple of years because one old big 40"+ Red Oak will take care of that. Also lots of smaller Oaks and Ash were blown over.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo016.jpg)
Ben and Luke moving a small blowdown from the road.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/20011/Photo017.jpg)
PatD's golf car was a muddy mess. :-\
The good Lord has a way of weeding out weak trees......but that muddy golf cart is between you and Mama. :)
Quote from: LOGDOG on September 01, 2012, 04:07:27 PM
Snow can be moved away from the house, off the top of the house etc. Flood waters can't.
It was heavy snow,steep mountains, narrow valley and fast melts that flooded us in October a few years back.We were fortunate with less than three feet of water at our place but some places were double that.In 84,only the roofs of the school busses were visible at the high school.(10 feet in some places).
Same cause,heavy snow,quick melts with warm rain.Flooding and destruction is no fun anywhere.
Quote from: Paul_H on September 01, 2012, 10:11:26 PM
Quote from: LOGDOG on September 01, 2012, 04:07:27 PM
Snow can be moved away from the house, off the top of the house etc. Flood waters can't.
It was heavy snow,steep mountains, narrow valley and fast melts that flooded us in October a few years back.We were fortunate with less than three feet of water at our place but some places were double that.In 84,only the roofs of the school busses were visible at the high school.(10 feet in some places).
Same cause,heavy snow,quick melts with warm rain.Flooding and destruction is no fun anywhere.
You've got that right Paul. I've shopped quite a bit of real estate out that way and one thing I always look for is elevation and whether it's sandwiched in between to steep slopes.
Arkansas is similar in certain parts. Very steep inclines on either side of rivers and creeks. You all probably remember the flooding we had up there a couple years ago that took lives. Lots of rain fast, coming down a watershed, filling streams and rivers with no place to go. Nothing has ever made me feel so helpless as rising flood waters that I could do nothing about. It makes you realize just how small and insignificant you are.
The heaviest flooding was in the lower center of the pic.Some of the surrounding mountains are well over 8000 ft.No poisonous snakes.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10199/Pembertonjpopt.jpg)
There's a reason that flat area beside the river is called a "flood plain" ;)
Ian
That's pretty Paul. What town is that? Enderby? No poisonous snakes huh? I'll take it! Just give me a few acres up on a bench on one of those slopes high enough to be out of the flood zone. Of course ...there's always the possibility of an avalanche. That's why in my original comment I named WI, MN, and the U.P. of Michigan. Fairly tame up there in comparison to other parts of the country when it comes to calamity. A few tornadoes now and then. An occasional flood, but not many. No avalanches. No poisonous snakes. :)
The town is Pemberton.
That is a gorgeous town. :)
I agree. Beautiful .....
Quote from: Paul_H on September 02, 2012, 12:28:33 AM
The heaviest flooding was in the lower center of the pic.Some of the surrounding mountains are well over 8000 ft.No poisonous snakes.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/10199/Pembertonjpopt.jpg)
I lived about 12 miles south of there for 11 years. Just out side of a town called Armstrong. Summers are awesome. Winters are short and pretty mild. Snow fall can be a few feet and there are so many pristine lakes that you'd have a hard time getting to all of them even if you only caught one fish in each one and left. Course you hev to live there a while before the locals will start telling/showing where to find them and how to get to them. A lot of them can only be accessed by quad and then some only on horse back.
There are rattlers in a few places but mostly along the south facing cliffs I know people that say they seen em at the Enderby cliffs but I never seen any there. Rattle Snake point on Kal lake has lot of em but they dont seem to go too far a field from those two places in that part of the valley.
Flooding is just a part of the months of June into early July and some years it does get quite bad. I had a bobcat and small track hoe business when I lived there and I had about 2 to 3 weeks of clean up/rebuild work every year. it is indeed one of the best place in North america to live. The problem is find work if you dont work for your self. And the paradise tax (HST) of 12%.
As far as pristine benches go? You'd have a hard tim making up your mind once you saw a few. The issue there is domestic water. I installed more than a few water systems that were worth more then the house I connected them too.
There is a bench just north of Enderby called the Grandview Bench & may even be the bench this pic was taken from. I did a water system install for 4 people that had bought land high on that bench. The well is on the valley floor and I installed 3600 lineal feet of 3 inch(might a been 4") sched 120 PVC with a lift station and 1,000 gal reservoir at 1800 and then a pressure/ distribution station and 1000 gal reservoir at the top. It was basically sufficient to service about 12 or 16 lots that had been subdivided up there. The day I turned on the switches and opened the taps those lots went from about 16K for 3 ish to 5 ish acres to over a 100K for the same lots and they were sold in less than a week. That price included a $35,000 per lot for the water system Co op buy in and then there was a monthly usage charge as well. I also did 5 or 6 of the septic systems and drive ways up there.
I guess the pemberton ID post got added while I was typing and I type pretty slow. Oh well now you know about Endery by too.
Enerby and area flood pictures
http://www.google.ca/search?q=enderby+cliffs&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=n5dDUKb_FtHZigLExYCgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=708#hl=en&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=2012+enderby+flooding&oq=2012+enderby+flooding&gs_l=img.3...731767.741919.0.742208.19.15.0.0.0.1.1064.1809.3j2j0j1j7-1.7.0...0.0...1c.JlHTDrUoFbU&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=efbad4575b0d8f9f&biw=1440&bih=712
This link will give you enough pictures of the area to make you fall in love with it fast.
http://www.google.ca/search?q=enderby+cliffs&hl=en&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=n5dDUKb_FtHZigLExYCgAQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCYQsAQ&biw=1440&bih=708