Lessons learned from taking a direct hit by a Cat 5 Hurricane- ground zero, USVI

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I promised to post something, and I just got connected at work- one of the few places on the island with power and internet. It's amazing- I had forgotten what magic it was to flip a switch and have light.

So first- here is the story. We knew we were going to get hit by Irma, but until the last minute we thought it would graze us. I was expecting Cat 2 winds, but in the end we got a near direct hit with 150mph sustained winds, 200mph gusts. Folks, let me tell you- there is no describing what that's like. I decided that even though my house has shutters on every window, and the shutters are 2" thick solid wood, dogged with a solid wood 2x3 bar set into steel holders, and also dogged at the top with hooks that clip into eyes, I went beyond that and screwed boards over every shutter to hold them in place. That, my friends, was the best thing I did for the whole storm. My neighbors lost most of their shutters, and I didn't lose a single one. I also covered the shutters completely on the windward side with thick PVC plastic (not like a tarp, but it's more like 2mm thick and is used like formica) and put battens around the edges of it. This was to prevent water blowing in through the cracks in the shutters. That was the other thing that really paid off. I only wish I had the time to have done that for every shutter. NO water- ZERO- came in on that side. The other shutters did get water, even though I caulked the edges, and put an extra batten down the middle of the ones that didn't fit real tight.

My plan was to stay downstairs. My house is 180 years old, stone construction, with a layer of brick over the stone on the outside. Downstairs is built into the ground on two sides, and there is a poured concrete addition that has a concrete ceiling (actually it's the floor of the kitchen above). it is solid, and that is my strong room. If that were to fail, I have a cistern from the original house that is buried 100% with a small hatch opening into the floor of the house and that was my last-resort strong room. The whole house could come down and that room would be safe. I may be a while getting out, but I'd survive! I stocked up prior to the storm on Milwaukee M18 and M12 batteries, lights, radio, and phone charger that plugs into the M12 batteries. I was expecting power to go out for a while. I had all your basic hurricane stuff- batteries, flashlights, dry goods, canned goods... all the usual stuff. I fueled up the vehicles and bought extra water.

During the storm, I actually had internet through most of it. We kept tracking the storm and it kept getting worse- closer and closer, and the track kept moving from missing us to the north, to a near direct hit. I had briefed Amy, and we had prepared our 4yo daughter for the storm in advance- telling her what to expect, and even giving her a coloring book with what to do during a disaster. She was a champ- a complete and total champ- through the storm. I set up the safe area with the radio, lights, and games to play. We started out upstairs, and I made it sound like going downstairs was a treat- something special. There is a built- in "nook" down there that she likes to play in where I built in a bed and reading area. The truth was that it was where we would go when it got bad. I wanted instead for it to seem like a fun place and a treat to get to go there. Child psychology- it worked too!!! Once it got bad, I said, "Okay, I guess you've been good- we can go downstairs." By this time power had been shut off by WAPA intentionally to prevent damage during the storm. She had her own flashlight to play with, and I let her lead the way. We played games and played music on the radio. The truth is that the radio was to drown out the storm when it got bad.

We watched as the storm kept going more and more towards us. The sound was indescribable as the high winds started to hit. It really did sound like the place would come down. My one and only fear was the roof- it's the original structure and it's made of wood. The house is solid. A bomb couldn't take that thing out- but the roof I was not sure about. As the winds shifted, we lost internet, and that's when I started reading the storm using my navigational skills. You can tell where a storm is by the direction of the wind. When the wind started to come from the west, I knew it was passing just north of us. I kept telling Amy, "okay, it's moving now further north, and probably two more hours of wind." I went upstairs to check on the shutters. Two of them started leaking- badly. Rain was spraying in through the tiniest cracks in the shutters as if you had a water hose spraying. Water was blowing under the soffits on the roof and dripping down the walls. All that water made it to the floor, and then dripped down to the first floor onto the bed. The rest of the time during the storm was spent frantically mopping up water. I put a tent over the bed and we would catch water in it and dump it into a bucket about ever 5 minutes. Shutters were rattling. I went upstairs and there were leaves in the living room. How???? The cracks in the shutters where they meet were caulked, and the shutters were boarded shut. You couldn't stick a leaf through the cracks if you wanted to- yet there were leaves blowing through. The noise sounded like Godzilla was slamming himself against the house. At one point the floor shook as if it were a trampoline. I saw the ceiling shake, and a window frame started to move back and forth in the wall. I thought that was it- I thought the roof was a gonner, and I didn't even think I would make it downstairs. I had to keep everyone calm, so I smiled big and said, "Woooohoooo, that was a good one!!!! Don't worry folks, everything is going as planned- just some wind buffeting a bit." Amy looked pretty scared, and that was about to scare Petra, so I said, "let's dance," and turned up the radio- which amazingly was still playing music- and we danced. That made Petra happy. I didn't tell them that I was 90% sure we were about to lose the roof. What could I do? Nothing. Keeping them calm was the best I could do. I knew our safe room was safe. I decided to go back upstairs and check- because I literally wasn't sure the roof would still be there. My porch was blocked completely off with metal hurricane shutters, so I did not cover up the glass doors- I mean, why bother- they are protected by the hurricane shutters. My friends, I personally witnessed those doors bending in as if they were made of rubber. They are solid wood with glass panes. I was sure the glass would bust. Suddenly the huge petrea vine that grows up my house came crashing down. I ran downstairs and in a funny voice (to lighten the tension) I said, "Well folks, we no longer have a petrea vine... I mean we have it, but it's on the ground..." After that I went up only once or twice as we heard huge crashing noises and I had to check to see if it was the roof coming off or not. One crashing noise turned out to be part of the neighbor's house knocking a chunk of brick out of my house.

As the storm finally started to pass and the wind shifted from the south, I looked out through a peephole and saw a boat floating up one of the streets in town, below my house. I would say water was 4 feet up the walls of the buildings down there. Never have I seen that before. That ended up flooding most of the generators downtown. That's a point I want you to note- don't depend on your generator. Those on higher ground had their generators impaled, or even demolished. Fuel tanks ruptured, intakes go so much water in them that the generators wouldn't work. Here is an example- somehow my windshield washer fluid got debris blown into it!!! How the heck???? Who knows- but if it can do that- imagine the intake to your generator.

After the storm we heard that the roof had blown off the hospital. My wife grabbed her scrubs and ran on foot to make the 2 mile trek to the hospital. I headed out to find out if friends were okay. I was climbing over and under telephone poles, using my Milwaukee M12 tester to see if they were energized. Put that on your list of supplies. It took me a very long time to make just three blocks. All the lines were down. There was wood with nails all over the place. There was slippery mud downtown where it had flooded. It was a complete disaster- and that was the part of the island least affected. Later I would venture to the north side where a friend was still missing, and I cannot possibly describe other than to say EVERY SINGLE POWER LINE and EVERY SINGLE POLE were down. Every. One. Trees were completely stripped of leaves and only the trunk and larger branches remained- every tree- even in the forrested areas. Every single tree. The road was so bad that I had to get out my Diston D7 (Shameless neander plug) and saw limbs to get through. We had to SLOOOOOWLY navigate downed lines. Although WAPA had completely shut off all power, there was still the chance of generators back-feeding the lines. Where I live, codes are not very strictly enforced, and you never know. We found my friend.. Her concrete roof had blown off. She was down in the bottom of the building. Oh, and I forgot to mention that after the storm I kept pulling stuff out of my hair. I finally took a look and it was concrete and/or mortar debris that blew in somehow through my closed shutters as it pelted my house. Some buildings were completely stripped of paint and even stucco. Many buildings changed color- new paint stripped to reveal the old paint.

So that was the CAT5 storm, but remember- there was Jose right behind it. We lost all communication, so all we knew was that last report said it was on the same track and looked like it would be the same strength as the last storm. Instead of cleaning up and looking for people, we had to focus on getting ready for ANOTHER cat5. I had to help all my neighbors repair shutters, roofs, and pick up debris that could become projectiles. I lost count- I think my neighbor lost 13 shutters during the storm. I had to build new ones or repair the old with just a hand saw, hammer, and a drill with one battery left. I grew my muscles tenfold that day!!! One neighbor had his windows blow in- frame and all- even taking some of the brick around the frame. It all blew in under the pressure.

Finally we got cell service, and I quickly texted my brother, "URGENT! Go to www.nhc.noaa.gov and pull up the track for Jose and send it to me- this is very important." That was the first update I had for Jose, and it was bad- it was coming right for us. I will fast forward now and tell you that it turned north at the last minute, and we had blue skies, sunshine, and little wind. Whew!!!!

I had burned all my batteries, and the generators I was hoping to rob power from (*I don't have one, but neighbors do) all had issues. None would start. Some started and then stalled shortly after. Some burned up. One generator caught a building on fire WAY too close to my house for comfort. It took two other buildings out as it burned to the ground. Scary times. That is part of what prompted the "Urgent- need to charge M12 and M18 batteries with a car" post.

So here is what I learned and what I would do different:

LOVE The M12 and M18 batteries and tools. LOVE LOVE LOVE the phone charger that uses their batteries. That was awesome. I also love the M12 multimeter with the piezo pickup that tells if something is energized- it literally saved my life. One time I was using it to test a downed wire that should NOT have been energized and it was backfed from a generator that someone hotwired to their house. I wish I had the car charger for the batteries, but they don't stock it here. I will now order one for sure. I also finally found the power inverter I bought that goes in the cigarette lighter. That thing was AMAZING> Vector Manufacturing Model VEC415.

Keep your shop organized. You never know when you might be tripping through the dark looking for tools to save your life. I knew where each tool was, and found it in the dark. I completely urge you to organize your shop.

Generators are great, but they fail. Surround your generator in concrete. Have a way to drain water away from it. Make your fuel tank out of steel and encase it in concrete. Many fuel tanks ruptured during the storm.

Hand saws are your friend. You don't know how many times I heard, "We're waiting for the guy with the chain saw" or "Hey man, you got any two-stroke oil?" My chain saw broke years back and I haven't yet replaced it. I thought I'd regret that, but actually a Diston D7 filed crosscut does quite a bit of good and is easy to throw in the Jeep or carry with you on foot.

TONS of cordless drills and batteries. Also keep tons of nails and multiple hammers. Cordless drills and screws are easier to one-hand as you balance on rubble and hold plywood to fix a window. Screws can also be reused. That's a big plus when the hardware store gets blown away in the storm.

Keep $1,000 minimum in cash stored in a waterproof container somewhere safe. We are on a cash basis at many stores and fuel stations right now. The island is still without internet in most places and cell service still spotty. Only texts work well, and voice sometimes. The stores are only taking cash.

Keep a good bit of fuel stored SAFELY in metal containers. If you have a truck or Jeep, get jerry cans that mount on it, and mount them. It is so much easier than having to carry a sloppy fuel can in your car that the fuel guy spilled fuel on. They make you stay in your car and they fill them for you. (security is a big deal now)

Buy a 12 gauge and lots of shells. Although I am safe, there was looting, and in St. John it got a bit out of hand. In Tortola 125 hardcore prisoners escaped and were running amock. I don't care where you stand on gun control. Get a 12 gauge. Lock it away and lock the bullets separate, but if a situation like I just went through happens, get it out.

A shovel is great. An axe is good to have, but I used a shovel a lot. I had a concrete wall collapse in front of my Jeep and block my way out. I had to dig out.

If you live in hurricane alley, buy a satellite phone. Do it today- don't wait. Oh how I wish I still had one. We still barely have cell service. A sat phone would be gold right now, and I am ordering one to be shipped as soon as the airport opens back up. If you don't live in hurricane alley- ya might consider one anyway. Also they have devices that you can text on using satellite service- those would be excellent to have.

Two-way radios- as many as you can get. Give them to your neighbors before a storm hits, or better yet- give them to your neighbors for any kind of emergency. Great to have. Wish I had thought of it sooner.

Fix-a-flat, tire plugs, multiple spare tires. This is another win for me. We have two identical jeeps, so that means they both use the same tires. Each jeep has lots of flat fixing equipment. Pro tip: Buy rubber cement and dip your plugs in it to lubricate them when you insert the plug in the tire. You're welcome.

Bolt cutters. Yes, I used these to cut not the power lines, but the support cables for downed poles to get them out of the way. I also had to cut bolts to get gates off to get to people.

Pruning shears- made clean-up a lot easier by snipping small branches off.

Rope, chain, and tug-em straps for pulling trees and vehicles.

RUBBER gloves- the kind that you would want to use if you had to move a power line to save someone without knowing whether or not it was hot.

Mops and squeegees, and especially BIG mops and one of those industrial mop buckets with the "mop squisher" or whatever you call it that wrings out the mop... ah that's it- a wringer. duh.

Keep spare parts for your roof, spare wood, and lots of 3M 5200. I am now looking for more of that stuff. I got one tiny leak in my roof and sadly I used all my 5200 on the boat that not-so-sadly I sold just weeks before the storm! Woot!

Keep a lot of plumbing and electrical parts. I was able to fix my plumbing, the neighbor's, and the plumbing where we made a soup kitchen to feed folks. One day I was at HD and said, 'Ya know, I'm just going to buy a whole bunch of everything." I just bought two or three of every fitting- four or five of the more common ones- some glue, some PVC, and all sorts of stuff, and put it in a tool kit. Man did that ever come in handy!!!! I was the first to have water. By the way- I learned that PVC primer can evaporate out of the can even if the top is screweed down. Happened to three cans of it!!! Also PVC glue gets gooey after a while. Only one of them was any good- and barely so. Fortunately I had Tolulene, and used that in lieu of primer.

If you don't have a safe room, build one- today!!!! Not in hurricane alley? What about tornadoes? Earthquake? Robbery? Make a safe room, even if it simply means lining your closet with concrete- better than nothing. I didn't end up needing my safe room, but the fact that I knew I was safe keep me calm and saved energy. When the roof almost went, my concern wasn't for my life- it was just that it would suck to lose my roof.

I have to go now. Hopefully I have covered most of what got me through. One thing I will end on- COUNTLESS times during and after the storm, Amy said, "I will never ever again complain about any tool or other stuff you buy." Boom! I win!!!! :-)

P.S. Now every time I go through security the metal detector is going to beep because my kahunas are now made of solid cobalt steel. hahaha. *** I only have internet at work.. Will be slow to respond.

[Tim Boger]

An amazing story ... think I'll read it several times. Such pertinent advice.

Glad you all are still kicking.
Tim

[Dave Zellers]

Damn Malcolm! What a story. I think I speak for many/ most / all here, expressing the frustration that we can't just reach out and help you.

[Chris Parks]

You have had an experience that cannot be imagined without being there, keep safe and thanks for taking the time to post.

[Frederick Skelly]

Glad you and your family got through it Malcolm. Dave's right - wish we could come and help.
Fred

[Bill McNiel]

Malcolm- so very glad to hear you, Amy and Petra are alive and doing as well as could possibly be expected given the circumstances. Mahalo for sharing your story and all the good advice.

Best wishes for the "recovery period" - Bill

[Malcolm McLeod]

Glad that you, your family, and so many others are safe. Hard to call this a near miss, but you're alive and 'stuff' can be replaced.

And I want to 'meet' your mason, no matter how old he is! I have a job for him and clearly, the work recommends the craftsman. Lots of great advice, but....


RUBBER gloves- the kind that you would want to use if you had to move a power line to save someone without knowing whether or not it was hot.

PLEASE BE AWARE - - There are electrician's gloves made to mitigate (not eliminate) the risk of contact with live electrical gear. They are thick rubber with gauntlets to the shoulders, and have similar leather over-gloves. IT STILL IS NOT SAFE! Like your water intrusion, high-voltage electricity is insidious in its ability to find a pin hole. Especially if your hand, arms, or the gloves are wet. You also need the arc-flash protective hood and jacket that go with such gloves. Setting the wire down may cause an arc, and death, flash burns, or blindness ride on that lightening bolt. This gear is not stocked on the cleaning aisle at HD.

IIRC from a long ago summer job, the 2- or 3- wire feeders on a neighborhood 30-foot pole are ~7000 volts; cross-country transmission lines are >100,000 volts. I can't/won't tell someone in a life-or-death situation what to do, but make sure you know the risks.

[John K Jordan]

An amazing story ... think I'll read it several times. Such pertinent advice.


My thought exactly when reading that. I'm going to save it and send it to some people who live in Florida.

Thanks for posting this Malcolm - a success story. It is so sad to hear about people who lost everything.

JKJ

[Paul McGaha]

Thanks for taking the time to write that Malcolm. Experience is a great teacher isn't it?

What I've seen on TV (mostly CNN) the area looks to be devastated. Many people have lost a great deal.

Sorry to hear of the damage to your house but happy that you and you're family are ok.

PHM

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for that Malcolm...I truly appreciate being able to read about your first-hand experience with this incredible storm. I just shared it with Professor Dr. SWMBO, too. Good fortune with the "dual Jeeps", too. I know there's a member of JeepGarage in your area so I hope he also faired well, too.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Glad that you, your family, and so many others are safe. Hard to call this a near miss, but you're alive and 'stuff' can be replaced.

And I want to 'meet' your mason, no matter how old he is! I have a job for him and clearly, the work recommends the craftsman. Lots of great advice, but....



PLEASE BE AWARE - - There are electrician's gloves made to mitigate (not eliminate) the risk of contact with live electrical gear. They are thick rubber with gauntlets to the shoulders, and have similar leather over-gloves. IT STILL IS NOT SAFE! Like your water intrusion, high-voltage electricity is insidious in its ability to find a pin hole. Especially if your hand, arms, or the gloves are wet. You also need the arc-flash protective hood and jacket that go with such gloves. Setting the wire down may cause an arc, and death, flash burns, or blindness ride on that lightening bolt. This gear is not stocked on the cleaning aisle at HD.

IIRC from a long ago summer job, the 2- or 3- wire feeders on a neighborhood 30-foot pole are ~7000 volts; cross-country transmission lines are >100,000 volts. I can't/won't tell someone in a life-or-death situation what to do, but make sure you know the risks.

Absolutely, and I should have been more clear. It's just a small secondary precaution, but really you shouldn't touch stuff that could kill you, gloves or not, tested with a tester or not. When climbing through debris you don't know when you might come across a line you didn't see. Rather than leather gloves, having something rubber gives that teeny little bit of precaution, but again- it can still kill you. You really just don't know what you are touching, and whether perhaps it's shorting to some other hot line, even if what you have is a communication line or coax. Although the power generator for the entire island was shut down, my concern was back-fed lines, and I did find one. By the way, one WAPA employee has already been killed due to touching a live line, and he was a lineman.

This post was typed really fast off the cuff while I had connection at work. It may be a bit disorganized- I was kind of typing as I thought. Thanks for the replies. Every day things are a little better.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

My neighbor's house. This home, Casa Santa Anna, was built by General Santa Anna who led Mexico in The Alamo. These windows blew inward. I believe what saved me is I put boards across my windows which leveraged against the walls.

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Our TV station.

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Frenchtown Post Office. Somewhere in all that mess is my Veritas Large Plow that I was anxiously awaiting. It means nothing to me now.

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Everywhere you go there are downed lines. This is a week after the storm. Notice the background stripped of leaves.

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[Malcolm Schweizer]

There is still hope.

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[Jim Becker]

Wow...awesome rainbow!!

[Jeff Bartley]

Thank you for sharing this Malcolm and I'm very happy that you and yours remained safe throughout. I hope the rebuilding goes smoothly and things return to normal.
I wonder how long that will take? And how soon till tourists can return? Much of the economy there must rely on tourism so I'd guess the island would welcome visitors as soon as possible?
It would be cool if somehow a 'working' vacation could be set up. I would enjoy going to a beautiful place and putting in a days work.

[Mike Null]

I appreciate your post and all your great tips. It occurred to me a few days back that there seemed to be plenty of money going to TX and FL but none going to USVI and Puerto Rico. I found, after some searching, waht appeared to be a good site where I could make a donation. The pictures from the USVI are painful to see.

The islands need help.

[James Waldron]

Wow! Looking at the forecast for Maria, it looks like you may have to put all those lessons to work again sooner rather than later. Shut us off and go prepare. (I assume you already have begun and are hard at it again without needing our suggestion.)

God speed. We all hope you won't have a "next chapter" on Maria to report.

[James Waldron]

I appreciate your post and all your great tips. It occurred to me a few days back that there seemed to be plenty of money going to TX and FL but none going to USVI and Puerto Rico. I found, after some searching, waht appeared to be a good site where I could make a donation. The pictures from the USVI are painful to see.

The islands need help.

If you've found a site that isn't a scam, please share a link. Most of what I've seen seem to have a bit of uncertainty, at least.

[Mike Null]

Go to msnbc.com and they have a link to a site.

I called Catholic Relief but they didn't have a specifically directed fund for the USVI.

We generally don't post fundraising info on SMC as we don't recommend such sites as a matter of policy.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks for sharing your story! Glad you and your family are well! Great advice!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Thank you for sharing this Malcolm and I'm very happy that you and yours remained safe throughout. I hope the rebuilding goes smoothly and things return to normal.
I wonder how long that will take? And how soon till tourists can return? Much of the economy there must rely on tourism so I'd guess the island would welcome visitors as soon as possible?
It would be cool if somehow a 'working' vacation could be set up. I would enjoy going to a beautiful place and putting in a days work.

That has been discussed. If you want to work, I can surely find work fixing homes- but first we have to get a supply ship in.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I appreciate your post and all your great tips. It occurred to me a few days back that there seemed to be plenty of money going to TX and FL but none going to USVI and Puerto Rico. I found, after some searching, waht appeared to be a good site where I could make a donation. The pictures from the USVI are painful to see.

The islands need help.

this is where I volunteer and they are feeding 500 people per day and will be helping rebuild homes. Very legit.
http://www.mybrothersworkshop.org



Wow! Looking at the forecast for Maria, it looks like you may have to put all those lessons to work again sooner rather than later. Shut us off and go prepare. (I assume you already have begun and are hard at it again without needing our suggestion.)

God speed. We all hope you won't have a "next chapter" on Maria to report.

We had a family meeting today and also showed our new guest the safe room and the game plan. We are fine here, but St. Croix has been our lifeline and now they are getting hit. Here is an image that will make you sick, James.

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[Mike Null]

Malcolm

One thing, and you probably have it on your list, a serious first aid kit.

[James Waldron]

this is where I volunteer and they are feeding 500 people per day and will be helping rebuild homes. Very legit.
http://www.mybrothersworkshop.org

We had a family meeting today and also showed our new guest the safe room and the game plan. We are fine here, but St. Croix has been our lifeline and now they are getting hit. [snip]


Thanks for the link. I plan to use it for what I can afford. I hope others will too.

Don't be too sanguine about it being St. Croix' turn with Maria. It's too early to be comfortable with that narrow a forecast. You are still in the "cone." We'll all be keeping our fingers crossed for you around Wednesday.

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Click this!

Take care.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm

One thing, and you probably have it on your list, a serious first aid kit.

Most certainly!!! I guess I took that for granted, being married to a nurse. Our house is stocked up like an ER. Thanks for pointing that out. Hopefully all of us woodworkers have big first aid kits. FYI- the main injuries they are seeing at the ER are glass and nails in feet, and compression injuries from people trying to grab shutters that came open during the storm.


Thanks for the link. I plan to use it for what I can afford. I hope others will too.

Don't be too sanguine about it being St. Croix' turn with Maria. It's too early to be comfortable with that narrow a forecast. You are still in the "cone." We'll all be keeping our fingers crossed for you around Wednesday.

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Click this!

Take care.

We are actually almost hoping it hits us and spares STX because we are depending on STX for relief, and we flew all our patients there. Either way, you couldn't write a worse disaster story. Even Stephen King couldn't make this horror story up.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

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You really could not write a more horrible story.

[James Waldron]

It didn't take long to blow up to Cat 5. It looks to be big enough now that both you and St. Croix will likely get hammered.

Our hopes and prayers for you, your family and your entire island. All we can do in the next couple of days is wait to hear from you when you can spare us the time and attention and can get through.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Haha. Your tag line of fair winds and following seas isn't working very well right now. About to turn off the generator for a bit. (A friend boated to Puerto Rico and brought me one.) Will hope to have net after the storm. First rain bands arriving.

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[Andrew Joiner]

Malcolm,
Your a hero, a great father and husband. You are in my prayers.

[Jim Koepke]

Our prayers are with you, Godspeed Malcolm.

jtk

[Shawn Pixley]

Be safe friend!

[Frederick Skelly]

Thoughts and prayers are with you Malcolm.
Fred

[Pat Barry]

Report yesterday was ominous. I am hoping for the best for you and your family Malcolm. Radar shows the majority of the storm may be past you now.

[Paul McGaha]

Hope you and your family are ok Malcolm.

Prayers and good thoughts heading your way.

PHM

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Keeping you, your family and neighbors in my thoughts and prayers Malcolm.

[James Waldron]

Waiting to hear is hard. Not as hard as being there.

While the eye passed a bit south and west of St. Thomas and St. John, they got quite enough, thanks so much, and are still getting a good bit of wind and rain on the back side. While it may not have been the worst of Maria, there's a lot of things that have been "jury rigged" after Irma and may not have gotten up to gold standards before this bite. It may not be as bad as right after Irma, but it's not going to be a walk on the beach.

Saw a bit of St. Thomas video from last night. Hard to tell much, but it looked plenty rough. Haven't seen anything since dawn. Some video was getting out of St. Croix, from the NOAA wx service facility there. Shot though windows from (I think) wx channel guys hunkered down inside; didn't show a whole lot but what they did show looked ominous.

Maybe it will turn out better than those video reports suggest. Hope so.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I am safe. The many replies and well-wishes are much appreciated. Puerto Rico and St. Croix got hammered. Our airport in STT further damaged. We have not been able to fly passengers since Irma. Now it will be much longer for repairs. The rain is like no other storm I have ever seen. It just won't stop raining, and so many with damaged roofs. It is truly a worst-case scenario. This will be very bad for Turks and Caicos. Pray for my friends there. This is a slow moving storm- 10 mph as it passed me. It was almost worse than Irma due to the rain and slow movement.

We had phone and net through the storm but lost it in the morning. Only just now got it back. Heard from my friends in San Juan during storm but they lost power and fell so no word since. You won't hear from me probably for a bit. Thanks again for the well-wishes.

[Paul McGaha]

Thanks for letting us know Malcolm. Glad to hear you're safe.

PHM

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the update, Malcolm...thoughts are there.

[Shawn Pixley]

Thanks Malcolm. I'm glad you are okay. I have friends and colleagues on Puerto Rico. I haven't heard anything yet.

[James Waldron]

Big relief!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Thanks Malcolm. I'm glad you are okay. I have friends and colleagues on Puerto Rico. I haven't heard anything yet.


Don't panic. We have over 100 employees unaccounted for in PR, but it is mainly due to the communication and power outages. Here locally we have been without power since Irma and cell is very spotty. Gradually our PR folks are checking in all OK. It was weeks before I confirmed friends in St. John were OK.

[James Waldron]

Hope things are improving, however slowly. Logistics seem to still be a big problem.

News reports here are mostly PR. "Oh, and things are still pretty bad in the USVI, too." The media have moved on, you've become an afterthought, so we don't get much to go on with how you and your family might be doing. We all hope the relief effort is more sustained than the press interest.

Glad to hear from you. Looking forward to a more substantive report (and more good lessons) when it's convenient for you.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Hope things are improving, however slowly. Logistics seem to still be a big problem.

News reports here are mostly PR. "Oh, and things are still pretty bad in the USVI, too." The media have moved on, you've become an afterthought, so we don't get much to go on with how you and your family might be doing. We all hope the relief effort is more sustained than the press interest.

Glad to hear from you. Looking forward to a more substantive report (and more good lessons) when it's convenient for you.

Lines are 50 deep at the stores. I showed up an hour early and I'm about number 15 in line at a price smart. Gotta conserve battery right now but will post some updates. Governor says 80% power restored by Christmas. That's a stretch goal. I'm actually adapting well to not having power. It's the long lines that are killing me. It takes hours to get one needed item. We are out of diesel on island and rationing gas. Here is a lesson- consider a propane or dual fuel generator over gas or diesel.

[Shawn Pixley]

Don't panic. We have over 100 employees unaccounted for in PR, but it is mainly due to the communication and power outages. Here locally we have been without power since Irma and cell is very spotty. Gradually our PR folks are checking in all OK. It was weeks before I confirmed friends in St. John were OK.

Glad to hear from you. Please manage through this troubled time.

Our company is tracking down each of our over 2,000 employees in Puerto Rico to validate their safety and provide support. So far, so good. Our plants have generators and are bunkered against hurricanes for just such an event.

Stay safe!

[Malcolm McLeod]

... - consider a propane or dual fuel generator over gas or diesel.

Glad you are well and adapting.

If buying a back-up generator for mainland use, I'd strongly suggest natural gas fueled (if available). The lines are always buried and more importantly, there may be residual pressure in the delivery lines for 3-4 weeks. Even if the 'local' compressor station is knocked offline, remote stations can still push fuel to end-users.

I'm not aware of current natural gas availability in PR. I know there is a LNG receiving terminal/re-gasification plant in PR and they have a NG delivery grid (no idea of extent). I think there was a plan to extend this grid (pipeline) to VI, but obviously, if not already in place, it won't help current situation.

[Julie Moriarty]

What a story, Malcolm! I was thinking about you as Irma approached. You responded to a crisis about as perfectly as one could. Hurricane preparedness pamphlets should include the lessons you shared.

Two months ago we answered the call of a friend in Connecticut who asked for help fixing up her house to put on the market. What was supposed to be 2-3 weeks turned into 2 months. I was without my passwords for SMC and all my emails but one so I was "dark" for the time we were there. We arrived home late Monday night.

We were able to find a live broadcast out of Ft. Myers through YouTube while in CT. Every report looked increasingly worse. Just 24 hours before Irma was predicted to roll right over us, storm surge predictions were 6-9 feet, worst case scenario. We prepared ourselves to be homeless.

Inexplicably, Irma veered a bit to the east as it approached us. The eye passed about 10-15 miles to the east of us. Winds here were estimated to be around 100 MPH as the storm approached but dropped to around 65 by the time we were even with the eye. That's the report we got from our 85 year old neighbor who rode it out. He's an ex-Air Force pilot, so who am I to question?

Unbelievably, our house was undamaged. We didn't even lose a screen panel. I'm still baffled as to how this happened. Next door they lost their entire screen cage that blew up and over their house and landed across the street between the houses. On the other side of us they had water intrusion they contributed to the wind forcing rain water through the cinder block and into the house. Never heard of anything like that before.

The worst damage to the city was losing 15 miles of seawall. The canals drained and with no water to hold the ground back, many failed. Every house on our side of our block had seawall failure, except ours. :confused: The only thing I can contribute as to why our seawall didn't fail is because we regularly maintain it according to city recommendations. Maybe we were just lucky. Some houses are in danger of slab erosion, if we get many more heavy rains.

On our drive back into town we must have seen over a thousand line trucks leaving the state. Some came from as far as Quebec. Driving down I-95 and I-75, we didn't see much tree damage. We thought we'd see trees stripped of leaves but we didn't see any of that. I watched videos of Irma passing through our city and compared them to videos of when Hurricane Charley passed through in 2004. Not even comparable.

My heart goes out to those who took the brunt of these storms. While I hoped we wouldn't lose our home I also was acutely aware wishing it away meant someone else would suffer. We'll be going out for a while helping those who didn't fare as well as we did. And, in time, life will return to normal...

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Julie- glad you made it through. My friend has four huge glass sliding doors on her house and didn't board them up for Irma or Maria- they survived!!!! I was amazed. It's like one house gets destroyed, and another untouched. We were very blessed.

Malcolm- we don't have Natural gas- just LPG. I wouldn't want them to run natural gas lines here. It would be a disaster. Let's just say things don't always follow code here!!!

More lessons learned-
- Keep your tires in good shape. I have (knock on wood) yet to have a puncture. We have 90% plus tread on all our Jeeps. There are nails everywhere, and power lines and cables to drive over everywhere.
- Dual fuel generator- awesome invention. There is no diesel fuel left on the island. Gas is limited. There's tons of LPG. I realize this would probably be different in the US, but this was my situation. I also have a LPG stove and LPG on-demand hot water. It still needs 120 to work, but I can hook it up to the generator and have hot water. I haven't done so because it's so doggoned hot that we are enjoying cold showers.
- I already mentioned getting jerry cans that mount to your vehicle. Once again today the guy at the fuel pump overflowed my gas can and I had to carry it home dripping with fuel. Mounting outside the vehicle is a good thing. They don't let you fuel your own right now- the guy has to do it for you. They are very strict at the gas stations. $30 maximum per vehicle and you stay in the car and pay cash and he fuels. No credit cards.
- Cash is king. 'nuff said


I wish I had pictures downloaded to post here. I kid not- EVERY power line was down after the storm. We are still dodging poles and power lines as we drive, running over downed lines that are now mashed into shreds. It's going to be a long recovery. As Maria approached, we actually prayed that we got hit again and Puerto Rico was spared. PR has been our lifeline. Before Maria we had troops on the ground and helicopters, C130's, and Ospreys flying all over. They all had to pull out for Maria, and after Maria a lot of them got moved to PR. I am hearing that the news is "Look how bad Puerto Rico got hit- isn't it awful... oh, and yeah, the VI got hit too, but look at PR..." That was my fear. I talked to someone in the states who actually thought we would be back to normal in a few weeks. Really? They are going to build a new hospital, TV station, Airport, complete power grid, schools, etc. in a few weeks?

I drove by TuTu Hi-Rise yesterday, which got demolished and is the site where there was a dead body hanging in a tree, and rescuers said it was too dangerous to remove, so they left it there. The entire building is hollow now- you can see from one end to the other. It blew in one side and out the other. People were blown out of their apartments.

There are roofs all over the place. There are solar panels all over. Pro tip: Even if the glass is broken on a solar panel, it may still work. My friend salvaged a bunch of discarded panels, hooked them up to a controller, and has solar power!

The stores have been able to restock due to the harbor now allowing cargo ships, so we do have food. That is not the case for Dominica. I have many friends there and it's very bad there. They don't have the military that we have to step in and save the day. They don't have stores right now- many were damaged or destroyed. People have been robbing the relief vessels, so people have been reluctant to come with supplies. They are stopping short of the beach and making people swim to the boat to get the supplies to prevent being attacked on land. Dominica has some of the friendliest people you will ever meet, and these stories I am getting from cruising friends are very disheartening. I assure you it's not everyone there, but sadly the few ruin it for the masses.

We are safe and surviving. I may actually get power before long because I am downtown and we didn't get much damage. Already they have restored much of downtown. We are running the generator for a couple of hours in the AM and PM. It's so loud, but other than that I can't fault it. It's a Ryobi. I am anything but a fan of Ryobi, but I didn't get a choice in the matter. A friend hooked me up with a boat coming from Puerto Rico and they sold it to me at cost, and didn't charge me for bringing it from PR. I think I already mentioned this- sorry- hurricane brain. I must say- GE makes one heck of a refrigerator. Running it for 4 hours a day has kept everything cold. I'm impressed- it's just a base model. By the way, my neighbor is running his very loud, backfiring generator until after midnight. I have informed him that I'm a good shot, and his generator is within target range from my window. :-)

I have to run, and as I said before, I may be slow to update, but appreciate the comments. It's good to hear from the "outside world."

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Just another little view into my world here- today was the first day Home Depot opened after the storm damage. They had major damages and also had mold and mildew issues to deal with. I arrived at 6AM for the 8AM opening and was number 48 in line. By 8 AM they had about 300 people in line. I didn't get in the door until some time after 9AM. They had all the aisles blocked off, and you had to tell them what you needed and they went and got it for you. Apparently they still have mold issues. One of the items I bought had mildew on it and was damp. It's quite a mess. After all that waiting, they did not have PVC fascia board, which is what I came for- UGH!

Every day you just decide what you need most, and you go get in line for that. Not having Home Depot is really killing me. The smaller hardware stores just don't have what I need. This storm has taken us back about 20 years as far as avialability of items.

I still have not gotten my Veritas Large Plow Plane, but it shows available for pickup as of Sept 25th. My post office was destroyed, but the scan was after that, so I am hoping it is there. They said they are very backed up on getting the notification to you after they scan the box. You have to stand in line and wait and they tell you if you have a package or not. They give you a hand-written slip to give to another person who goes to get he package. I am checking again today- things that I ordered on eBay prior to the storm have just started to show up.

One month without power. It's actually been a great experience- I have kicked my internet habbit, and gotten used to cold showers. I do have a propane on-demand water heater that I can hook up to 110 to have hot water, but it's been so hot that by the end of the day you kind of enjoy a cold shower. I hooked it up so Amy could have her first hot bath in a month. (First HOT bath- not her first bath!) It's kind of like camping out, but you're at home.

[Frederick Skelly]

Glad to hear from you Malcolm. I hope every day gets a little easier.
Fred

[Malcolm McLeod]

...
One month without power.
...

A month without a BORG..?? My house would fall down and SWMBO would think me somehow less. A month without power..?? I know you like the Neader-stuff, but that's just taking it too far. Next thing you'll want a new forum called Australopithecus (I'm assuming rules will be hand-tools only by moonlight only?)

I see many stories about both private and public relief efforts gaining strength, but then see the leadership cat-fights proclaiming someone else is incompetent. ...I'll hope the former are accurate and things are improving there.

Be safe - don't let people get complacent about the 'old' hazards as utility grids get restored.

[Julie Moriarty]

Malcolm, you are making me appreciate the things we often take for granted. We went to the nearest hardwood supplier I know of here and on the way passed through areas that reportedly were hit hard by Irma. We saw one farm that relied on over screens for whatever they grow there and the screens were shredded. Some structures were also down. But other than that, had I not known and been looking for hurricane damage, I would have thought everyone was just trimming trees and piling the trimmings on the roadside. I guess that's the difference between Cat 3 and Cat 5.

Here's to hoping you recover more quickly down there. And here's to hoping this is the end of hurricanes this season. I think we get the point, Mother Nature - you're the boss.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

We are recovering but it's going to be a long haul. This is a sin, but so decided to make the ultimate hurricane proof fascia boards out of cumuru- the sin being I painted the cumuru white. It was painful, but natural didn't match the house. So I did the third coat this morning before church and was going to hang them after church. There was this one black cloud in the distance but I figured I was safe. Well 10 minutes after painting there was a deluge of rain. Notice the white paint flowing down the drain.

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[Malcolm Schweizer]

Security at Home Depot
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[Malcolm Schweizer]

Please share this since the media has already forgotten us. At the beginning, the building with the trashed roof is where we used to buy groceries.

http://viconsortium.com/featured/watch-an-aerial-view-of-hurricane-irmas-devastation-on-st-thomas/

[Malcolm Schweizer]

A number of folks have said they were following this, so I will post another update. Tomorrow marks eight weeks since the first storm, and eight weeks now without power. Only certain areas have power. The airport has power, but air cargo on the opposite side of the airport doesnt. ????? Life without power is not that terrible. I have a gas stove, and a small generator. I turn the generator on in the evening and sometimes in the morning to keep the fridge cool and charge the Milwaukee batteries. Seriously- does anyone know anybody at Milwaukee? They could do a commercial based on me. haha. I write at night by candle and/or Milwaukee LED. I am writing a lot more now that I do not have power. I write by hand rather than type. I may publish a book that it totally written by hand- as-is with no editing. I think that would be novel- pun intended.

We have two K-Marts on the island. One was damaged badly. The other survived. After so much rain not just from the hurricanes but from three or four (I lose count) tropical waves, the other KMart flooded in the basement. The "big KMart" as we call it, that was damaged, was then opened up, and everything was covered in mold. They marked stuff down only 10%. Pills were taken out of the box and sold in plastic bags. It was crazy. On the other end of the spectrum, Home Depot destroyed their entire inventory. Apparently the insurance company wrote the whole thing off and they were told to destroy it. People are very upset because yes- some things can't be sold with mold, but how about toilets? Tile? Faucets? Word is that by law if it's written off then they can't just sell it or it is double-dipping. A lot of folks are upset watching pallet after pallet fill their parking lot and being destroyed and put into dumpsters.

Right now there are two lumber yards functioning, and one mom & pop hardware store. The mom & pop store is owned by nice folks, but the prices are insane. Yes- I know they need to make a living, but they are selling D batteries for $3 each. AA for $2 each. (multi-packs, but if you divide the price by number of batteries). 5 gallon gas cans are selling for $79. Come on!!!! I need a weatherhead and they have been out for weeks. I am about to go by and see if they have gotten them in. They were unloading a trailer this morning and said they were supposed to be in there somewhere.

Today for the first time curfew was removed. It has been on for eight weeks. Last week Gov Mapp changed curfew to 11PM- the latest it has been- so people can watch the baseball games at their favorite sports bars. I guess that went well enough, so he lifted curfew completely. I am not real happy with that. We still have poles hanging on major roads- HANGING from the wires- broken at the base- literally hanging over traffic. Not one or two- more like 20 or more poles in this state. Crews have come from all over to repair and replace them, but they are going one by one rather than fix the worst ones that are a hazard. We have to dodge poles, washed out roads, wires, and debris. It's not very safe at night with no streetlights. I am staying home after dark except we went out one night just to get out of the house. It was weird driving at night after 8 weeks of not doing so.

My office still does not have power. I am working from borrowed offices. I have internet at home if I fire up the jenny, but it's so noisy, and gas is precious. I prefer to go somewhere else and borrow their power and use their A/C.

I took a trip to Tortola. You can't imagine the damages . I'll try to add a picture. There were cars blown up into the bush hundreds of feet. One of our vehicles over there had a double oven blown from some home and landed into the windshield of the van. The nearest home is blocks away. How???? How does that happen? 200mph winds- that's how. I also went and for the first time since the storms saw my best friend and "copirate" in St. John. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing my favorite island and old stomping ground... well.... getting stomped. Houses were blown off their foundations completely. Although most of the island has regrown leaves and become green again, there was a swath through the bush in St. John that was still barren- every single tree dead except a few had small sprouts. Mahogany everywhere, by the way. Also a Banyon tree blew over and was cut up by someone. The wood looks like a deep red mahogany. I may swing by and cut some of that and play around with it. Banyons are the trees where the whole thing is made of a bunch of roots- the roots grow down from the branches- prop roots. Do you know what it takes to blow one over? Apparently around 200mph winds. I have never before seen one blow over. The prop roots make them very strong.

We are hand washing everything and hanging it out to dry. Clothes are a little crispy despite using fabric softener. Amy is liking it- she says it is a great workout. She's looking pretty hot, by the way. My wife was already very fit and her "post Irmaria" body is rockin. Hey- I can brag. I love her more than anything in the world. I love her as much in the dark as I do in the light, i.e. she's a hottie, but I would still love her if she were ugly. We survived together. There is a bond that has formed that nothing could break.

Surviving. That's what we are doing.... but we are ok. Stores have food. Things are hard to get, but we are getting them. It's just going to take time. Oh, by the way, I am president of the St. Thomas Historical Trust, (volunteer work- not my "real" job) and I am happy to say all the historic furniture and artifacts survived. The museum flooded, but the furniture was put up and is safe. We are dealing with mold and that's a mess, but everything is going to be OK.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thank you for the updates Malcolm! I find your posts terribly interesting and I can only imagine what it was like to survive what you did!

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the update....very much appreciated!

[John K Jordan]

Incredible. I read every word you write. There is no mention of any of this in the newspaper I read, nothing even about the continuing power outage. (I don't watch TV so I don't know if they are still reporting) It's like, "Oh that was ages ago, here's some real news, the latest scandal."

Shame on Home Depot's insurance company you mentioned. Seems like the decent thing to do would have been to clean out the store and for the insurance company to somehow donate all those things to rebuilding, or at least patching things up a little.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

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Incredible. I read every word you write. There is no mention of any of this in the newspaper I read, nothing even about the continuing power outage. (I don't watch TV so I don't know if they are still reporting) It's like, "Oh that was ages ago, here's some real news, the latest scandal."

Shame on Home Depot's insurance company you mentioned. Seems like the decent thing to do would have been to clean out the store and for the insurance company to somehow donate all those things to rebuilding, or at least patching things up a little.

JKJ

We all knew when Puerto Rico got hit that we would take a back seat in the news reports. That said- Puerto Rico saved our butts after Irma and we owe them a lot- so no hate- many friends there. I just wish the news reported about our situation.

Here are a few shots.
By the way, that house was blown off the foundation- and there are a number like that.
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[John K Jordan]

Without reports like yours we can't possibly imagine how people are getting along, even with simple things like schools for the kids.

The brother of a friend of mine had to bring his family here after his houses was destroyed - his sister enrolled the kids in a local elementary school while the dad works to rebuild. I haven't talked to her in a couple weeks but at least for a while the brother was even unable to get back to the property due to airline/airport issues.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good day all: Thanks for the well-wishes. Folks have asked me for an update, so here is the status as of today-

I still don't have power- 97 days and counting- but 55% of the island is restored, and they are saying that 80% is the goal to be restored by Christmas. Here is the kicker- I am at the end of one feeder, and the street light next to my house is at the end of another feeder. That light is on- and just to rub it in- it stays on all day! UGH!!! So at least I have the light shining through my window. Unfortunately, there is a lot of work to be done to my feeder, and they said that they can't get the trucks up my hill because of the narrow streets, so they are going to have to do it with a ladder. Translation: They ain't coming any time soon!

Just a reminder- one of our biggest grocery stores got completely wiped out, and also Home Depot had all their inventory damaged and are having to rebuild. The store that was wiped out will have to rebuild from ground up, and it will be a year and a half before it is complete. In fact, they don't appear to have even started yet. Home Depot is open, but only the lumber, paint, and lawn and garden aisles are open, as well as the main aisle when you walk in. The main aisle has been stocked with things people buy most- screws, Bull Bond, some power tools, and other items. They won't be fully stocked and reopen until some time next year- hopefully January, but maybe later.

There was an advertisement for help wanted at the theater, so it appears they are planning to reopen soon. That will be nice to have something to do. We are kind of stir crazy here- especially our 4-year-old. All the things we did with her are gone- the Children's Museum, the movie theater, the playground, the water park- all damaged. It will be nice to be able to take her to a movie.

This week I'm getting a "100" cake for 100 days without power, and we are going to celebrate. Unfortunately, I have now contracted "hand, foot, and mouth," which is the worst virus ever to be bestowed upon any human being. I look like I have leopracy. I have sores INSIDE my ears and nose. Seriously- this is almost comical- what's next? DON'T ANSWER THAT!!!! For the next 5 days or so I am quarrantined to the house, which has no power- ha!!!

There are 800 linemen from the US helping us, and if you know any of them, please tell them we appreciate them more than ever. They brought in (literally) shiploads of trucks to help out. They backed a ship up to the cruise ship dock and it was full of bucket trucks and pole setting trucks with big claws on them for putting poles up.

The stores are restocked, but only one K-Mart is open- the other one was badly damaged. The problem is that K-Mart is our one big stateside store. We also have PriceSmart, which is a membership warehouse store. Our K-Mart is the largest grossing K-Mart of them all. They enjoy the fact that we have nowhere else to shop! Well the "Big KMart" was destroyed, and the "Littel KMart" (That's what we call them) is having to fill the gap. They don't have as much floor space. They have squished as many pallets of merchandise as possible in there. Next thing ya know, THAT KMart started to flood in the downstairs and closed for a few days. Fortunately, they got it back open.

I have all new gutters now- and I put them up all by myself. I'm pretty proud of that, because I had to also put up fascia boards. I used Cumuru, which is so hard that I had to use self-tapping screws to put the clips in for the gutters. (Plastmo 5" half-round gutter system) Holding a cumuru board in one hand and drilling with the other is no fun, but my gutters are now the most solid gutters on the planet- cumuru fascia boards with stainless steel 3" tapcons set into masonry, and gutter clips every 18" instead of 24". They are glued and then for added measure caulked with 3M 5200. I'm so happy to have that project out of the way.

Now I am actually organizing my workshop and have ordered some slatwall and am also building a small closet to hide... I mean STORE... things in. I have to get this shop in order so I can work on the next project- build new shutters and front door. They are old and I don't think they will make it through another storm.

There is only ONE hotel that is partially open. All hotels were badly damaged. They are saying that Mariott Vacation Club (timeshare) is going to reopen in February, but that it will be over a year before the main property is open. Similar reports from other hotels- a year or more. Caneel Bay in St. John was wiped out completely and I don't think they are going to rebuild. The Westin Resort in St. John is going to be at least a year before they reopen. This is killing St. John more than St. Thomas. St. Thomas at least gets cruise ships. St. John depended very much on the hotels there. It's going to be very rough. My friends who have lived there 30 years have left island and may not return.

Keep us in your prayers, but we are strong and surviving. Things are bouncing back. The orchids are blooming again, and the island is green again.

[Malcolm McLeod]

... 97 days and counting...

... the street light next to my house is at the end of another feeder. That light is on- and just to rub it in- it stays on all day!.....


At 100 days, I am going on record advocating the Moderators establish the Australopithecus forum. Mr. Schweizer and Lucy (the fossil) are currently the only ones allowed to post!

(Were it me, I might have to splice into the street light..?:cool:)

Hang in there man. It can only get better, I hope.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

At 100 days, I am going on record advocating the Moderators establish the Australopithecus forum. Mr. Schweizer and Lucy (the fossil) are currently the only ones allowed to post!

(Were it me, I might have to splice into the street light..?:cool:)

Hang in there man. It can only get better, I hope.


I literally laughed out loud! By the way, there are some hot splices I have seen around the island, but I am not going to die for power. The thought has crossed my mind a few times.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the update and keep your chin up!!

[John K Jordan]

Malcolm, you sound like an incredibly strong, resilient, and very positive person. I realize many people would just make the best of the situation but I can't help imagining the social collapse around here if millions of people who take their easy lives for granted were suddenly thrust into similar conditions. There might be widespread looting, robbery, and chaos. Some would probably have mental breakdowns if simply deprived of their daily dose of TV.

Any pictures you can share are appreciated. In fact, I have room on my prayer wall for a people photo. (actually it's a steel door in my shop; I can hold things with magnets!)

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Malcolm, you sound like an incredibly strong, resilient, and very positive person. I realize many people would just make the best of the situation but I can't help imagining the social collapse around here if millions of people who take their easy lives for granted were suddenly thrust into similar conditions. There might be widespread looting, robbery, and chaos. Some would probably have mental breakdowns if simply deprived of their daily dose of TV.

Any pictures you can share are appreciated. In fact, I have room on my prayer wall for a people photo. (actually it's a steel door in my shop; I can hold things with magnets!)

JKJ

I greatly appreciate the thoughts. I guess it is safe to post a family pic here. Also found some of my hurricane signs- one of which made the Washington Post. Photo taken in front of St. Thomas Reformed Church, which fed thousands of people and gave out supplies daily after the storms. They gave everyone who volunteered shirts, and we were really proud of them because they remind us of the coming together after the storms. Me and my two troopers. They are tough.

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[Julie Moriarty]

So nice to meet the Schweizer family. :) Thanks for sharing.


By the way, there are some hot splices I have seen around the island, but I am not going to die for power. The thought has crossed my mind a few times.

I would be one of those tapping into whatever power there is.

I don't know how you're doing it Malcolm. I certainly admire your resilience. The report about the lineman trucks rolling off the ship gives one a pretty good how dire the situation is down there. Here's to hoping they get your power up soon. You're doing better than most of us would!

[John K Jordan]

I greatly appreciate the thoughts. I guess it is safe to post a family pic here. Also found some of my hurricane signs- one of which made the Washington Post. Photo taken in front of St. Thomas Reformed Church, which fed thousands of people and gave out supplies daily after the storms. They gave everyone who volunteered shirts, and we were really proud of them because they remind us of the coming together after the storms. Me and my two troopers. They are tough.


Beautiful family!! Your story reminds me a bit of another family and another hard situation for some small children, 6 and younger. The mother and three little kids were left homeless by an uncaring father, the four of them living for a year in a 10x10 room in the basement of a kind family and sharing one bathroom upstairs. They finally got help with an apartment, with food and such. During the next years I spent a lot of time with the kids and watched how they learned to deal with things. The whole thing was a terribly hard time but guess what - today, 10 years later, the mother and kids are stronger than most, healthy, happy, excelling at school and sports, always a positive outlook on life. It seems that after that experience no problem is too big for them, every obstacle is met as a challenge to be solved not something to worry or get upset about. Instead of acting like they are entitled like many lazy teens, these kids are all hard workers and seem to truly appreciate even the tiniest blessings. When I think of your little girl living through this time I suspect she will grow up to be one outstandingly amazing person!

I've printed the picture and will put it on the shop door in the morning. (It's eye-catchingly colorful too. :))

BTW, here is the youngest of the three kids I mentioned, helping me change a tire on the bobcat. (He actually rolled the mounted tire into place by himself, lubed the threads, started the nuts, and snugged them up) He helped around the farm every Friday. Good fun!
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JKJ

[Frederick Skelly]

Glad you're doing OK Malcolm. Keep on keepin' on brudda!
Fred

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I don't know if it's coincidence, but the day after John Jordan put my pic on his prayer wall, the WAPA guys showed up on my street to do an assessment. They told me they were just assessing what needs to be done, and that they didn't know if they could get their truck up the hill with all the cars, but we all gave them our cell phones to call us and we will GLADLY move our cars!!! I might be on the "before Christmas" list after all.

John- you have some direct connection to God or something? :D

[John K Jordan]

I don't know if it's coincidence, but the day after John Jordan put my pic on his prayer wall, the WAPA guys showed up on my street to do an assessment. They told me they were just assessing what needs to be done, and that they didn't know if they could get their truck up the hill with all the cars, but we all gave them our cell phones to call us and we will GLADLY move our cars!!! I might be on the "before Christmas" list after all.

John- you have some direct connection to God or something? :D

Ha! We ALL do. Just have to find it. :)

Fantastic news!

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I had a cake made to celebrate 100 days without power. I also made a pirate toast to go with it:
Here's to no power
For 100 long days, and many long hours.
It gave us warm refrigerators and cold showers.
So now this cake we shall devour!!!!
(Arrrrrr)

Toast was made with Schweizersurf champagne glasses gifted us by our co-pirates and dear friends Jeff and Laurie for a wedding present. They only come out for the most special occasions. (Edit: I was referring to the champagne glasses, but come to think of it, Jeff and Laurie only come out for special occasions too!)

373911373912

[Jim Becker]

A truly worthy celebration! (What's not to like about cake and champagne? :D )

[Malcolm Schweizer]

374710We flew to the states for Christmas. This morning my neighbor posted this picture. That's my house!!! They say poles first day, lines the next, and then you get power. My weatherhead is disconnected (had to have a damaged one repaired) but the certification letter is zip tied to the meter box in a plastic sleeve, and a notarized copy was delivered by hand to WAPA. Let's just hope they hook it up like they are supposed to. :-)

374710

[John K Jordan]

THAT looks promising!!

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Malcolm,

I am glad you were able to celebrate! Please continue your posts as you can about your hurricane recovery. There are some things in life you can learn through personal experience or from those who are experiencing them. I find you posts so educational and interesting!

Wishing you the best in the upcoming New Year!

[Jim Becker]

Wow...that's great news, Malcolm!!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

It is confirmed- WE HAVE POWER!!!! 113 days. I'm considering getting a tattoo that says, "5 + 5 = 113" but I would get sick of explaining what it meant! I am still in Tennessee this week visiting family, but my neighbor confirmed that my meter is lit. I have the main breaker off so that no appliances fry while I am gone. I will check everything, and also will install some surge suppressors that I bought prior to throwing the switch and having (insert trumpet sound here) ELECTRICITY!!!

On a side note, and yes, I have said this before- I'm just amazed at all the homes that have huge garages and workshops here. It almost would make it worth withstanding this bitter cold every winter. ... almost.... but not quite!!! You guys are nuts. No wonder you get so much woodworking done during the winter.

I am redoing my workshop and have the lighting taken out right now, so when I get home I have to rewire the new lights so I can get back to working in more than just flashlight! Lots to do when I get home. My friends who recently got power have all said that you suddenly realize how dirty your house is when the lights come on. My shop is a total mess because I was building a new closet and putting up slatwall (thread soon to come about my new slatwall organized shop) and I can only imagine how much dust will show up when the lights are on.

[Frederick Skelly]

Great news! Congrats!

Bet you'll like the slatwall.
Fred

[John K Jordan]

It is confirmed- WE HAVE POWER!!!! ... I am still in Tennessee this week visiting family...

On a side note, and yes, I have said this before- I'm just amazed at all the homes that have huge garages and workshops here. It almost would make it worth withstanding this bitter cold every winter. ... almost.... but not quite!!! You guys are nuts. No wonder you get so much woodworking done during the winter.


Good news on the power!!

What end of TN are you visiting? I was talking with a friend the other day and his brother in law was just heading back to the Virgin Islands yesterday (I forget exactly where) after visiting a bit. His two kids have been here since the storm hit and will probably finish out the school year while he works on rebuilding his dive/tee shirt shop. I saw a photo - his house is just plain gone, a flat lot. (He was on low ground a block from the water)

Bitter cold??! You should go to Minnesota or Wisconsin or [gasp] Canada. I grew up in Pennsylvania and compared to even that TN is balmy. The winter is short and the temperatures are well above freezing much of the time. The middle of the summer is almost worse since the humidity is high. I put heat and air conditioning in my shop and it's comfortable all year. I do get far more shop time in the winter but not from the temperature but because the farm and garden take up much of the rest of the year. I worked out of a tiny space for a long time but built a 24x62 shop a few years ago.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good news on the power!!

What end of TN are you visiting? I was talking with a friend the other day and his brother in law was just heading back to the Virgin Islands yesterday (I forget exactly where) after visiting a bit. His two kids have been here since the storm hit and will probably finish out the school year while he works on rebuilding his dive/tee shirt shop. I saw a photo - his house is just plain gone, a flat lot. (He was on low ground a block from the water)

Bitter cold??! You should go to Minnesota or Wisconsin or [gasp] Canada. I grew up in Pennsylvania and compared to even that TN is balmy. The winter is short and the temperatures are well above freezing much of the time. The middle of the summer is almost worse since the humidity is high. I put heat and air conditioning in my shop and it's comfortable all year. I do get far more shop time in the winter but not from the temperature but because the farm and garden take up much of the rest of the year. I worked out of a tiny space for a long time but built a 24x62 shop a few years ago.

JKJ

I am in Memphis this week. I always seem to bring a cold snap when I come. For once I would like to come when it is warm. I went to KC to visit my brother in May and went to Handworks. It sleeted- in May!

Was your friend's brother in law in St. Thomas? One dive shop I know of got leveled. I mean not a twig left.

[Jim Becker]

That's great news, Malcolm!!!! So happy to hear you have power back to your property! Safe travels and happy new year!

[John K Jordan]

Was your friend's brother in law in St. Thomas? One dive shop I know of got leveled. I mean not a twig left.

I'll send a note and ask him. (He's a busy veterinarian so we don't get much time to chat!) I tried to find the photo to show you but after an exhaustive search I think I don't have a copy - he must have showed it to me on his phone. Seems like the ocean was to the right, then a row of buildings, then a row of what used to be thickly leaved trees, then his lot. The trees were stripped bare and his lot looked like a flat beach with debris. He's evidently finally gotten some insurance money and is working on rebuilding the store first (maybe to get back into business), then the house. I haven't met him but I did meet his kids at the vet clinic (right across the fence from their temporary school!). We can be so thankful we have family when disaster hits.

I'll bet there are stories like that all over the islands.

JKJ

[Julie Moriarty]

It is confirmed- WE HAVE POWER!!!! 113 days. I'm considering getting a tattoo that says, "5 + 5 = 113" but I would get sick of explaining what it meant! I am still in Tennessee this week visiting family, but my neighbor confirmed that my meter is lit. I have the main breaker off so that no appliances fry while I am gone. I will check everything, and also will install some surge suppressors that I bought prior to throwing the switch and having (insert trumpet sound here) ELECTRICITY!!!
Hip Hip Hooray!!!!


On a side note, and yes, I have said this before- I'm just amazed at all the homes that have huge garages and workshops here. It almost would make it worth withstanding this bitter cold every winter. ... almost.... but not quite!!! You guys are nuts. No wonder you get so much woodworking done during the winter.
When we moved to Florida and I saw the laid back attitude here, I realized why so much gets done up north - in the winter, there's nothing else to do but work!

[Tom Stenzel]

It is confirmed- WE HAVE POWER!!!! 113 days. I'm considering getting a tattoo that says, "5 + 5 = 113" but I would get sick of explaining what it meant! I am still in Tennessee this week visiting family, but my neighbor confirmed that my meter is lit. I have the main breaker off so that no appliances fry while I am gone. I will check everything, and also will install some surge suppressors that I bought prior to throwing the switch and having (insert trumpet sound here) ELECTRICITY!!!

Glad to hear that Malcolm!

Listening to the radio, two days ago on the national syndicated news there was a story about how slow the progress has been restoring the power in the Virgin Islands. Like 1/3 of the homes have power now. They didn't go into what the problems are like lack of materials. Or that with everything gone it just takes a lot of time starting from scratch. Hope to hear that your compatriots get power soon.

-Tom

[John K Jordan]

...1/3 of the homes have power now. They didn't go into what the problems are like lack of materials. Or that with everything gone it just takes a lot of time starting from scratch.

A friend of mine flew down to help for a week or so. He said in the area he was working in all the electrical poles were gone.

JKJ

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Glad to hear that Malcolm!

Listening to the radio, two days ago on the national syndicated news there was a story about how slow the progress has been restoring the power in the Virgin Islands. Like 1/3 of the homes have power now. They didn't go into what the problems are like lack of materials. Or that with everything gone it just takes a lot of time starting from scratch. Hope to hear that your compatriots get power soon.

-Tom

It is much better than 1/3, but still a long way to go. They have done an amazing job rewiring STT and STX from scratch. Due to Puerto Rico, Florida, and Houston, there has been a nationwide shortage of transformers, so they were wiring poles and waiting on transformers. A ship recently came in with them. There are 800 linemen working and literally boatloads of equipment. They brought in hundreds of brand new trucks for setting poles and bucket trucks.

After Marilyn in 1995 they apparently set poles quickly at less than optimal depths. I have heard many linemen say poles were found set only 2 feet deep. Just about every pole was down, leaning, or damaged after the storms. I would say greater than 80%, and really want to say 90%. I think it is amazing how far they have come in 4 months. Poles are set and wired properly, and I feel like we would do a whole lot better if a similar storm hit after this.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

375057

A thousand words.

[John K Jordan]

A thousand words.

Queue the hallelujah chorus.

[Jim Becker]

I'm sure that fixture let out a sigh of relief! (Or maybe that was the homeowner... :D )

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I'm sure that fixture let out a sigh of relief! (Or maybe that was the homeowner... :D )

Better than the fan that was literally dripping water during the first storm- it was stuck. I gave it a push and it started spinning, but with a horrible grinding noise. No surprises there. We knew it would be toast, hence I very carefully turned it on as I monitored it.

[Jim Becker]

Yea, I'm sure that there are going to be a number of things that are good candidates for replacement rather than trying to baby them back to working "correctly"...nature of the beast and "nature". :)

[Jim Koepke]

Great to hear things are progressing. Heck, we had our power go out for ~24 hours and it was nothing compared to your ordeal.

jtk

[lowell holmes]

It is Sunday Morning, January 7, 2018. I just returned from my daily morning walk on Oak Hollow Street in Dickinson, Texas. It is dry, and our house has been repaired.
A neighbor's house across the street has been repaired as well. My oldest, being a contractor finished repairing the house. We had to remove sheet rock on walls and ceilings and replace it.
New insulation was put in as well. We had 33 inches of water. There is a water line on the brick. I will scrub it off sometime.

I wakened at 3 AM in bed and I was wet.

Thing are good. One of my grand son's is here practicing his piano He is in the fourth grade. He lives 5 minutes from us. My wife has been taking him to
weekly piano lessons for two years.

Things are back to normal and life is good. Our lesson learned is that recovery is possible. It may take a while, but it will happen.:)

[Malcolm Schweizer]

It is Sunday Morning, January 7, 2018. I just returned from my daily morning walk on Oak Hollow Street in Dickinson, Texas. It is dry, and our house has been repaired.
A neighbor's house across the street has been repaired as well. My oldest, being a contractor finished repairing the house. We had to remove sheet rock on walls and ceilings and replace it.
New insulation was put in as well. We had 33 inches of water. There is a water line on the brick. I will scrub it off sometime.

I wakened at 3 AM in bed and I was wet.

Thing are good. One of my grand son's is here practicing his piano He is in the fourth grade. He lives 5 minutes from us. My wife has been taking him to
weekly piano lessons for two years.

Things are back to normal and life is good. Our lesson learned is that recovery is possible. It may take a while, but it will happen.:)


From my damaged home to yours, I sincerely give you my deepest regrets for what you have had to go through. Our museum downtown where I volunteer was completely flooded, and I know what an awful mess that can be. I was amazed how well it bounced back. You were wise to remove sheetrock and insulation. Happy to hear your positive attitude. Believe me I know the importance of that, and how these storms bring you to realize what is really important around you- i.e. family and friends, and not stuff.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Someone shared this story from an Atlanta TV station regarding Home Depot destroying their entire inventory. It is a real sore spot with locals. I was told that their insurance company made them do it, and blamed the insurance company, but their statement seems to suggest that they made the decision on their own. I personally saw this- their entire back lot was full of items being destroyed before going to the dump. They said mold caused liability concerns and they chose to destroy everything. They are still not fully open- all the back rows of aisles are closed. They gutted the store and literally destroyed the entire inventory. They had crews in the back lot sledge hammering stuff before it went to the dump.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/2-investigates/home-depot-destroys-1-million-pounds-of-supplies-in-wake-of-hurricane/691725218

This is a tough one. I can't boycott them because I need them. The locally owned Ace Hardware sure didn't do me any favors- charging $3 each for D-Cell batteries, and $79 for a 5 gallon plastic gas can. They (Ace Hardware) were the only store open after the storms. Also after waiting in line 1 hour to get in, they refused to let me bring my 4-year-old daughter in the store and wanted me to leave her at the door. I raised nine kinds of heck and they finally let me bring her in but I had to carry her on my shoulders. She was not allowed to walk. Apparently 4-year-old girls are really big security threats. So Ace isn't really on my good side either. Other than the local lumber yard, which was awesome after the storms, that's my only choices. The lumber yard only sells building supplies like lumber and roofing- no tools, paint, or hardware.

Ironically, I'm headed to HD in the morning to take advantage of a deal on a saw. They are the only game in town if you want a table saw. The only other option is pay to ship one down, which for the smallest portable saw would cost me $150 or more.

By the way, they mention in the above article that Walgreens donated their damaged goods to the Salvation Army. This is 100% true. I sit on the advisory board for the local Salvation Army. They received pallets of goods from Walgreens. Yay Walgreens!

[Julie Moriarty]

Someone shared this story from an Atlanta TV station regarding Home Depot destroying their entire inventory. It is a real sore spot with locals. I was told that their insurance company made them do it, and blamed the insurance company, but their statement seems to suggest that they made the decision on their own. I personally saw this- their entire back lot was full of items being destroyed before going to the dump. They said mold caused liability concerns and they chose to destroy everything.
Somewhere in that mix is probably lawyers pointing out liability issues that could arise out of selling inventory possibly tainted with mold. During my years in construction, I saw the working environment change (for the better) because of rising insurance premiums. The contractors told us they were concerned about our well being but in the 8 years I had left the field to work in the office it was obvious it was the cost of insurance and company lawyers advising CEOs it was cheaper to provide a safe work place than it was to face potential lawsuits.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Somewhere in that mix is probably lawyers pointing out liability issues that could arise out of selling inventory possibly tainted with mold. During my years in construction, I saw the working environment change (for the better) because of rising insurance premiums. The contractors told us they were concerned about our well being but in the 8 years I had left the field to work in the office it was obvious it was the cost of insurance and company lawyers advising CEOs it was cheaper to provide a safe work place than it was to face potential lawsuits.

I blame our litigious society more than I blame HD or their insurance company, but it sucked as I scrounged for items to fix shutters and roofs and gutters while they threw it away.

...and then there's the Budweiser super bowl commercial saluting disaster victims in California, Texas, and Puerto Rico. Um... ahem... Did we forget someone?

[Malcolm Schweizer]

As I sit on my porch admiring the blue water and green islands, it’s almost hard to believe what we went through. The island has very much bounced back. Anyone without power are ones that didn’t fix their weatherhead or had damages that made power unsafe. Now the issue is all the “blue roofs” that still have tarps on them. Most folks here get water off their roof. I did for 12 years before I moved downtown, where there is city water. (Only downtown has it). So we have some ways to go, but we are “VI Strong”. I was just looking out thinking of these things and wanted to say thanks for all the well wishes, thoughts, and prayers. Yes- we needed thoughts and prayers! Please keep Tortola in your prayers. They are still struggling. Many friends there still without power. Puerto Rico as well.

Many sailboats in Charlotte Amalie Harbor dodging the 18 foot seas from the Nor’easter you guys had. We had huge breakers on the north side, but south is flat as a flitter.

380674380675

[Julie Moriarty]

Glad to hear things are returning to normal, Malcolm. Many of my IBEW brothers and sisters are working in PR to get the power distribution lines back to normal. In some areas, every power pole had to be replaced.

Though we didn't get nearly the hit you did, there are still some roofs here with blue tarps. Let's hope Mother Nature has a restful upcoming summer.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Good day all: A year ago today, I was making the final preparations for what would be one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic. Never could I have imagined that shortly after we survived that one, another would make a second near direct hit. It is amazing that it's been only a year. It seems like forever ago. I went from Sept 6th to Dec 28th without power. I learned to make a meal out of Vienna Sausages. It was a wild ride.

There are still numerous homes with "blue roofs" (tarps) and a lot of homes still damaged as we enter the worst part of hurricane season. The store where I used to do the majority of my grocery shopping, Cost-U-Less, is now an empty lot- completely leveled. Caneel Bay resort is completely gone. Westin has still not opened. Ritz Carlton, Sugar Bay, Marriott- all still closed, except Mariott opened the Vacation Club timeshares. Only boutique hotels are open. This helped the Air B&B folks out, but also it drove up rent prices considerably; especially in St. John. Everyone converted long-term rentals into Air B&B rentals, and apartment prices have skyrocketed. I'm blessed to have bought a home.

The harbor is almost empty of boats- seems many more people left this year for hurricane season. Grenada is packed with boats all trying to get below the magic 12 degree mark. Streets are quite empty this year- I can get to Home Depot in record time!!! I guess that's a plus. Our airport is still being repaired and has no A/C in the waiting area. AA has cancelled morning flights ever since the storms because the only hotel available is not approved by the pilot union. This has been a big impact on my frequent travels. It has also put a big dent in our economy, but we have bounced back amazingly well. Many restaurants open and actually doing very well. Downtown merchants are not doing as well- they depended very much on hotel guests. Cruise ship passengers don't typically spend as much on jewelry, which is the main commodity downtown.

They cut down the mahogany trees in front of the Legislature Building. I only wish I had a portable mill!!! They are gorgeous. Much fewer mangoes this year, as many trees were damaged, but mango trees actually kind of seem to like adverse conditions. Hog plums are coming back. I have not seen any kids selling genips (little fruits that grow on a very large local tree) this year. I don't think they have bounced back yet. There are still empty swaths on St. John where tornadoes cut through the bush.

Considering what we went through, I feel we are doing very well. Once the hotels open again things will be much better, but that is at least a year away for Ritz and Westin, and nobody knows about Marriott- word is the property was sold. It doesn't appear they have even started restoration of the hotel.

There are still two people missing: One is a homeless individual that our church was assisting. We saw her after Irma, but she has not been heard from after Maria. It is possible that she took one of the mercy ships off island after the storm, although her family has not heard from her. Another person missing is Hanna Upp, an individual who suffers from a condition that causes amnesia when she undergoes stressful situations. She has gone missing before for months, so there is a possibility that she took a mercy ship and is in Puerto Rico or the US and is still suffering from amnesia. Her mother has moved here to look for her, and I ask that you keep her in your prayers. I can't imagine what that is like to not know if your child is alive or not, and if alive, whether she is ok or not.

Again I say thank you for all the thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes.

[Bruce Page]

Happy to hear that the recovery is progressing, albeit slowly after Irma & Maria. The drone video of the aftermath was painful to watch. Keep the faith and get that Whaler in the water!

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Happy to hear that the recovery is progressing, albeit slowly after Irma & Maria. The drone video of the aftermath was painful to watch. Keep the faith and get that Whaler in the water!

Thanks, Bruce. Got the final quote from Boulter Plywood and ordering all the wood tomorrow. Centerboard is on the way. Exciting and scary- exciting to be building this boat (finally) and scary to spend this much $ for a pile of wood and a chunk of metal!!!!

[Bill Dufour]

Sorry to hear about Cost-u-Less. I like that store, right next to Orchard Supply Hardware which will close by year end. we live about 50 miles from the only one on the mainland USA. We stop on our way to the mountains every month or so.
Bill D

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Sorry to hear about Cost-u-Less. I like that store, right next to Orchard Supply Hardware which will close by year end. we live about 50 miles from the only one on the mainland USA. We stop on our way to the mountains every month or so.
Bill D

I miss what I called the "random aisle of crap" which had anything from a 5HP air compressor to pool floaties to just anything they got a good deal on. You just never knew what would show up on the random aisle of crap. They also had good prices on groceries.

[Frederick Skelly]

I'm glad you and the island are recovering Malcolm.
Fred

[Jim Koepke]

May it only get better, glad to hear an uplifting report from the island.

jtk

[Dave Zellers]

I miss what I called the "random aisle of crap"
I wish everyone, myself included, had access to a random isle of crap. As long as it is cheap.:D Matching up folks who have a need, with leftover crap that will be useful to them, is not an insignificant thing.

But really why I wanted to respond was to applaud your survival. I wish you didn't have to endure that, But you did, and you did it well.

We are getting better at moving supplies to distressed areas but a positive attitude and basic survival skills will always be smart skills to develop.

I was always struck by your positive attitude after the initial shock of the frightening disaster.