Hurricane Helene

[sgtsandman]

The VFW isn't doing anything directly, though there is a benefit drive that another group is doing. They offered the banquet hall rent-free for the event. Every little bit helps and the hall is pretty big. I hope it gets packed to maximum occupancy.

 

[Rick W]

A roundabout update

I just found out that one of our guys in North Carolina is a volunteer fireman in Jersey. I don’t know much about it, but I guess some guys have to actually sit in the fire house to drive the trucks while the other guys come from wherever they are when there is a fire. He’s one of those driver guys. A retired volunteer driver guy is sitting in for his shifts in the firehouse until he returns.

The first guys’s wife had a minor honey fix this emergency, and called the volunteer driver guy. They’re all friends. The volunteer driver guy got a third guy to go over his/her house and deal with the problem. They got a fourth volunteer to go to KFC and bring over a couple buckets of chicken. I haven’t seen it yet, but I’m sure I/we are going to be paying for that chicken, which is fine with me.

My point is, those who serve, serve. They don’t think about it, they just go. I’m incredibly proud to be associated with these guys. I think one of my earlier messages, in my typically twisty way of communicating, was misunderstood a little bit, but if you’re not one who serves, and you want to, just ask someone who does serve, who’s going to “it,” whatever “it” is.

It’s one of the reasons I like this group. It seems to be almost all of you.

You’ll learn quick. It’s infectious. It’s American.

 

[John97]

Lost a roof shingle or two during Helene. DIdn't lose power or anything. During Milton, we lost power for around 24 hours. I have a 10K dual-fuel generator, so we didn't lose food or anything.

 

[Rick W]

I/we have been talking to the sheriffs down here, and some sheriffs up in North Carolina on what we can do without interfering with bigger efforts. Access has opened up enough now, so we are sending two service trucks with two men apiece from NJ, loaded with tools and mostly electrical supplies, but also some plumbing and hardware stuff. Our target will be fixing stuff that isn’t damaged that badly, we can’t tackle power poles, and such. These guys will be set up with food and camping gear so they don’t burden other relief efforts. We’re committing them for three weeks.

And @Uncle Gump won’t like this….

Gumps edit... you're right @Rick W

I didn't like it... so i edited it out.

Just keep this about the great work you're doing and leave the politics out of it like @Jim Oaks has tasked his staff to do.

EDIT: our trucks and our men, but we’re getting financial assistance from some friends we work with.

Update on our North Carolina support, 9th day on site. Our two trucks got there on the 7th and hit the ground running. Within a day, they split up our crews. We had one electrician and one senior real estate maintenance technician type in each truck. Their focus at our work was electrical maintenance, HVAC and furnace maintenance, plumbing, and light fix it carpentry stuff

The folks in charge put the first electrician with a lieutenant from the fire department, and they went house to house to evaluate the damage, mostly electrical. They’re only working on “damaged” houses and businesses, not “destroyed.” They review physical damage and water levels, and they came up with a form they could leave on the front of the house that says fix this, and disconnect this other thing, and then the power can be turned back on. Once they got into it, it was pretty straightforward, 15-30 minutes per house, 30-35 structures per day, Unfortunately, one out of five of the homes got the big red X, physically standing, but they need major heart surgery.

They put a local general maintenance guy with my maintenance guys in both of our trucks. Our other electrician worked with the zoning/building department folks for a day or two, and then they put him with a local electrician in that guys truck. They’re targeting bigger stuff, but still houses or small businesses. These trucks could then follow the first guy up the road and fix the things and disconnect the things as indicated, and then they leave specific startup instructions next to the original evaluation for when they’re going to turn on the power.

My guys also brought those cheap walkie-talkies that mostly the kids play with, about nine of them. Apparently that was a big deal and they’re looking for more of them, mostly for teams like my guys so they can keep in touch with each other a mile or two away. Cell phone service is still pretty sketchy.

My guys were like you guys and ready to camp out, but the people have been absolutely wonderful and they’ve been able to sleep inside, although most of the places haven’t had any electricity. 90% of everybody local and everybody who came in to volunteer are working 12 hour days, seven days a week. I won’t comment on what the other 10% are doing and where they’re from…

Our guys are working north east of Asheville. I took what my guys wrote up about how they’re proceeding and forwarded it on to the two crews that went up from Atlanta to North Carolina, as well as the one that went to North Georgia. These are not my guys, but the reaction has been very positive because it streamlines the one-at-a-time process.

In the long week, we’ve touched more than 250 damaged homes and businesses. When I talk to my guys, mostly good cheer and smiles, but unfortunately, some tears as well.

Keep the prayers and care packages coming…

 

[Rick W]

As regards “hurricane Rugrats” they’re going back home today. The father of the Tampa family staying in their Jacksonville house went and checked out his house on Monday, got a couple repairs done, and went back to my family’s house in Jacksonville. The whole family is heading to Tampa today, which allows my family to go back to their home in Jacksonville.

I hesitate to say “they were not hit hard,” They were northeast of Tampa, and the storm Milton shifted to south of Tampa. Having said that, their damages are still tens of thousands of dollars, but they can live there while repairs are made.

Of course, in my prayers…..

 

[Rick W]

Update on our North Carolina support, 9th day on site. Our two trucks got there on the 7th and hit the ground running. Within a day, they split up our crews. We had one electrician and one senior real estate maintenance technician type in each truck. Their focus at our work was electrical maintenance, HVAC and furnace maintenance, plumbing, and light fix it carpentry stuff

The folks in charge put the first electrician with a lieutenant from the fire department, and they went house to house to evaluate the damage, mostly electrical. They’re only working on “damaged” houses and businesses, not “destroyed.” They review physical damage and water levels, and they came up with a form they could leave on the front of the house that says fix this, and disconnect this other thing, and then the power can be turned back on. Once they got into it, it was pretty straightforward, 15-30 minutes per house, 30-35 structures per day, Unfortunately, one out of five of the homes got the big red X, physically standing, but they need major heart surgery.

They put a local general maintenance guy with my maintenance guys in both of our trucks. Our other electrician worked with the zoning/building department folks for a day or two, and then they put him with a local electrician in that guys truck. They’re targeting bigger stuff, but still houses or small businesses. These trucks could then follow the first guy up the road and fix the things and disconnect the things as indicated, and then they leave specific startup instructions next to the original evaluation for when they’re going to turn on the power.

My guys also brought those cheap walkie-talkies that mostly the kids play with, about nine of them. Apparently that was a big deal and they’re looking for more of them, mostly for teams like my guys so they can keep in touch with each other a mile or two away. Cell phone service is still pretty sketchy.

My guys were like you guys and ready to camp out, but the people have been absolutely wonderful and they’ve been able to sleep inside, although most of the places haven’t had any electricity. 90% Of everybody locals and everybody who came into volunteer are working 12 hour days, seven days a week. I won’t comment on what the other 10% are doing and where they’re from…

Our guys are working north east of Asheville. I took what my guys wrote up about how they’re proceeding and forwarded it on to the two crews that went up from Atlanta to North Carolina, as well as the one that went to North Georgia. These are not my guys, but the reaction has been very positive because it streamlines the one-at-a-time process.

In the long week, we’ve touched more than 250 damaged homes and businesses. When I talk to my guys, mostly good cheer and smiles, but unfortunately, some tears as well.

Keep the prayers and care packages coming…

I got asked a few times here, why don’t they keep my guys together because they’re used to working together.

They put one of my guys who can get stuff done with a similar local guy who can get stuff done, but the local guy knows the way around, and the ins and outs, and the supply houses that are still operating, etc. Great efficiency.

Nobody is taking anything personally, and everybody there is just pitching in. Nothing about who’s in charge, just hold this and twist that, etc. It gets done and they move onto the next thing

 

[Rick W]

North Carolina update.

Apparently, our guys are heading for home today. I think they’ve been there a few days more than three weeks. Apparently they are absolutely exhausted, but it’s that good exhausted you get when you do good work. Of course they want to see their families, wives, kids and girlfriends, but they also wanted to be home to vote. I think I said it before, that we provided the trucks and the men, but we got donations from people we work with to cover a lot of the costs from people who had no way to go down and help themselves.

Apparently, a few days in, some of the people they were helping out wanted to pay them or tip them. With no instruction from above, these guys absolutely refused to take any money. And of course we weren’t charging for anything we were doing, not even parts.

That word got back to our tenants up in New Jersey, some apartment houses, and a couple office warehouse kinds of things, built in the early 1900s. Middle income working folks, small businesses. Again, without our involvement, the tenants have been chipping in what they call an “overtime fund.“ Our guys are working for their flat wages, no overtime, and these folks have apparently raised a pretty good amount of money for these four guys. Takes my breath away.

We’re leaving one of our trucks with one of the local guys we’ve been working with, with all our tools except the guys’ personal tools and stuff. We haven’t really suffered in our operations from these guys being away, and we’re evaluating what we might do next.

I don’t know what we’re going to do to further reward these guys, but we will, probably something family oriented closer to the holidays.

I’m not offering any of this to brag. Honestly, it’s one of the most humbling experiences I’ve ever had, and one that I’m most proud of. I offer this to inspire. Good people, Americans, want to do the right thing especially in times of need, but sometimes they just need a little nudge and a little grease on this skids. I think that’s what we did.

The guys said once the roads started getting opened up, the recovery efforts are absolutely astounding. Little big help from outside other than supplies. They equated it to an ant farm. All these little folks climbing all over the place doing little things, grain of sand by grain of sand. Not only did they pull together as a community, they said it’s like a little army. And 90% of them are cheerful and enjoying the adventure. Unfortunately, the other 10% is truly tragic. We need the Man upstairs helping with that.

Teaming with the locals, these guys did an awful lot of work and helped an awful lot of people. Unfortunately, they tell us it’s not even a drop in the bucket of what’s needed. Reminds me of when I take away a pickup truck full of trash from the shed of miracles, and it doesn’t look touched.

My point is, these things are in the news for 10 days or two weeks and then people move on with their lives. I’ve been through a tornado myself, and we’ve had several properties hit by hurricanes. It takes years. Please keep those folks in mind and in your prayers, and do what you can!