Irma watch

I am watching this thread...on standby with Dive Team here in ATL area. Wind event expected but not much so far.

We did an "Irma tree" yesterday...put picts in Work THread.

I have not posted much in this thread but this should get your attention.

I have a good friend lives in St. Martin, one of the early islands that got hit by Irma. I emailed him before stuff got bad...he was getting ready for the blow, never heard from him until this AM. Here is what he is going through...most folks don't really believe we are only a few moments away from catastrophe. He is one of my "bando guys", proficient in martial arts, empty hand, stick, blade and gun hand, just got his EMT rating last year. He runs a very nice water sports business at one of St. Martin's best resorts...very successful, all together guy. He is in an apocalypse environment right now...just got this update from him this morning...nothing like an eye witness report, from a friend in the trenches...Angie is his wife...Sam is his 15 yr old daughter:

Just found out there is place a few miles away where I can go that has WIFI set up…walking there with computer

IRMA 9/5/17

Wnds broke measuring equipment at 260 MPH

80% of structures on island damaged

Was in house with Angie and Sam..Roof held but barely.could see it rise and fall like the house was breathing

Bando school gone..telephone poles that were the roof snapped in half

Bedliner for my truck 1/4 mile away in tree

Watersports cabana still there! Unfuckigbelieveable

9/6

Generator not started until after storm stopped running after 10 hours

we have water ,no phone no electricity no internet

took my mountain bike to Simpson Bay to check on Vinny and Serge..both OK..Serge lost roof was in bathroom for 5 hours holding door shut

Information coming from word of mouth

Total apocalyptic damage to island…Airport crushed..roof damage..inside blown out..runway OK…90% of boats either sunk of damaged..90%!

People walking around in shock

9/7

I have a small hand crank radio I bought just for this end of the world shit
Radio station came up tonite..Island got creamed..only source of information is one FM station…God bless them


Roaming armed gangs looting everything…reports of some very bad shit going on

Dutch Marines came in..French say they brought in 300 troops ..have not seen any

Gave my shot gun to neighborhood watch

Sleep outside house on cot with 9mm

LaSamanna crushed at least one year before opening

9/8

Emergency EVAC flights started flying out hospital patients..Dutch hospital was crushed can’t function..moved ops to med school

Angie and Sam rockstars..staying at Porto Cupecoy in condo where they have a generator but no water…generator is quickly running out of fuel…

Sam crushed because her best friend Ava left island…her father somehow got a small plane into Grand Case Airport and flew them out…left his 17 million dollar house behind

Sam and Angie are now at Porto cupecoy helping any one they can with whatever anyone needs

Dutch Marines have closed borders..ZERO tolerance for any unauthorized cars on road

Somehow Angie has food and I go there for meals ..unreal..actually had a COLD beer last night! Its the little things…believe me on that one!

Better they are at condo where people are around I stay with house and dogs and 9mm at night…a little freaky..end of the world shit

worked on clearing debris from yard getting ready for next storm

9/9



Anyone who can get off the island is leaving everything behind and leaving…

A doctor from med school is leaving today on emergency e vac flight and is giving Angie his car


Hurricane Jose cat 5 approaching…expected to pass north but give us massive rain and tropical storm winds

Can’t make this shit up!

 
I visited his place last year, a bit of paradise, when a bando buddy, John, and I were helping the St. Martin kukri team get ready for a performance for the Burmese (Myanmar) Ambassador to the US.

They wined us and dined us for a week...we would train at 6.00AM then everyone went to work (John and I snorkeled, explored the island) then we would train again at 6:30PM. We spent a great week there...now it sounds like the place is wrecked. You can see John and me with Mark's daughter, Sam, in some of the pictures. She is a very cool young lady that took us hiking, exploring, snorkeling. She takes very much after her father...she is a top notch agile athlete.

Here is what it looked last year:
 

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That cabana is where they would put us up during the day when we got tired of exploring, riding jet skis, swimming...tough life. :D

The training hall is where he said the telephone poles got snapped. Maybe his house is "OK".
 
You don't strike me as the type that could pick up at a moments notice and follow storms. I know I could never storm chase again. F that
 
you were talking about getting national EMT to so you could go to Florida? I don't know. never mind
 
Gawd almighty, it would be terrible to be stuck in a city after a disaster like that.


You are probably right Kevin. It would be hard for me to pick up and leave. It is hard to watch a disaster like that unfold and not feel the need to help.
 
Shoot years ago in the middle of winter Charlotte NC had an ice storm. Friend of mines mother said it was worse tree damage than a hurricane. I drove down there with a couple of guys. An hour or so out all the radio stations started telling people not to hire out of state tree guys. It was crazy we were treated like scum and never got a single job. Wasted time and money on that trip, never again
 
Hey Good Morning! After the storm passed Sebring, we crossed the state to Vero. In a hotel right off 95 that has power and ac,

People that live in Key Largo are being allowed back on their island today. V2007, Victor lives on Key Largo, I hope he is okay, some parts of that island got hit hard others did not.

The eye went through Cudjoe Key which is about 40 minutes down towards Key West from us. The information I am receiving is that the Atlantic side of our island, Marathon, took the brunt of the surge where as in Wilma, the bay side did. My home is on the bay side and although the island is only about 3 miles across, it really makes a difference,
While I can not say for certain, but we have seen a picture that is a little fuzzy that we can tell is our house after the storm, it appears to be standing. I will confirm when we get back and have power.

Our greatest fear at the moment and will be until we hear anything, is for our Arborist that is 65-66 years old that stayed on Big Pine Key. His name is Greg Scott, and only God himself could have spared his and his wife's life. We have he and his wife's name on the Coast Guard Wellness list as well as a direct text to the search and rescue on the ground. Big Pine Key was hit very very hard and is around 30 minutes down from our house.

Please know that on the news, you are going to see the worst. The worst happened, don't get me wrong, but we still have hope. The islands have a lot of good people on them and we will pull together and take things one day at a time.

All of Florida took some really hard hits, 85% state is with out power. If you are inclined to buy stock, buy Duke Energy, lol. We can see I-95 from our room and electric truck after electric truck are heading south.

The marines are on our islands clearing the roads, search and rescue continues and I will be in touch as I am able. Thank you for your prayers and well wishes.

Gary, my heart goes out to your friends on St. Martin.
 
Great to read you V! I was sure hoping you guys were on the bay side. Hopefully Greg and his wife are okay. Be safe.
On a side note and way down the list of importance, I'm curious how the key deer fared in all this.
 
I am curious to understand how insurance factors in to all this. Is there such a thing as flood insurance if you live on the coasts?
 
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