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Dorian - a scary storm

Not for a while Normex. Guessing they are trying to keep phones charged up from the emergency battery system. Last report I had the eye was right over top of them now.
 
A friend of ours living in Freeport Bahamas has been on facebook using live feed as much as possible. He said anyone in low laying areas are done for. His house is built on pillars so his main floor is up high enough to keep them dry. That is as long as the roof hold out.
Picture of what his home looked like before the storm.

Smart.....In Hawaii, all houses built after 1980 in low coastline areas must have be 3 stories high, the 1 & 2nd are pillars. It’s not just hurricanes, but tsunamis —
View attachment 5083

He said the water is half way up those stairs.
Picture of when it was being built.
View attachment 5084


Some video from early morning till now around 7AM. He said the eye still has not reached them yet

A friend of ours living in Freeport Bahamas has been on facebook using live feed as much as possible. He said anyone in low laying areas are done for. His house is built on pillars so his main floor is up high enough to keep them dry. That is as long as the roof hold out.
Picture of what his home looked like before the storm.


View attachment 5083


He said the water is half way up those stairs.
Picture of when it was being built.
View attachment 5084


Some video from early morning till now around 7AM. He said the eye still has not reached them yet

Smart.....In Hawaii, all houses built after 1980 in low coastline areas must have be 3 stories high, the 1 & 2nd are pillars. It’s not just hurricanes, but tsunamis — here is (was) my friends house that survived many big storms (hurricanes on the Big Island are rare b/c the 14k’ mtns break them up). Sad thing? Lava covered the entire area on 6/6/18...
89EA82E2-4A89-4279-952B-2222DD5E4CC4.jpeg

Here‘s that area now:

1A175443-58FE-4284-ADBE-1ABD9AE047A1.jpeg
 
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old country houses were build in pillars in Puerto Rico to prevent critters like rats to get inside the house. Things have changed and we no longer build that way. Puerto Rico is a mountain island, so only coastal houses get affected.

Here is my how my beach house ended after Hurricane Maria in 17' (The octagonal house)
1567453723415.png
 
old country houses were build in pillars in Puerto Rico to prevent critters like rats to get inside the house. Things have changed and we no longer build that way. Puerto Rico is a mountain island, so only coastal houses get affected.

Here is my how my beach house ended after Hurricane Maria in 17' (The octagonal house)
View attachment 5099
I actually built (with lots a help) a Deltec kit house in Hawaii. There’s lots of imitators, but Deltec’s are legendarily solid. They are as close to hurricane-proof as a house can get. The roofs are vented on the eves, out through the cupola so pressure can’t build-up and blow them off. Designed for the Caribbean, I don’t think they’ve ever lost one due to high winds. When I had 70mph winds in Hilo, it whips around the house, blowing my door mats across the street!
DE583254-1E1A-4F28-AAC3-3D0ECD32E8F9.jpeg


Deltec hurricane resistant homes:

 
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I actually built (with lots a help) a Deltec kit house in Hawaii. There’s lots of imitators, but Deltec’s are legendarily solid. They are as close to hurricane-proof as a house can get. The roofs are vented on the eves, out through the cupola so pressure can’t build-up and blow them off. Designed for the Caribbean, I don’t think they’ve ever lost one due to high winds. When I had 70mph winds in Hilo, it went around the close, blowing my door mats across the street!
View attachment 5105


Deltec hurricane resistant homes:

My house's design was very similar. It is a concrete house with a wooden roof with 2 small vents to prevent built up. The high winds still blew the roof off. This time we made the entire roof out of concrete. I want to see another hurricane break it this time.
 
This is downtown Freeport which is up high and several miles away from the ocean. If I'm not mistaken this looks like the international bazaar where all the tourist hang out at night. The Princes Casino would be on the other side of that building. Have a lot of good memories of that spot.

69479805_10157491155151240_5120667001945063424_n.jpg
 
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This is downtown Freeport which is up high and several miles away from the ocean. If I'm not mistaken this looks like the international bazaar where all the tourist hang out at night. The Princes Casino would be on the other side of that building. Have a lot of good memories of that spot.

View attachment 5106
Is that sea water or a local river? I have never been to the bahamas, so I really do not know the geography of it all.
 
That is sea water. Freeport has a lot of canals but not any where near there. Just saw a post from a lady that said sharks were swimming around the homes that are nearly under water. Freaken scary stuff.

Where the placemark is that is downtown Freeport. Not much elevation difference from the ocean to downtown. Nothing to stop the water except buildings.

Screenshot 2019-09-02 16.54.37.png
 
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Something some might not know.
I wonder if he was still alive and living there if he would have stayed?
The Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina, also known as the Xanadu Princess Resort & Marina, is a resort and marina on the island of Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. Built in 1968, the resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 and was for several years the most celebrated resort in the Caribbean and served as a hideaway for the Hollywood jet set of the era. The resort comprises 20 acres (81,000 m2) of beachfront, 215 rooms, and an 80 slip marina on the southern coast of Grand Bahama.

Since its opening, the resort and the events that took place within its grounds have appeared on the front pages of tabloids with visits from The Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, as well as other celebrities of the era such as Cary Grant and Lucille Ball.

The resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 who moved into the penthouse floors of the resort in December 20, 1973,living there until February 10, 1976,two months before his death. After his death, the resort was sold. However, the penthouse floor in which he lived for the last four years of his life remained empty for over 10 years, until a renovation in 1987.

The red arrow in the picture shows where it is on the beach. I'm sure one or two floors are under water.
Screenshot 2019-09-02 16.54.37.png
 
@Agustine ...that is a very interesting post about Hughes. Not sure he would have stayed, but who knows. Thanks for the info.
One thing I am disappointed in is the fact that I have traveled to the Caribbean 25 times but only to the Bahamas once and I had planned a trip there in 6 months.. it makes me a little sad to know what it will take to restore those Islands.
 
Something some might not know.
I wonder if he was still alive and living there if he would have stayed?
The Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina, also known as the Xanadu Princess Resort & Marina, is a resort and marina on the island of Grand Bahama in the Bahamas. Built in 1968, the resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 and was for several years the most celebrated resort in the Caribbean and served as a hideaway for the Hollywood jet set of the era. The resort comprises 20 acres (81,000 m2) of beachfront, 215 rooms, and an 80 slip marina on the southern coast of Grand Bahama.

Since its opening, the resort and the events that took place within its grounds have appeared on the front pages of tabloids with visits from The Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, as well as other celebrities of the era such as Cary Grant and Lucille Ball.

The resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 who moved into the penthouse floors of the resort in December 20, 1973,living there until February 10, 1976,two months before his death. After his death, the resort was sold. However, the penthouse floor in which he lived for the last four years of his life remained empty for over 10 years, until a renovation in 1987.

The red arrow in the picture shows where it is on the beach. I'm sure one or two floors are under water.
View attachment 5108
Really interesting info!!
 
Ok, I’ll get on my high-horse here, LOL. Why are folks allowed to live that close to the ocean in a known hurricane/tsunami area? Hawaiians pay a fortune in taxes to rebuild the same flooded or lava-buried areas over and over again. Why not leave it as is? After the last monster tsunami in Hilo in 1960, the city finally decided to turn the entire waterfront into a huge park. Hilo was an ugly port, now it’s a pretty port!

I guess I can ask the same question why do folks live in lava zone one ... You can live close by, still see the ocean from a farther away and higher place?

All the green areas near the ocean used to be warehouses, auto shops, & junk. Now it’s parks & rec!

E5BA2E72-F71E-4F67-9CF3-5E0C607C8FBF.jpeg
 
Reminds me in late 80's, I worked in Grenada installing underground utilities for Northern Telecom and went every night for supper to a good restaurant called BoatYard eating outside where Barbara Streisand reportedly dined there, mind you I have never seen her in the 6 months I spent there. It was a few years after the American invaded to oust the Cubans that were building a long Runway and an airport. Oh well good memories and we worked 7 days a week for most of the duration. We were the only 4 white guys hiring almost 40 locals where we could have done the work with only 8 to 10 canadians :)
 
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I work with an air emergency organization and we are, as I write, tracking airplanes on the NC coast after Dorian. I just want to warn all UAS pilots that during and after a storm like this that the airspace is controlled by the military and flying drones in a "usual manner" does not apply and could cause many problems. For example, rescue helicopters are flying in all kinds of altitudes that you wouldn't normally see. So, the typical airspace is crowded and unpredictable.
I advise everyone to NOT fly a drone in storm affected areas unless specifically authorized and released. You might be part of the problem, not part of the solution!
 
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I was just watching this video from Fox News in awe and sadness.


@Agustine I hope your family and friends in Freeport are safe and well.
 
Ya they did pretty well considering what others have and are going through. Like i said their house was built to with stand hurricanes and storm surges. Since it was build on pillars most of the damage was on ground level which was the garage, storage rooms and sunroom. Today they had 9 friends stop by and help clear stuff out.
So yes David, wife, daughter, 3 dogs and a cat all rode it out in the house that David built and have some wild stories to tell.

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That's good to hear considering what i've seen on tv.
 
I cannot fathom on how anyone can clean something like that up. Where do you but all that rubbish? Abaco is nothing but a waist land with dead bodies everywhere. Who would ever want to return to that to start over?
 

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