Hurricanes 

Hurricane Georges
Hurricane Dennis
Hurricanes Katrina
Hurricane Rita
Hurricane Wilma

Hurricane Georges

Clearly, the biggest threat to Ramrod residences is a major hurricane, Class 3 or higher. Although we are protected somewhat by the wave attenuating action of the coral reef and outer islands, we can still get hammered pretty hard by wind and storm surge. Hurricane Georges, which hit us on September 25, 1998, is a prime example of losses and hardships from wind damage and salt water flooding.

                    

There is no shortage of advice to homeowners in newspapers, television, radio, leaflets at retail store counters, and of course, the Internet.  Even local telephone books provide detailed information, including tracking maps and location of shelters. Monroe County Emergency Management in Marathon provides extensive information to residents on hurricane preparedness and supplies all Post Offices with brochures during hurricane season. The web site contains current telephone numbers and links.  You can also sign up online to receive emergency bulletins in your e-mail.

But there are some things not covered in all this information that are of particular relevance to Ramrod residents. For example, boats are usually quite safe in the canals if tied properly; therefore, if you are on open water it’s a good idea to arrange in advance for a place on a canal to tie your boat when a hurricane threatens.  Do it early because you may find canal transit difficult, as most boat owners tie their boats with ropes across the canal to the other side.

Also, water supply is important so that we can immediately wash down cars, floor areas, etc. when the salt water recedes. The FKAA reminds us that even if the water is flowing, beware of possible contamination because of broken pipes north or south. We will be notified of any such problems by radio or TV by FKAA so that we can avoid drinking any contaminated water. (We are fortunate to have a main pumping station on Ramrod operated by diesel power in case of electric failure.)

If you plan to evacuate, you should do so well in advance of the projected strike. Residents who tried to evacuate Ramrod too late before Hurricanes Georges found the highway closed and had to return to their homes. So you have to follow the predictions of the National Hurricane Center carefully, along with local agency advice, to make your personal decision on whether Ramrod may or may not be struck, and whether to leave or stay. But if you leave, do it real early.

If you decide to stay and ride out the storm, be prepared!  Review hurricane preparedness information, and be ready as far in advance as you can. Last-minute trips to the grocery store, hardware store or gas station can be very trying, as supplies will be limited and lines will be long. Remember that it is very likely that we will lose power during and/or after a major storm, so it is a good idea to make as much ice as you several days in advance. Freeze water in plastic containers or baggies, and pack your freezer as full as possible with the ice to keep food frozen for as long as possible. Fill all the coolers you have with ice, too. As many locals who stayed during and after Georges can tell you, ice was very hard to come by.

Just after Hurricane Georges, Ramrod residents were fortunate to find a Salvation Army assistance setup at a vacant lot on Summerland Key that provided unlimited good meals, drinking water, and cleanup supplies like squeegees, brooms, mops, and buckets to all who needed them. This was a godsend to many of us who were hit hard by the storm.

Those of us who hired “public adjusters” to deal with insurance matters after Hurricane Georges benefited greatly. These adjusters share about 10 percent of your settlement but, because they know the game so well, they have a major advantage over your trying to deal directly with insurance companies. They save you the aggravation of negotiating yourself, and can usually get a higher settlement. One such public adjuster, Smolka & Associates of Dania, Florida, successfully represented 26 homeowners on Ramrod after Hurricane Georges in 1998.

Perhaps the best source of local information for Lower Keys residents is US 1 Radio at FM 104.1. The manager, Bill Becker, devotes 24 hours a day of US 1 Radio programming to provide us with real time information during hurricane events. But if the power is out in your area, you need to have a battery-powered or self-generating radio. US 1 Radio stays in touch will all decision makers and forecasters to keep you up to date, and they have backup generators to keep the news flowing.  If the power is on and you have cable TV service, you can watch Channels 16 and 5 for local information. Monroe County Emergency Management warns that the Miami channels may not have accurate or up-to-date information about the Keys.

As long as telephones are working you can call the Monroe County Emergency Information Hotline at 800-955-5504. During the storm buildup you will get taped messages, but when the storm is close on us you will be able to make direct voice contact with a staff person, we are told.

Hurricane Georges and its effects on the Florida Keys

The following information was excerpted from a document prepared by Jack Settelmaier, Science and Operations Officer for the Key West National Weather Service, and Wayne Presnell, Warning Coordination Meteorologist.
 
Hurricane Georges (pronounced “Zhorzh” but if you don’t like the French pronunciation, just say “George,” not George-es) was the first hurricane to directly affect the Keys since 1987 and only the second since 1966. Fortunately, there were no deaths directly related to the hurricane.
 
Hurricane Georges approached the Florida Straits after moving off the shore of the north-central Cuban coast on September 24, 1998. It maintained its consistent west-northwest movement at 12-15 mph until it neared the Lower Keys. Georges then began to move more toward the west with the northern portion of the eye moving over Key West between noon and 1:30PM on September 25. Georges continued to move west from Key West with its eye passing over the Dry Tortugas, 65 miles west of Key West. It eventually made landfall again near the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts after traversing the Gulf of Mexico.
 
Georges was a minimal Category 1 hurricane when it emerged over the Florida Straits. It gained strength before hitting the Keys, becoming a minimal Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 100 mph. Georges was a large hurricane with the tropical storm force winds extending out to 175 miles from the center. The northeast and southeast quadrants of Georges were the strongest, as evidenced by most of the damage in the Keys occurring with easterly, southeasterly, and southerly winds.
 
The greatest damage in the Keys occurred between Cudjoe Key and Big Pine Key, mile marker 30, where the strongest winds of hurricane Georges were estimated to be 105 mph sustained with gusts to 125 mph. Residents of these areas were without electricity for approximately 2 weeks.

Maximum sustained winds/gusts (mph)

The greatest storm surge flooding occurred on the south coasts of the Keys with the most destructive storm surge flooding damage being located between Cudjoe and Big Pine Keys. The storm surge was estimated to be up to 6 feet in these areas.
 
Estimated Storm Surge (feet above normal tide)

The lowest pressure measured during the hurricane, 974.4 mb, occurred at the Dry Tortugas C-MAN station when the eye passed over around 6 PM 9/25/98.
 
The northern part of the eye passed over Key West between noon and 1:30 PM 9/25/98. However, the pressure data was unavailable due to power failure.

Total Rainfall

Hurricane-related damages were an estimated $200 million in the Florida Keys. Of the total 1536 homes that were damaged or destroyed, 614 were mobile homes and 75 were houseboats. A total of 173 homes were considered destroyed.

Hurricane Dennis

Dennis was an early arrival in what was to be a very busy 2005 hurricane season for the Keys.  It began as a tropical depression in the southeastern Caribbean Sea on July 4th, became a tropical storm the following day, and attained hurricane strength a day later.  By July 7th it had grown to a Category 4, and nearly reached Category 5 status.  Fortunately for us, Dennis got knocked back down to Category 1 intensity after crossing Cuba, and passed us to the west on July 9th.  .

It was pretty breezy in Breezeswept that day.  We experienced sustained winds over 50 mph, and the storm surge brought in a lot of seaweed.  On the north end of West Indies Drive, the water rose almost to street level.  We lost power around noon on the 9th, and didn’t get it back until the 11th.

As reported on the Wikipedia site, “One beneficial effect of Hurricane Dennis was the rolling of the former USS Spiegel Grove.  Spiegel Grove was sunk in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary in an attempt to create an artificial reef. However, the ship turned over and landed on the bottom upside down. Efforts to roll the ship were partially successful, bringing it onto its starboard side, but Hurricane Dennis completed the roll, bringing Spiegel Grove into its intended upright position.”
 

Hurricane Katrina

From Wikipedia:  “Hurricane Katrina formed as Tropical Depression Twelve over the southeastern Bahamas on August 23, 2005 as the result of an interaction of a tropical wave and the remains of Tropical Depression Ten. The system was upgraded to tropical storm status on the morning of August 24 and at this point, the storm was given the name Katrina. The tropical storm continued to move towards Florida, and became a hurricane only two hours before it made landfall between Hallandale Beach and Aventura, Florida on the morning of August 25. The storm weakened over land, but it regained hurricane status about one hour after entering the Gulf of Mexico.”

Katrina surprised nearly everyone by making a left hand turn during the night after coming ashore near Miami.  It had been predicted to continue moving to the west, but the turn to the southwest brought it much closer to the Keys than we expected.  We felt the storm’s effects, but were spared the devastation that later befell New Orleans and other areas along the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Rita

“The storm system that became Rita formed at the tail of an old frontal boundary, where convection and low-level circulation around an upper-level low developed steadily for over two days. A surface low formed near the disturbance, and the season's 18th tropical depression soon formed east of the Turks and Caicos. Less than a day after forming, the depression became the 17th tropical storm of the season on September 18 and was named Rita. A mandatory evacuation was ordered for the entire Florida Keys.”–Wikipedia

As of 5pm on Tuesday, September 20th Hurricane Rita was almost due south of Key West, heading in a westerly direction.

Wikipedia reports:  “More than 340,000 people were under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders in Florida and Cuba. Storm surge flooding was reported along the low-lying Florida Keys. The Overseas Highway (U.S. 1) connecting the islands was flooded and impassable in some sections. As of 8 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, September 20, about 25,000 customers in Broward and Miami-Dade and 2,100 in the Keys were without electricity.”

 

Hurricane Wilma

 

After going through three hurricanes in 2005, we all hoped that the season had ended.  It is pretty rare to get storms after September, however...

On October 24, 2005 Hurricane Wilma skirted the Lower Keys and Key West, causing significant damage.  While our subdivision suffered considerable flooding, we were spared the 8 foot storm surge that occurred on the Gulf side of the Keys.  Homes in Breezeswept experienced one to two feet of flooding, as well as wind-related damage to landscaping and structures.  The northern ends of Big Pine and Big Torch received the brunt of the rising waters.

Key West suffered great losses in tourist dollars when Fantasy Fest was cancelled, tourists were evacuated, and hundreds of homes and businesses were severely flooded.  Most of the beach along South Roosevelt Boulevard had relocated itself to the roadway.  All along US1 from here to Key West, huge piles of debris and a number of stray boats lined the roadsides and mangroves.  Many businesses throughout the Keys will never reopen.

 

Editor’s Note: Wikipedia is a great place to find extensive information about hurricanes and just about any other topic!  There you will find a wealth of data, photographs, tracks and damage assessments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Georges
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_dennis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Wilma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Katrina
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Rita