[Rhodes22-list] We’re Still Here!

[Stephen Staum]

Thanks for the update Roger.  I don't know if it helps but I should be on
the boat later today either sailing or just read and relax on the mooring.

Stay Well,

*Stephen Staum*
*s/v Carol Lee 2*

*Needham, MA*


On Thu, May 21, 2020 at 8:07 AM ROGER PIHLAJA <roger_pihlaja at msn.com> wrote:

>  Hi All,
>
> We’re still sheltering in place at our house.  We have no electricity,
> cable TV, landline telephone, or cable internet.  Fortunately, the cell
> phone still works!  Our standby generator has been running continuously
> since Tuesday evening.
>
> The water level in Sanford Lake has crested and is now falling slowly.
> The radio says Sanford dam was breached.  But, it must still be standing or
> the water level would be down dramatically.  I suspect they mean the dam
> was overtopped and water was flowing thru the emergency spillway. Sanford
> dam upgraded their emergency spillway in 2013 to be able to handle a 500
> year flood.  So far, the upgrade seems to be working.   Inadequate
> emergency spillway capacity was the primary  issue that caused FERC to
> cancel the Wixom dam’s operating permit in 2018.  Wixom dam has two
> concrete structures that house the flood gates and hydroelectric
> generators.  But, these concrete structures are linked by ~1/2 mile of
> earthen berm that was really the majority of the dam.  From the on-line
> pictures I’ve seen, it appears it was this earthen berm that failed.
>
> Deb and I drove around the area yesterday morning.  We verified our escape
> route.  We found there was a gas station and grocery store open in
> Beaverton.  So, we filled up the minivan and bought some groceries.
>
> The Curtis Road bridge at the north end of Sanford Lake has been
> destroyed!  Actually, the steel center span is still standing.  But, ~100
> yards of the western approach to the bridge has been washed away.  So, you
> can’t get anywhere near the center span.  Many houses in the area near the
> bridge are gone, nothing left but their foundations.  You can also see the
> severed water main, power cables, fiber optic cables for cable TV and
> internet hanging from the bridge structure.  I think it’s going to a long
> time before all the utilities are restored to the west side of the lake.
> Fortunately, we get our water from a well.  As long as our natural gas
> fired generator keeps running, we’re in good shape.  The natural gas
> pipeline doesn’t cross the Curtis Road bridge.  The pipeline runs up the
> west side of the lake from the south.  We are near the northern end of the
> pipeline.   ie, A little north of our house, you start seeing LP gas pigs
> in people’s yards.  During the flood, we saw many of these LP gas pigs
> floating down the lake!
>
> We tried several different routes to get to Johnson Mini Storage on M-30.
> But, we were stopped every time by flooded roads or closed bridges.  The
> storage facility is located very close to the Wixom dam and I’m worried the
> flood waters destroyed it.  We had a lot of stuff, including our RIB, the
> outboard, trailer, 3 kayaks, a canoe, all my dive gear, and a bunch of
> camping, kayaking, and boating gear stored there.  I studied the county map
> last night and I’m going to try another route today.  I’d like to know if
> the storage facility is damaged or is even there anymore before I contact
> my insurance agent.
>
> Otherwise, things is dull!
>
> Roger Pihlaja
>    S/V Dynamic Equilibrium
>
>
>
>