[Rhodes22-list] We’re Still Here!

[Chris Geankoplis]

Hey Art,
   If the original "McGyver" of the R22's and life in general is still the
Roger I remember then all will be well for you.  Good luck and take care.
Chris Geankoplis
ENOSIS

On Thu, May 21, 2020 at 1:01 PM Art Czerwonky via Rhodes22-list <
rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org> wrote:

> I will second that   Art
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
>
>   On Thu, May 21, 2020 at 12:05 PM, Mike Riter<mike at traildesign.com>
> wrote:   Roger, one of the things I admire most about sailors is their
> ability to
> remain calm in adverse conditions. The way you've reported the dam failure
> and flooding reflects that. Well done!
>
> I hope all your things at the storage place have survived. Even with
> insurance the amount of work to replace everything would be immense.
>
> Best of luck to you!
>
> Michael Riter
> SV Emma B
>
>
>
> 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
>