[Rhodes22-list] We’re Still Here!

[Goodness]

Roger:  Very glad you fared well will the flood.  Keep us informed.  A blessing to be alive, intact and with power.  Anxiously awaiting your storage unit report.  If you need anything from the Rhodes community let me know.  

Yes Chris I think all sailors have a McGyver gene or two!  I worry about where our hobby is going.  I have been passing the skills on to my three boys.  I “gave” my oldest my Rhodes,  trying to encourage him to Continue to sail instead of gaming!  I did manage to get him sailing over the last 2 months and i think its working.
Bob
(St Johns river) 

> On May 21, 2020, at 5:27 PM, Chris Geankoplis <chrisgeankoplis at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 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
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>