Huracanes

5509POSTS

9 years ago

Well we were lucky we did not get hit, Haiti was hit bad, now it looks like Florida is next in line. Hope everyone is fine, if you have anyone in Florida ask them to play safe.

Several Puerto Ricans that moved to Florida are a little worried about the construction of houses and apartments they live in, they say that the storm is going to take the wooden roof of the house.

In PR most houses are concrete so living in the island they do not worry about storms, but some are worried of the houses in Florida.

When I was young we lived in a wooden house in a flood area (by Cano Martin Pena in Santurce), our house was on stilts but to be safe we always passed the storm at the local church. It was a blast, all the kids playing and having a good time and there was plenty of food for everyone. Even during a Huracan we had a good time.

Stay safe
Rey

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Sitka Serial expat

953POSTS

9 years ago

Been there - done that. No fun, went thru several named storms when we lived in Texas.

Even if your house isn't flooded or damaged, the ele power can be off for days or weeks!

Yes, PR dodged a bullet with this one, lets be vigilant - the next one may hit. Keep your gas tank full and have supplies stocked up at home.

2 members reacted to this post

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

My middle son is in Florida in the outskirts of Orlando, told him to stop trying to stabilice a fence and get inside

1 member reacted to this post

adlin20 ViP

1057POSTS

9 years ago

At least hurricanes let you know so you can be prepared. Tornadoes on the other hand are unpredictable, you can have a beautiful day and in a few minutes can be a nightmare. We lived on north DFW area and every spring was a gamble. Afternoon storms will pop up out of nowhere. Lost some property and quite a few scare moments.

2 members reacted to this post

Schuttzie Serial expat

824POSTS

9 years ago

Yes, prayers for Florida and along the east coast!

1 member reacted to this post

Spencerazac Contributor

157POSTS

9 years ago

It's not a matter of if but when, remember the 3 rule, 3 days of water and food, maybe more in Puerto Rico, get a generator if you can, water tank if you can, better to spend the money if you can and be prepared, you'll be glad you did, the power went out for four days here in Vega Baja and with it the water, lesson learned!!!!!

4 members reacted to this post

adlin20 ViP

1057POSTS

9 years ago

Spencerazac wrote:
It's not a matter of if but when, remember the 3 rule, 3 days of water and food, maybe more in Puerto Rico, get a generator if you can, water tank if you can, better to spend the money if you can and be prepared, you'll be glad you did, the power went out for four days here in Vega Baja and with it the water, lesson learned!!!!!

Good advice! You will see a lot of those blue tanks on the roof of houses in the island. You can survive without electricity but it is almost impossible to be without water.
Our house is set up for adding a tank on the roof and a generator. Once we move 100% to the island that will be one of my priorities.

2 members reacted to this post

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

Spencerazac and Adlin are right, just a couple of notes:
Blue tanks for water (Cisterna) could be on the roof or at ground level.
One young man installed it on the roof of the house but it was an old wooden house, while filling it up the weight was too much and it came crashing down the roof and killed his mother.This happened last year, I imagine he will never get over that mistake.

Solar panels and a generator plus one or two cisterns will do the trick nicely, gas stove and you are all set to take on any bad weather. Make sure that you place the generator away from the house, preferably in a well ventilated shack or area. An elderly couple just died from the fumes in Florida during this storm.

An outside wooden stove would cover running out of LP during a storm, the way people used to cook in the past, it never failed. Plenty of matches for candles, stove and outside fire stove.

Hot chocolate with "Queso de Papa" melted from the heat of the hot chocolate, is the best way to pass a storm.
Avoid alcohol during a storm, after a few shots we tend to make stupid mistakes.

2 members reacted to this post

adlin20 ViP

1057POSTS

9 years ago

If the structure of the house permits, placing the water tank on the roof will help without having to add a pressure pump.
Rey is right, if you add a generator make sure is away from the house and well ventilated. CO2 is called the silent killer for a reason. You won't even notice you are getting poisoned until is too late. Plus make sure your place is set up with a 3 way switch to prevent electricity going back on the lines. Too many workers died getting electrocuted after a storm fixing power lines.

1 member reacted to this post

johnbmaryk New member

5POSTS

9 years ago

#10

Keep in mind that Puerto Rico is different. Depending on the extent of the damage and where you live, you will be without electricity for a while. I went through hurricanes Hugo and Georges. In both cases the power company began restoring power to the larger cities first and then moved to outlying areas. I lived in a smaller town in Humacao. In both instances we did not have electricity for almost 60 days. A generator is a must.

adlin20 ViP

1057POSTS

9 years ago

#11

Very true!

With the cost of a generator being reasonable today days is more easier to get one. Main thing you need is to keep the fridge cold and a few lights on at night.
Warm beer don't taste good

Karma7553 Active member

51POSTS

9 years ago

#12

Im looking at buying a house right on the water in arecibo soon.but one concern is all the sewage from the house im interested in as well as all the neighbors sewage runs into the ocean. Everyone says it's been that way for years. If I do buy im definately going to install a septic tank. My concern is that as well as im told the government owns the actual land your house is sitting on you only own the house? Does anyone have experiance or knowledge of this?

frogrock Serial expat

509POSTS

9 years ago

#13

GET A TITLE SEARCH!!!!!! There were many shady transfers (with the assistance of lawyers) of government-owned property into the hands of private 'owners'. Do not believe the current owner: He/She may not know the full history of the property. DO NOT RELY ON THE CRIM MAPS! Some of them are outright wrong! Also, you need permission to install a septic tank. You absolutely positively need a qualified real estate lawyer.

1 member reacted to this post

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#14

Do you want the property and bathe and smell that water?

WarnerW Serial expat

314POSTS

9 years ago

#15

Odds are this is a reference to the fact that the coastline itself is public, not private property. Nevertheless, a complete title search done by a real estate lawyer (called a "notario") is money very well spent!

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#16

To each it's own, but knowing that raw sewage is going into the water would turn me off, as it is also permeating the sand and soil. Many beaches are closed because of contamination and yours would be contaminated all the time.

I don't know about you guys but smelling raw sewage and seeing turds floating in the water takes from the scenery in my book, but that is me. That is how Martin Peña lagoon got so contaminated, by using the water as an outhouse.
But what do I know

1 member reacted to this post

mac00677 Serial expat

380POSTS

9 years ago

#17

Correction; A lawyer is called abogado/a, while a notary is notario... unlike the mainland U.S., all lawyers are also notaries. I see that as a scam, because whenever I've used a notary, it was the legal secretary, not the lawyer, who did all the work, including signing the document.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#18

I could be wrong, but I seem to recollect that in PR only a lawyer can be a notary. So you were right either way.

But we should get back to the Huracan subject or start a different thread.
Either way Huracan season is over some time in November.

Gary ViP

1845POSTS

9 years ago

#19

From what I know not every lawyer is a notary. There is a separate exam to become notary and not every lawyer takes that exam.

More here: http://www.ramajudicial.pr/junta/acroba … icants.pdf

From the above:
Rule 7.1.1
Any person seeking admission to the Notarial Law Examination
shall meet the following
requirements:
(a)
meet the requirements set forth in Rule 4.1.1(a), (b), (c), and (e) of
these Rules; and
(b)
have passed with an acceptable grade a Notarial Law course at any
Law School in Puerto Rico accredited by the American Bar
Association or by the Court.
A grade of “A,” “B” or “C,” or their
equivalent grades, will be deemed acceptable grades

So obviously you don't have to be a lawyer to become a notary.
In practice most notaries are lawyer, too.

Gary ViP

1845POSTS

9 years ago

#20

ReyP wrote:
But we should get back to the Huracan subject or start a different thread.
Either way Huracan season is over some time in November.

Yup, the 2016 season is almost over and we were lucky once again.

Now, hurricane or not, a little breeze or some rain can cut off the power and the water company seems to have some unknown reasons to suddenly close the water supply to a neighborhood.

Especially if you live out in the boonies (like I do) having a working generator and one or more tanks with water is simply a must here on the island.
I have had to use the generator at least 15 times this year, sometimes for a couple of hours but also for three days on a row. The water supply improved for some reason but still 5 or 6 times I had to switch on the pump to get water from the tanks.

ReyP ViP

5509POSTS

9 years ago

#21

Gary how many kWh you topically use in an average month?
How big of a generator are you using, one for the entire house or using extensions to handle a few appliances and computers?

Gary ViP

1845POSTS

9 years ago

#22

ReyP wrote:
Gary how many kWh you topically use in an average month?

My last bill was for 479 kWh -- $93.25 and that's about average. My bill has been in between 90 and hundred bucks for some time now.

ReyP wrote:
How big of a generator are you using, one for the entire house or using extensions to handle a few appliances and computers?

I have a Rigid 5,700 W gen set. I still use extensions and only power what I really need (fridge, freezer, water pump, computers, office in general, fans and some lights and when needed even the water heater)
On my to-do list is a transfer switch which I will install myself.
5,7 kW is basically enough for us to power what we need most. Most of the times we throw a cable to my wife's aunt across the street who is bed ridden.

WarnerW Serial expat

314POSTS

9 years ago

#23

Thanks for the post Gary. As I contemplate building, I'm looking into a solar array. I was figuring something in the neighborhood of 4.5KW, and your report gives me confidence that I'd be in the ballpark. Cisterns are also in the construction plans. I'm not trying to go "off-grid", merely recognizing that the grid itself may go off. Supplying your own utilities also is a hedge against rising utility prices.

Regarding hurricanes on the island, I found this interesting site. There's some good historical information there, as well as current reports:

http://huracanado1.tripod.com/index.html

Gary ViP

1845POSTS

9 years ago

#24

Thanks for the link.

Here are some sites where I go on a daily basis in the season:

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ -- NOAA National Hurricane Center
http://www.storm2k.org/phpbb2/ -- Storm 2K forum. There's a lot of noise from kids and wish casters but good pro meteorologists and some very knowledgeable amateurs make it a great source of information
http://stormcarib.com/ - a site dedicated to our area with reports from locals

There's more of course, like sources for radar and satellite images and loops.

If something is coming our way I need to know what , where and when.