UPDATES to Friday, September 15, 2017

Monroe County now is open to Marathon at Mile Marker 47, just north of the 7 Mile Bridge, for residents, business owners, disaster workers and supply vehicles.

The Lower Keys and Key West will open Sunday morning at 7:00 am, also to residents, business owners, disaster workers and supply vehicles.

A checkpoint in Florida City will remain in place to ensure only these groups are admitted to the Keys.  An additional checkpoint at Mile Marker 47 will control admittance to the Lower Keys and Key West.

For those re-entering, know that medical services, food, water, and electricity are extremely limited. There is no functioning hospital to admit patients in the Middle or Lower Keys. Fishermen’s Hospital in Marathon is not open and the Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West only has its Emergency Room open.

Returning residents should bring provisions and any necessary medications to sustain themselves for several days.

Residents returning to the hardest hit areas from MM 40 to MM 10 should know that services are almost non-existent. There is a heavy law enforcement presence in that area to prevent looting and provide security.

“This is one of the toughest decisions to make, but also an indicator of how well our recovery has been going since the Keys suffered a direct hit by Category 4 Hurricane Irma,” Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi said. “We know there will be many challenges ahead, especially for our hardest hit areas in the Lower Keys. But we want our residents and business owners to come back to rebuild their lives, their livelihoods and our economy. We are prepared to restore the Keys back to the special paradise we love.”

~From, E. E. Nanay Jr. Taxpayer, Homestead, 80% Disabled Veteran

KEY WEST RESIDENTS (RESIDENTS IN 33040 ZIP CODE) EXPECTED TO RE-ENTER AS EARLY AS SUNDAY!!!! WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES! CHECKPOINT TO REMAIN AND EXPECTED MOVED TO SUNSHINE KEY- MILE MARKER 39. FINAL DECISION TO BE MADE SATURDAY MORNING BY 8:30 A.M. BRIEFING.

KEYS ENERGY- 50% of Key West neighborhoods have restored power. 30% of customers between Key West and Bay Point have power. Continued issues with checkpoints with service personnel. Communication problems with checkpoint. Plan to remove large pole at cow key channel bridge- north bound lanes to close tomorrow for removal of pole from 9:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M. ONE LANE OUTBOUND AND ONE LANE INBOUND WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE TRIANGLE DURING THIS TIME. Summerland- distribution pole is down, need crane to remove, requires a one hour system to be down for removal. A time is needed to be selected prior to noon on Sunday.

KEY WEST- Lots of meals – 1500 meals, hundreds of water bottles, 500 bags of ice, 900 people were serviced at two points of distribution. POTENTIAL FOR RETURN OF KW RESIDENTS – AFTER DISCUSSION WITH FKAA, SHERIFF, COUNTY OFFICIALS – BEGIN RETURN FOR KEY WEST RESIDENTS AS EARLY SUNDAY. LIMITED TO 33040 ZIP CODE. CITY WOULD NOT BE OPEN FOR VISITORS/TOURISTS. NEED TO GET RESIDENTS WHO HAVE HOUSING THAT IS HABITABLE GETTING BACK TO WORK. NEED TO WORK OUT WITH THE COUNTY HOW BEST TO FACILITATE WITH THE COUNTY. WE WANT TO DISCONTINUE THE DISPLACEMENT OF KEY WEST RESIDENTS AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE.

MARATHON HAD INTENDED TO BRING RESIDENTS BACK ON SUNDAY. CONCERN ABOUT THE HIGHWAY AND TRAFFIC RETURNING BACK ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE CHECKPOINTS. HOPEFUL TO HAVE A SHELTER PLAN IN PLACE, NOT IN PLACE NOW. FIRST 48-72 HOURS MAY NOT BE THE NEED FOR SHELTER AS MUCH AS A WEEK OUT.

FEMA ASSISTANCE LOCATED AT FIRE STATION #2 AT ANGELA AND SIMONTON STREETS. SECOND LOCATION MAY BE AT THE STUDIOS AT THE CORNER OF EATON AND SIMONTON STREETS.

FKAA – CAUTIOUS ABOUT RETURN OF RESIDENTS GIVEN THE INCREASED DEMAND AND CURRENT ABILITY TO SUPPLY WATER. TIMES FOR WATER IN KW START 7-9 AM, 11AM-1PM AND 5-10PM.

CHECKPOINT MAY BE MOVED TO SUNSHINE KEY, MILE MARKER 39.

SHERIFF- CURFEWS REMAIN IN PLACE.

SHERIFFMaking great strides. Had power in Marathon and better water pressure in Marathon.

Roads are clear.

DISCUSSION ALLOWING RESIDENTS BACK IN TO MARATHON AND MOVING CHECKPOINT SOUTH. TIME TO BE DETERMINED AND WILL BE ANNOUNCED. STAND BY FOR ANNOUNCEMENT. COULD BE AS SOON AS SATURDAY.

MARATHON
MOVING RESIDENTS BACK MAY BE AS SOON — CITY TO MAKE FINAL DECISION LATER TODAY. ELECTRIC CO-OP NEEDS TO CERTIFY THAT CITY IS SAFE. NEED SHELTERING PLAN WITH RED CROSS. NEED UP TO 2000 PEOPLE TO HAVE SHELTER. WHEN PEOPLE RETURN, SOME WILL FIND THEIR HOMES UNINHABITABLE AND WILL REQUIRE SHELTER.

CHECKPOINT will be moved to Seven Mile Bridge on Saturday- time to be determined.

FKAA WATER
Water is for sanitation use only. Maintaining pressure to Marathon at this point.

Anyway good luck to you and all of us rebuilding our lives.  Hopefully between insurance claims, FEMA assistance and fund raising we can return to normal once again. (Ed: I’ve been more concerned with saving our asses than anything else. Up here in America we’ve had no power or wifi. Both have been on and off. Thursday was the first time we had reliable wifi that’s why I published yesterday special edition. As it is, no one in the Keys can read this now.)

You can report a claim to our emergency number in our Longwood office 877-264-2519.

Once you have reported the claim, an adjuster will be contacting you directly. You will have to report a claim so it will be important that you have someone look at your home to see if it has been damaged and try to stop and further damage like getting the water out and tarping your roof, if you can.

Do not fix anything until and adjuster has seen your damaged property and you should take pictures if you need to do something to stop further damage.

(Ed: After we get our wifi back in the Keys I’m going to stomp on this crappy laptop that continually makes the courser skip around the page. It’s maddening trying to do anything on this #@$%& machine. I hate it. Hate, hate, hate!)

I rode the storm out at my sisters condo development which buried all its electric lines. We had power water and cable throughout the storm. Maybe that idea needs to be reconsidered after this mess

(Ed: Thanks Donald, I thought you only Tweeted!This will probably be the last time we publish because we’re going to try to head back down tomorrow, Saturday.)

Currently, the funding raised by UWFK will be distributed between 16 organizations that are currently or were formerly UWFK community partners.These organizations work closely with our Keys residents throughout the year and will be crucial in assisting our community in rebuilding during the next several months. Link

[Claims] Now it begins. All the relief agencies and insurance companies getting our hopes up, making us fill endless forms and having us provide endless documents only to be told they’ll do nothing for us. That’s what happened after hurricane Wilma.

[No Utilities, Ha!] In the past I lived for two years on Big Pine Key without water, phone or electricity. I am one of the original Pineoneers living in the woods under the radar. Now the asses with the guns are telling me I can’t go home because there’s no water, phone or electricity and there might be a wire in the road. Well, if they haven’t moved the wire by now they are the ones who need help. I’m pissed. I’ll never evacuate again. The not knowing is excruciating.

[Up To Date Images]This url will give you the latest NOAA overview of Big Pine. Just open it and keep enlarging like on Google Earth. It works the same way and you can view any street. Hope this helps.

https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/irma/index.html

We can’t get back to Big Pine Key. When we can, we plan on using a 3×1.5 ft solar panel to charge my two boat batteries that I’ll connect to an inverter to charge my many 18v batteries that run lights and tools. Fans will plug into the 110v inverter. I’ve lived in the middle of the Key Deer Refuge for 40 years and a few of them without water or electricity. All you really need is a fan, reading light and ice. Everything else is a luxury (we’re counting on FEMA for the ice).

https://storms.ngs.noaa.gov/storms/irma/index.html

In Key Largo, New York Task Force 2 has worked with the Key Largo Volunteer Fire Department on search and rescue and moving debris.

In Islamorada, debris has been removed from all the side streets into a single path to make it possible to travel them. Debris removal will begin by Saturday

[Getting Back home] Those pink re-entry decals aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

[Jersey Girls] Remember it’s too early to let your guard down about the rest of hurricane season.

Wanted to reach out to see if you can assist in seeing if you or a member of your community you might be in touch with could join our show for a quick phone interview, we don’t want to take up much of anyone’s time during this tragic event.

Please feel free to give me a call to discuss further: 202-527-2230

~Thank you, Angelica

From 10 a.m. to noon tomorrow, Key West will have water from stored supplies and an old plant.

There is still a precautionary boil water notice in effect for all of the Keys.

I know our President; Steve Miller is busy helping in whatever ways he can; I wish I were there to do the same.  I am awaiting re-entry instructions – when we return, we will bring as much as we can in the way of supplies, food, water, etc.  In the meantime, everyone stay safe, be patient and stay in touch with one another.

Sending healing thoughts.  ~Susan K. Miller

[Safe] Deer Ed, Glad to hear you and your family are safe. Always remember stuff can be replaced, lives can’t.

Of course it’s a statement. But not every one of the grinder pumps will have to be replaced or checked and many of the control boxes mounted chest high will likely need the same. I think the main reason they’re not letting residents in is that they know the CRWS is trashed.  They never mention that or that Irma made landfall right at the plant.

After other storms they let people in much sooner, power or not, but we had septic systems then. Probably there were no generators operable on the lift stations either, not that it matters to those people who have inoperable flooded grinder pumps.

Call it what it is, an environmental and health emergency as well

The Co-op reports about 30 percent of its customers have power and are bringing more people online each day.

[Sewers] In Key West, the sewer treatment facility is now functioning. Anyone with running water or a bucket of water will be able to flush.

I am a journalist writing a story for InsideClimate News on how people are using solar post-Irma to get some electricity. Could be generators, batteries, etc. Was wondering if you knew of anyone or could tell me more about how/if people are using solar and maybe even connect me with someone.
~Lyndsey Gilpin 502-468-1963