Topic starter
16/09/2008 3:39 am
Just got in from Marietta where my son, Jess, and I attended the S&D banquet and heard KPH, Jr.'s interesting after-dinner sideshow and talk. Our rental car overheated as soon as we entered town; so we spent an extra day at the Lafayette until the local branch of the Enterprise car rental agency opened on Monday and we could trade automoiles and head home again. But when I called home to tell of the change of plans, Peg reported Hurricane Ike was roaring up the Ohio Valley with winds gusting up to 85 MPH, tearing down trees and causing general havoc while churning the Ohio River into a smaller version of the Gulf of Mexico. Five persons were killed in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Close to sunset on Sunday the high winds reached Marietta with gusts into the forties, but without the devastation visited upon the lower stretches of the river. By later in the evening, the remnants of Ike passed on to the east and a calm morning found the DELTA QUEEN tied up below the hotel where Jess and I went aboard for a gracious visit with Mate Roger and Steamboat Mary before we swapped cars and headed west.
A river bud, just down the road from the RH Shipyard, sent the following report on the hurricane-on-the-Ohio that should be of interest:
Yesterday we got hit with sustained 70 mph winds from somewhere. Don't know if it was the tail end of IKE, or what, but we are out of power now. 90%of Cincinnati area power is out- 1.6 million people I think they said. It is unprecedented around here. I'm sending this on generator power with a cell phone for the data connection. They say we might be out for a week. Have been out for about 26 hrs at this point.
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The Ohio River looked like the ocean yesterday. The waves got so huge that they broke a face wire on my little pusher boat & the stern swung in on the rocks. That shoved my aluminum 20' john boat up on the bank & the tug just laid there & pounded against rocks at the stern & the JENNIE LYNN at the bow for about 2 hrs. Good thing the tug hull is 5/16" plate & has a pretty tough skeg. The rudder may be damaged, I don't know yet. With the help of neighbors & friends I got it faced up again. No holes but all 3 boats got banged up.
We couldn't even stand up most of the time, we had to hold on for dear life to anything available. Inside the shantyboat everything was falling around. It was all I could do to hold the front door shut against the wind. I've never seen anything like this! The tug was leaping out of the water then slamming into the shantyboat, hanging by the one remaining face wire. The little air cooled generator was on the deck of the tug rolling all over the place tied by one line. My neighbor Butch crawled out there on his hands & knees taking huge waves that almost washed him overboard several times. He got another line on it.
Eventually we re-attached the broken face wire to the barge then took a strain on it with the hand winch. Every time the tug bounced off the rocks we gained a few clicks on the winch. We got the little diesel generator started then used it to power a pump and we flooded two forward compartments in the tug so it would help lift the stern off the rocks.
After we got faced back up I pumped the water back out. D*MN, I never want to go through anything like that again!
The evening news reported that the lower end of the Ohio took an even worse beating with over 200 homes destroyed. The RH Shipyard escaped with minor damage confined to the loss of several trees that deserved their fate, and the outhouse was tipped off its foundation, but that also happens every Halloween.
16/09/2008 12:02 pm
Yeah, it was something up here in upstate New York, too. It screamed through about 1 AM Monday morning and of course power winked out. You could feel the house shudder. A bazilion black walnuts and branches now on the driveway. Both Syracuse and Rochester were hit hard, something like 100000 people without power, mostly restored by now. But the funny thing, the apple trees in the area, all really loaded down with fruit, were unscathed.
Power restored for all except us out here in no-man's land. 30 hours of no power so far and the power company is predicting power back on for me and Deb at 11:59 PM tomorrow! Which, when translated means they don't know when they are going to get to us...
Sounds like Cincy was a bit worse...
Topic starter
16/09/2008 2:08 pm
Here's a link to the flatboat that's recreating an Abe Lincoln adventure that was caught in Ike's fury on the Ohio. The flatboat survived.
16/09/2008 6:07 pm
Sam,
Really enjoyed sharing a table with you, Jess, Tom Dunn, Gary Frommelt, and the guest speaker Kenny Howe and his wife at S and D. Kenny's slide show tour of various doings at Jeffboat was very interesting and entertaining.
The fam and I had just made it back into the Queen City from S and D Sunday afternoon, when the winds started howling. Fortunetly we got "docked" before it got real bad. Didn't lose our 100 year old oak tree in the back yard, although the neighbors lost a couple trees. We were one of the lucky few who only lost power for a short time period. Were considering firing up the welder/generator for power but luckily the power was restored. Have not yet heard how the fleet at Lamb faired in the stiff winds.
Was really concerned about our boat too, especially since she's about 4 feet off the ground on stands, but fortunately Lunken only sustained gust to about 61 miles per hour, way less then the 84 mph gust to the north of the city. The boats 25 ton weight helped so she didn't fall over, and no windows got blown out.
Aaron
16/09/2008 7:24 pm
Aaron: Being as you got the table first and that very elite group joined you, I can only assume your beautiful daughter Lily was the attraction.
16/09/2008 8:00 pm
Amazing. Down here in Waco, TX, we got no more of Ike than some gusty wind and a day of drizzle, while my daughter in Ohio got the hurricane. (My nephew in Clear Lake REALLY got the hurricane, they are ok, but haven't heard about their house yet.)
16/09/2008 11:44 pm
Cap,
If that's what it takes we'll bring Lily from now on. Your right, It was an honor to sit with those fine ladies and gentlemen, and the boat conversation during dinner never missed a beat.
If Renee and I were ever to look into adopting additional Grandparents for Lily I think you and Darlene would be first on the list, although the way Darlene looked at Lily, it might be the other way around as far as who is doing the adopting. We'll have to stop by Judd Landing sometime for a visit so Lily and Darlene can better get to know each other.
Thank you for your compliments of Lily! Her first S and D meeting is in the books.
Aaron
17/09/2008 12:40 am
Another precinct has been heard from. I just talked to Keith as they were lighting the lanterns in their still darkened house in New Albany. Miller Pipe Organ is also still without power, so even though Keith has been at the office, he hasn't been able to use the computer. We all know how prompt he is to respond, so that is the reason no one has heard from him this week. They suffered no damage other than being without power from the Ike winds.
17/09/2008 12:47 am
Hello all!
Greetings from mile 603 Ohio River, the powerless berg....with the exception of the Ryder Cup festivities over at Valhalla Golf Course. It is still mostly dark with tree limbs and branches littering most streets...except those to the Golf Course.
The schools are still closed....except the Golf Course.
I hear the President is coming to the Golf Course.
The BELLE and SPIRIT are fine.
~Travis~
17/09/2008 1:19 am
Upstate New York has finally got power after 40+ hours, thank you NYSEG. Not sure if our freezer stuff is still OK. Immediately ran the dishwasher and answered all the e-mails. Very, VERY nice to have water again, and yes I pray to the Well Gods every morning...you never know if repairs might be a tad temporary...There are still a slew of New Yorkers without power...Anybody want a cr-p load of black walnuts?
Heard from the St Louis area...lots and lots and lots of rain, 6+ inches, with backed up basement drains, and flooded basements...lovely...
17/09/2008 1:35 am
IKE also caused Amtrak to cancell numerou trains on the St Louis-Chicago route and Chicago to Washington, DC and several others due to flooding over Norfolk Southern Rails in Northern Indiana on Sunday.
Metro in St Louis was closed for awhile as water was over the rails in several places including the platform and tunnel under Union Station.
Union Station in Chicago was an absolute Zoo of confusion ans consternation.
17/09/2008 6:50 pm
Capt. John Vaughn posted these two pictures on Sunday, Sept. 14 in an e-mail blog to friends. They were snapped as they waited with 16 empties for winds to subside near Cannelton Lock. John said the gusts were up to 78 mph, with winds of 55 mph sustained for over two hours. He began his e-mail message with "This sure doesn't look like Kansas . . . " No, and it sure doesn't look like the beautiful, blue Ohio either! Hope all our friends in the Ohio River area are recovering from the remnants of Ike. This has been one real interesting spring and summer on the Western rivers!
18/09/2008 2:32 am
Hello all ,,,A Louisville update,,..
Spoke with ~Travis~ by phone, still no power, keeping cell phone charged by car, flashlights and batteries, candles and ice,and gasoline all in short supply..
The BELLE OF LOUISVILLE had a bent flagpole,,
GOOD LUCK ,, and our thoughts are with you ,,,,
18/09/2008 10:32 am
Just got our power and phones back after 3.5 days without! No damage to the Barbara H, except for a shredded tarp on the yawl. Otherwise we had lots of tree damage and gusts of 75 mph. The only thing that helped the boats is that the wind was mostly out of the south when it was the strongest, and that made the wind come straight across the river at us, as opposed to pounding us with big waves at the end of a fetch. We still got pounded with impressive waves, as this area is a wide spot in the river. The Carrollton courthouse (across from us) lost one of its 4 dome clocks in the wind.
19/09/2008 3:32 pm
Power was restored here at the pipe organ works at 4:00 PM Thursday. At home, it is still not restored, having been out since 1:30 last Sunday. Although neighbors lost BIG trees, my home suffered only a bent air turbine on the roof, which was easily replaced after a trip to Home Depot. I spent Monday helping neighbors clean up their yards and then raking up about 10 bags of leaves from mine. It's been a perilous trip to drive anywhere, what with so many traffic lights out and too many idiots on the road!
One of the casualties of the wind in New Albany was the unique spire atop St. Mary's Church, where I served as assistant organist for 18 years. Easily seen from the Ohio River, the historic building, constructed in 1858, is often referred to as New Albany's "cathedral" for its architectural beauty. The wind caused the soaring spire to "list" precariously and it had to be removed very carefully by two brave, skilled workmen in a basket hoisted aloft by a huge crane, while a second crane steadied the steeple and then safely lowered it to a large flatbed truck waiting far below in the street. After the ticklish and breathtaking removal, the copper covered spire and gilded cross were hauled away and will be carefully restored. I held my breath while watching this procedure from across the street, as I had horrific visions of the spire crashing through the roof into the choir loft area and destroying the 1886 pipe organ. Thankfully, it all went well!
Things are finally getting back to normal and we're thankful it wasn't a lot worse. The cool weather has helped the situation greatly since we were without air conditioning and it's actually been pleasant to dine "al fresco" on the patio! Living in candlelight has been interesting and Casey the cat has enjoyed it too, taking care to keep his tail away from flickering candles!
21/09/2008 10:26 pm
Hello ALL ;;; Thought you might like to know;;
~Travis~ StiLL has NO Power,,
as of 6:00 pm Eastern time Sunday the 21st,,
That meens,, ONE WEEK,,!
22/09/2008 1:44 am
Hello all,
I am happy to report that at approximately 9:15pm EDT 21, September 2008, the lights on Cherokee Road in Louisville, KY.came back on....they did a little flash and went back out about 1/2 hour earlier and this time they seem to have stuck.
Sadly enough, the latest radio reports say over 35,000 are still with out power and it could last until mid-week this coming week. Over 310,000 were with out power at the onset of this horrible situation. I hear over 650,000 in Cincinnati.
We can just all hope this is over with and all are back to normal as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, I am ready to go grocery shopping and buy back all I lost.
~Travis~
22/09/2008 11:44 am
Power was restored to my house on Friday at 11:15 PM. On Sunday afternoon it went out again for about two hours. Although frustrating at times, we are fortunate and grateful it wasn't a lot worse! A whistle salute to all the utility workers who are toiling 'round the clock to get everybody back on line as quickly as possible.
At the Howard Steamboat Museum, two windows were blown out on the second floor, a few shingles were lost and a BIG tree fell over near the carriage house and DQ wheel shaft, crushing part of the fence. Some of the tree blocked Market Street for a time until crews came and sawed it up. The rest of the tree remains in the backyard, amongst the litter of many limbs and leaves. Otherwise, we are OK and very thankful!
Had a phone call last evening from Virginia Bennett, who returned home on Friday after a 23 day stay in the hospital. The power at Ginny's riverfront apartment building was out for only 5 hours last Sunday -- and she was so sorry to have missed seeing the river "rocking and rolling" at the height of the windstorm. She said that Virginia Bennett Light weathered the wind just fine!
It all now seems like a bad dream!