Ebikes May Be Lifesavers in the Aftermath of Hurricane Florence

6zfshdb

6zfshdb

Well-Known Member
Region
USA
City
Northeast Pennsylvania
My brother lives in Oak Island NC. which is ground zero for hurricane Florence. His house is less than a half mile from the beach. I tried to convince him to come stay with us during the storm but like many others there, he is afraid to leave his property. Although it sounds foolish, I would probably do the same. Along with many other preparations, he has both his ebikes, with spare batteries charged, up on the second floor of his house to avoid the flooding.

Florence will be the third hurricane he's weathered there. With past storms, one of his biggest problems has been transportation since his vehicles were submerged in storm water. With power out and no gasoline available, he, and a couple of his neighbors, who also have ebikes, are hoping they will be lifesavers in being able to get supplies in the aftermath of the storm.

Obviously, we are very concerned and are praying for his family's safety.
 
I would set up an infrared wildlife camera to identify looters in the property, then ride the e-bike out to safety 40 miles from the coast. Flooding is nothing to disrespect. Especially if it is fast moving. Nothing a handyman can do once water enters a property. Yeah, I pumped out a basement one night with a 12 v boat bailer and a car battery, but that was a 1" an hour rain that lasted for 18 hours. Water was entering about 1/4" an hour; nothing like a hurricane on the coast. One more reason I left Houston in 1980. My team leader at a JSC contractor had his carpet, wallboard and appliances replaced twice in 18 months 78-79 due to flooding near Kemah. I lived in an old neighborhood going ethnic 15 miles away, that was too high to flood. Unfashionable place Almeda-Genoa.
 
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Rowboats, Canoes, and Kayaks might be the transport need for a few weeks, before flood water recedes, and power is restored. Propane fired back up gen set too, with some very large propane tanks. Some spots could get 50 inches of rain ? Not fun. May God bless all on the coasts and in florence' path.
 
If predictions hold, there won't be much left of the islands. I doubt there will be restocked stores for a long time. There won't be supplies to be had since all the stores are empty now, let alone electricity for the stores. Maybe he will be able to ride to a National Guard truck somewhere if the whole place doesn't have 10' of water over it. If I lived on anyplace named "Island", NC., I would have been on the interstate yesterday!
 
Forecast storm track now goes directly over Oak Island. OTOH it has been downgraded to cat 3.
 
Bonnie and I are bugging out from coastal Carolina early Thursday AM (tomorrow, as this is written.) Although the predicted track of Florence has shifted south, so we are less likely to have hurricane force winds here in New Bern, rain and storm surge continue to be a huge concern. What with wind blowing salt water up the Neuse River, and 15-20" of rain bringing flood waters downstream, our little town is perfectly situated for a disastrous flood. Even if our home is not affected, and it may not be (didn't flood during the Hurricane Floyd event), we would still be trapped within a major disaster zone with no services for a week or more -- it was over a week before we could travel after Floyd moved through. So we're heading up to Ohio to see our grandkids. May as well make a visit of it. Yes, we're taking our ebikes with us, partly for recreation while gone, and partly because (as the OP suggests) they may come in handy for getting around upon our return.

We know a lot of people who have been through hurricanes, as have we. Unfortunately, familiarity breeds contempt. Having made it through Irene, or Isabel, or Floyd, or Fran, or the many more I've seen since moving here 25 years ago, doesn't mean that this one will be manageable. I hope I'm wrong, but I expect widespread damage. I vividly remember the many, many thousands of cattle, hogs, and poultry floating, drowned, down the waterways. Coffins floating up out of their graves and swimming away. Large yachts lodged on the streets of New Bern. None of those storms had the punch that Florence is likely to have. I can only hope that my friends who are staying, and so many others like the OP's brother, will make it through OK. I truly hope that Bonnie and I are overdoing it.
 
What about the availability of electricity to charge an ebike in an area that flooded?
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Zero, if you don't have a generator or solar panels. Over 40,000 electric crews from surrounding states have already been mobilized to be ready to get to work on restoring power. which ought to give you some idea of the difficulties we are about to undergo. I remember my first major storm in this area, back in 1993, when I lived 4 blocks from the Atlantic Ocean on Emerald Isle, NC. You could hear the transformers explode one by one as the wind drove water into them. Transformer design has improved a lot since then, but trees still fall on power lines etc.
 
6zfshdb said:
My brother lives in Oak Island NC. which is ground zero for hurricane Florence. His house is less than a half mile from the beach. I tried to convince him to come stay with us during the storm but like many others there, he is afraid to leave his property. Although it sounds foolish, I would probably do the same. Along with many other preparations, he has both his ebikes, with spare batteries charged, up on the second floor of his house to avoid the flooding.

Florence will be the third hurricane he's weathered there. With past storms, one of his biggest problems has been transportation since his vehicles were submerged in storm water. With power out and no gasoline available, he, and a couple of his neighbors, who also have ebikes, are hoping they will be lifesavers in being able to get supplies in the aftermath of the storm.

Obviously, we are very concerned and are praying for his family's safety.
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We will keep your brother in our thoughts and wish for best for him and his family. It is really a tough call for those folks who live there, but I wish you had been able to convince him to evacuate. Keep us posted as you get additional information.
 
What about the availability of electricity to charge an ebike in an area that flooded?
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Just about everyone in that area, including my brother, has a generator and a supply of gas.
 
AlanDB said:
We will keep your brother in our thoughts and wish for best for him and his family. It is really a tough call for those folks who live there, but I wish you had been able to convince him to evacuate. Keep us posted as you get additional information.
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Thanks Alan. I have my truck already loaded with supplies and ready to go. From past experience, I usually take blue tarps, chain saw, generator, power tools some canned food and as much gas as I can carry. He will call when the public is allowed back in and let me know what else to bring.

It looks like they caught a break overnight with Florence being downgraded to a Cat 2. Still a dangerous storm though.
 
6zfshdb said:
Thanks Alan. I have my truck already loaded with supplies and ready to go. From past experience, I usually take blue tarps, chain saw, generator, power tools some canned food and as much gas as I can carry. He will call when the public is allowed back in and let me know what else to bring.

It looks like they caught a break overnight with Florence being downgraded to a Cat 2. Still a dangerous storm though.
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How is your brother faring in the aftermath of Florence?
 
What about the availability of electricity to charge an ebike in an area that flooded?
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Forget about ebikes. Kayak or row boat is the best, when there is more than 6 inches of water. Inflatable boats too. Non-powered bicycle when it's dry enough. Horses. After this kind of disaster you are back to 18th century.
 
AlanDB said:
How is your brother faring in the aftermath of Florence?
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Thanks for asking.

We finally heard from him yesterday. Power, cellular and landline telephone were all out. He finally got cell service via an emergency WiFi mobile hot spot. His home sustained only minor wind damage from tree branches but they did experienced some flooding. Transportation is nearly impossible and he said not to attempt coming down to help.

No nearby gas stations are open but there are a few stores available for groceries. As predicted, his ebike and GPS are quite useful for navigating around blocked and flooded roads in order to get supplies. They were able to use them to get their vehicles to high ground to avoid the flooding. He predicts it will be a long time before things return to normal. He has a supply of gas for his generator which should last about a week.

It could have been much worse. They caught a break when Florence made landfall 40 miles to the north at Wrightsville Beach as a cat 1 storm. He's measured almost 30 inches of rain so far and they are still getting brief heavy downpours!
 
Bruce Arnold said:
Bonnie and I are bugging out from coastal Carolina early Thursday AM (tomorrow, as this is written.) Although the predicted track of Florence has shifted south, so we are less likely to have hurricane force winds here in New Bern, rain and storm surge continue to be a huge concern. What with wind blowing salt water up the Neuse River, and 15-20" of rain bringing flood waters downstream, our little town is perfectly situated for a disastrous flood. Even if our home is not affected, and it may not be (didn't flood during the Hurricane Floyd event), we would still be trapped within a major disaster zone with no services for a week or more -- it was over a week before we could travel after Floyd moved through. So we're heading up to Ohio to see our grandkids. May as well make a visit of it. Yes, we're taking our ebikes with us, partly for recreation while gone, and partly because (as the OP suggests) they may come in handy for getting around upon our return.

We know a lot of people who have been through hurricanes, as have we. Unfortunately, familiarity breeds contempt. Having made it through Irene, or Isabel, or Floyd, or Fran, or the many more I've seen since moving here 25 years ago, doesn't mean that this one will be manageable. I hope I'm wrong, but I expect widespread damage. I vividly remember the many, many thousands of cattle, hogs, and poultry floating, drowned, down the waterways. Coffins floating up out of their graves and swimming away. Large yachts lodged on the streets of New Bern. None of those storms had the punch that Florence is likely to have. I can only hope that my friends who are staying, and so many others like the OP's brother, will make it through OK. I truly hope that Bonnie and I are overdoing it.
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In light of the catastrophic flooding that has occured in New Bern; my thoughts and prayers are with Mr Arnold, his family, property as well as all of his neighbors in his hometown.

In 1977, the USCG sent me from boot camp to my first unit, a large 205 foot cutter homeported in Atlantic Beach, NC. I loved that area; made all the better cause the people in Coastal Carolina were just plain nice folks. So, my heart breaks to know of those areas I passed through in order to get to my boat; towns along the way like New Bern, Kinston, Havelock, Morehead City.....
 
6zfshdb said:
Thanks for asking.

He has a supply of gas for his generator which should last about a week.

It could have been much worse. They caught a break when Florence made landfall 40 miles to the north at Wrightsville Beach as a cat 1 storm. He's measured almost 30 inches of rain so far and they are still getting brief heavy downpours!
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So glad they are okay. Lucky indeed! Gas will be his major issue then. We went 72 hours once with a little local ice storm. Aren't they saying nearly 1 million customers without electricity? That's going to take months! There was a picture on World News this morning of an interstate near Wilmington. It looked like a river, you couldn't see any pavement, median, nor ditches. And they have inland waterways bringing them more! So sad for those with no flood insurance. But after Harvey and Florence, if anyone lives within 10 miles of a coastal river or even any kind of valley, insurance will be a necessity with these climate change monster storms!
 
We had 2 ft of water in our home. Had a contractor in there today doing demolition. Tomorrow they start the sterilization, then we can rebuild. Lost furniture, appliances, cupboards, carpet, etc. Didn't lose each other though. Friends and family so supportive.
 
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