Marybird, you asked me if people boarded their windows
Posted by Juanita on 10/26/2022, 4:22 pm
Before the hurricane. Here where I live I didn't see any boarded nor business windows. I think perhaps because we were not in a direct path. It slammed us hard but the news didn't have any coverage regarding same. Hope things are getting back to normal for you.
Re: Marybird, you asked me if people boarded their windows
Hi Juanita, I guess I'm not surprised at places not having windows boarded up in preparation for hurricanes where you are. It's inland and you'd figure wind speeds from hurricanes that come your way would lessen as they travel over the land masses enough so hopefully you don't need shutters. In coastal areas of Florida shutters or window coverings ( or wind resistant windows) are the norm- ever since Hurricane Andrew and the hurricanes that followed in 2004 and 2005.
Cathy, you're thinking of "hurricane impact" windows, or windstorm resistant windows, which are made up of two layers of glass, one layer of tempered glass ( like a car windshield, I guess), and an inner layer made of glass coated with or containing a polymer plastic substance that makes the glass much stronger. There is a layer of air between the glass layers, and they're in a frame of extruded metal. The proper installation of these windows is as important as their composition in making them wind resistant. They must be bolted into the concrete or structure of the building on the sides of the opening, there are long bolts used- a number on each side- for this purpose, to ensure the windows don't get pulled out during a hurricane.
We have hurricane impact windows and sliding glass doors in our house, put in at the time of contruction, and they did very well during Ian. The windows didn't rattle, or even budge, though if you touched them you could feel them vibrating. We also find the windows great for temperature control in the house (tinted a bit) and abating outside noises. The thing is, they're very expensive, though we bit that bullet big time when we had the house built. They've been worth the expense for us, considering their everyday properties, and us old folks not having to haul heavy or cumbersome shutters out of storage, put them up, take them down afterwards.
Juanita, we're making progress in getting things fixed, though it will take quite some time to get things back to pre-Ian status. The vegetation debris here has been cleaned up, hauled off, though the construction debris is still there. We know they will get to it but it's a ginormous job as so many people were affected so it will take time. We've had a new water treatment system put in so we have good (well) water. The power and internet has been back for a while and everything seems to work in our house, so we are comfortable in the house, and very lucky in that regard- lots of people lost everything , including their homes in this storm. We lost our boat in the storm- Ian's winds flipped it off the lift upside down into the canal.But it was insured, and the SeaTow people came to get it yesterday, it will go for salvage and we will get a decent settlement from the insurance company for the boat.
Still dealing with an apparently not so great tarp job on the house, still have some water leaking through the ceiling in the great room when it rains. We're concerned about a possible tropical system currently in the southern Atlantic that may bring sloppy rain and wind to the area- figuring that this, along with a tarp covered roof still leaking, would turn the house into a soggy mess.
Scratching around trying to get it fixed as both hubby and I are well past our roof climbing years. Naturally, no response from insurance company, and the people they sent to put the tarp up ( Larry, Curley and Moe I think) are long gone, they were from out of town anyway, not sure I'd want them back anyway. Fortunately, we signed a contract with a reputable local roofing company to replace our roof a few days ago ( they gave us a timeframe of 2-4 weeks- that's quick these days!), and when we contacted the owner he promised to send somebody to re-tarp, or put another one over the areas we think the leaks are coming from. He just couldn't say exactly when, but at latest by Monday, so fingers crossed they can do this, I know they are swamped.
Will still need to deal with water and mold mitigation ( can't see or smell anything,and nobody is sick, but there must be some above the ceiling), tearing out and replacing insulation, and the ceiling drywall.This will come after the roof replacement and likely will involve significant waits due to the number of people who need the same thing, and to supply issues. The soffit replacements are also needed, but the roofing company said they would take care of that- when they can, also supply issues. In the meantime, we think we'll just find some other material we can slide in to at least partly block the openings left by the soffits being ripped out, to discourage critters from getting into the attic, and maybe some rain as well. I envision some creative wierdness on the corners, nooks and crannies of the house where the soffits are missing, looking forward to it, LOL. Whatever works. Otherwise, things are fine. Our little Hinki bird ( parakeet) is none the wiser over this post-hurricane madness going on and is her usual sweet self. She's 8 yrs old and came to us 7 yrs ago with a splay leg that was never corrected. She has compensated well for it over the years, and she's always been free flighted ( out of the cage whenever anyone is home), so she never knew she had any mobility issues. But she has gotten to where she has some difficulty using her right foot ( right splay leg)- it doesn't have the strength for grasping, it seems. So in looking for perches, etc. that are easier for her to perch or sit on, we've found one that she loves loves loves. She has two of them in her cage now, and loves them so much she goes into the cage voluntarily to sit on them, chew the wood, and rub her head on them. These are wide natural wood perches, about 3 inches wide, 6-7 inches long, with a flat surface on one side, and the other side curved with the bark still on it. She loves the curved side with the bark, the textured surface keeps her leg/foot from sliding and hopefully comfortable, and she chomps on the bark, rubs her head on it. Guess that's about it! Mary
Re: Marybird, you asked me if people boarded their windows
It seems so overwhelming, all the things that you have to repair, a lot of work! but I have to remind myself that you went through a Cat 5 hurricane! It's also amazing that you have power and Internet. Would anything on this page do the trick in helping with your soffits?
I love that name Hinky. She sounds like a sweetie. I can't picture the perch you're talking about. Could you post a link to a site that sells it? I wish that I had known about it for Shiloh when she injured her foot. But she did have a couple of Leap n' Ledge perches that are flat.
Cathy
Re: Marybird, you asked me if people boarded their windows
LOL, Cathy, looks like there are a lot of useful items on the page you linked! Our roofer will be taking care of our soffits- when they can get them. Seems they're hard to come by right now, due to the demand, everybody lost soffits and they all seem to use the same type. We were just thinking of maybe browsing around Home Depot or someplace to try and find something that might temporarily fill in (at least partially) the gaps where the soffits are missing. This is mostly to try and keep critters out of the attic, or block rain that might come in ( would need to be a heavy, wind-driven rain to do that, but we do get those here sometimes.
Let me go look for the information about the wide bark perch. I'd bought the first one a long time ago for our cockatiel, Coconut, who died a few years ago at age 30. His feet got kind of gnarled and crippled (arthritis, we thought) as he got older, and I thought he might like the perch. But he didn't want to know from it, was scared of it, so I put it in with the spare bird toys and supplies. I know I got it from a pet store, but can't remember where. Hinki didn't want to know from it either till recently, but I put it in the back of her cage ( it's a large cage) and she discovered it. But my daughter recently found a package of two perches on Amazon, we gave Hinki one of those, for the front of her cage near the top and she likes that too. I'll look up the information and post it so you can see it.
Hinki's previous owner ( a lady who got Alzheimer's disease and had to go to a nursing home) and family gave Hinki her name. They were originally from Iowa and said she was named after a store there- her name is actually Hinki-Dinki. We got her at a year old, and thought of changing her name, but none of us ( that'd be me, hubby, and our daughter who lives with us) could agree on a new name so she stayed Hinki. She learned to say her name so Hinki it was. She's a sweet, interactive little "puppy bird" and it's obvious she's been cherished her whole life, starting with being hand fed and tamed by a loving breeder, to the year she spent with her first owner, and then us. Let me see about the details for that perch. I think it'd be a help for many birds whose feet have gotten arthritic or have other issues. They need birdie podiatrists! Mary
Re: Marybird, you asked me if people boarded their windows
No rush, you have more important things to worry about. I was just curious.
That's how it was with Shiloh. She'd sit on my lap while I read or watched TV, followed me everywhere. But she was also great at entertaining herself. Even though she hatched in a local mom and pop pet shop they were very protective and loving to their birds. They did a great job of socializing her and she came home with me at 4 months and we had a little over 14 1/2 years together. I wish that it could have been 30 like your Coconut.