Another damaging wind event
 

Looks like it could be several days with out power up in moultonborough. Driving in this morning no power all the way down towards Rochester

Yup and the other side of the lake is no better with Gilford being 94% without power!

On my way in to Manchester this morning, everything was out from Gilford to Concord. The entire length of route 106 had no power at all.

I'm assuming many of the islands are without power as well, I know Welch island is out.

Dan

So is Mark...

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Good thing we have the puppy to help clean up!

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Almost all the webcams around the lake are out this morning and presumably have no power. The only exception I noticed is the Mount's camera, which uses cell service.

I highly recommend that if you are an islander with a camera and your camera is not working to call Eversource or whoever your electric company is and report an outage.

Many islanders have left for the season and unless enough outages are reported for the island you are on, the outage may not be fixed until spring! This means no cameras and no dock ice eaters!

Dan

I had some good luck last night. A friend left his trailer on Saturday for me to do my fall cleanup. Since the trailer was in my side driveway I parked in the main driveway. This morning there were several huge branches covering the trailer and the spot where my car would have been parked. Since a few of the branches were 8-10 inches thick they would have done serious damage to my car. I probably just used up all my good luck for the year!

To the Suissevale residents: Any power in the association? Any expected return time if it's out?

Unable to get through to Eversource using their 800 # it tells you you have a 2 minute wait time and then it dumps your call :mad:

You are much better off doing it on line... https://www.eversource.com/psnh/cust...tageLogin.aspx

Dan

Thank you Dan.

We got the NHEC out on Bear and they know when the power is out one of the nice benefits of having those smart meters.

Co-op
 

Just looked at co-op site. Update..short on line crews..lots of trees down. Substations out. Could be few days. So question is what restaurants are open?

Ok, I understand storms can be totally unpredictable. But this is now the second major storm where Moultonborough essentially had all its residents without power. This afternoon, a substantial number were back on line and to NHEC we all say thanks. BUT, it also seems to me that the BOS should invite NHEC in for a sit down to discuss why we seem to be having either transmission or substation issues. I recall that NHEC was going to do things to back feed services from two different directions to avoid these situations. Whatever happened seems to have not worked in this storm.

I am not sure why you think your town would be any different than the rest of New Hampshire. Over 300,000 homes in NH lost power and it may be several days before it is restored. According to Eversource as of 7 PM Gilford had 94% without power and Laconia had 54% without power.

The good news is the crews are not fighting snow and ice to repair the damaged equipment and wires so it should be a faster process. Another thing to remember is the revenue stream for the power companies stops when the meters are not spinning so the companies have a vested interest in restoring service quickly.

If the power companies geared up to be able to respond instantly to every storm I don't think we would be too happy with our electric bills.

I live in Briarcrest on route 106 and we never lost power. Our lines are under ground and I think we may have a separate transformer.

When there are very high outages...say 80+%, it usually is a transmission or sub station issue. My only point was to determine why these issues exist and what, if any corrective actions are planned. I was not trying to say my town was any different than others.

I’m in Gilford and we just received an automated call from Eversource telling us it could be a few days before power is restored.

Loving that on demand generator right now!!

Dan

We’re currently on Welch closing the camp (until Wednesday). Last night was pretty rough out here. We’re on the north side so we had some protection from the wind. Must have been brutal on the S+E sides. I’ve got a small generator for the fridge and pump. Just walked out to the dock and it’s very strange seeing darkness on all the surrounding shorelines.

Mark

Happy to report power is back on sometime before 530 last night.

What ever inconveniences we suffer during this brief power outage serve to remind us that we are fortunate to not be living in P.R. or some other hurricane ravaged area.

Thank you C-Bass.

And..Concerning the discussion about predictability Just about every time I arrive up there for the weekend, I'd say 8 out of 10 visits the clocks are flashing because they've lost power. Why the heck is it so often up there?? :(

Most of Gilford, (70% + or -) is still out. On my way to Manchester this morning, I would guesstimate that 60% of the businesses are still out on route 106 between Gilford and Concord.... Still a lot of work to be done.

Dan

Squirrels!! This time of the year especially. I had one week were 4 out of 5 days I came home from work and the clocks were flashing. I finally called NHEC and he told me especially fall and spring the squirrels chew on the lines and cause power disruptions.

I don’t believe it...I have had the flashing clock syndrome several times last week as well...blaming it on squirrels is stretching it a bit in my opinion.

Yeah I don't believe that story either I actually have more at home in Mass than I see locally up there and haven't lost power at home in a good year and a half. Of course now I went and jinxed myself. Perhaps Mass squirrels don't like power lines. :rolleye2:

I think that there are a lot more trees in NH that lean on wires and in many cases either short or break the wires. A quick flicker in the power may set your clocks and other appliances into reset mode. I know the power companies pay a lot of money for tree trimming during the summer to remove branches that could affect the wires. However, they can't trim them all. I would believe tree branches are causing most problems before I would believe it was squirrels.

Tree trimming in this case had little to do with all the outages. Hundreds upon hundreds of downed trees. Almost as bad as hurricane Irene. Nothing can be done to prevent this unless every powerline is under ground. This is a statewide problem from Canada to Mass. And thats just us. A good part of the northeast had the same damage so line crews are limited to move to other zones to help. If you want to see how you compare with what you think your area got then look at this outage map for Eversource. You might feel your not the neglected customer.
https://www.eversource.com/psnh/outage/mobile.aspx

Gilford near Dockham Shores back on
 

Power back ON in Gilford near Dockham Shores. ~1pm on 10/31

Storm tree trimming
 

I have spoken, more than once, to some that work for power companies in this area, about preventive tree trimming. The response has always been that they don't do anything (cutting down trees, branches, etc.) until there is a problem.

If I understand Tilton BB, they have come to help, in advance.

Who don't I know?

West Alton
 

Power (and cable etc) came back on overnite

Some people are still out though.

A lot of Gilford especially along Lake Shore Rd (Route 11) is still out. We were told not to expect power until sometime on Friday... Welch Island is still out as well.

Dan

Maybe your guy didn't know
 

Last Fall I think.... the Eversource tree crews were cutting everything back all along Rte11B everywhere the power lines are stretched from the Weirs all the way to Patrick's in Gilford. So they do cut some of the trees away.

The Breeze
Wave 'cuz I'll be wavin' back

Rattlesnake Island
 

I received a call this morning from NHEC that the power was restored. I went over to the island, and there is still no power. I have notified NHEC that the power was still out on the island. I took a ride around the island and i was the only boat out there. I am not sure the power company will come out with only one call reporting the outage.

They won't...That's why I recommended previously that anyone with a dock bubbler or camera should call in and report the outage. If no one calls in it will stay that way till spring.

Dan

Maybe only high traffic areas?
 

It may be that they only cover areas that affect large numbers of customers. On the two different residential roads I've inquired about, the response was a negative.

On the other hand, even though I had to wait till after the fact, the crews of NHEC did show up quickly to take down the trees. Yes, I did have to cut up and remove everything. Happy to have it taken down- removing it, I guess, is just a part of having the great quality of life we have here!

Gone With The Wind
 

Our contractor called Monday morning to advise that our small seasonal dock was destroyed and was blown against our permanent main dock, and several trees have been partially uprooted and are leaning against adjacent trees. Other properties on East Bear Island sustained damage from the 68 mph southerly wind that arrived late Sunday. We still have no power (Eversource) here at home in southern NH.

In early October, NHEC cleared large areas below and adjacent to the power line behind our cottage. 🐻

We're closed for the season and don't use dock bubblers, so o power isn't a huge worry. I'm more concerned as to whether or no there is a tree in my living room. Anybody still on Welch aware of major blowdowns, esp on the south side? TIA

I’m going out on Friday and this weekend and can check for you if you want.

PM me through this board if you want me to check on anything...

Dan

The Reason for "Forest"...
 

It appears trees "support one another" when in a woodsy environment.

Makes sense to me. When a major tree-cutter visited my part of the woods, he cut out most of the marketable trees. A week after he left, a windstorm took out nearly everything he'd left behind.

The same extent of damage—all around this scene.

.

Last But Not Least!
 

I must be the last person in Gilford who still has no power!... :emb::emb::emb:

Sheesh!

What a Storm!
 

What a storm! We have been on The Broads side of Rattlesnake Island for 15 seasons now. We have been through countless storms, even hurricanes and had less damage and debris than this beast left behind!!! We lost a bunch of trees, thankfully they all missed the camp and walkways. We did, however, lose our two wooden seasonal docks. On a happy note, we recently submitted an application for slightly wider welded aluminum docks. With luck, the permit will go through with the new changes we wanted to make, so Mike Metcalfe, of Winnipesaukee Island Services, can install it first thing in the spring. :D Our neighbor has a similar dock setup to ours that Mike put in a few years ago and they weathered the storm much easier than our old woodies did. Funny that we were hesitant to remove the docks before we had the permit. Mother Nature took away our choice. Lol.

Be careful out there! Our dock panels that were screwed down with 3' screws are all gone. Likey they are smashed on the shore somewhere. I am kinda sad about that because I had plans for them. :laugh: The docks are tethered and we will sure them up even more this Saturday. Mike and is crew will be dismanteling them as soon as he can get to it.

Video
 

Video of some of the damage.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i3_hVYSr8Io" frameborder="0" gesture="media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
https://youtu.be/i3_hVYSr8Io

Amazing damage
 

That is quite a lot of damage. I am so sorry. I suppose the fact that you were planning to replace eases the pain a bit.

We hope to go to our camp in a day or two. NHEC says maybe next week for power as we are not a priority.


A reminder to boaters, there may well be a lot of debris out in the lake from the storm just waiting to take out your lower unit or hull!

I thought about the debris as I headed out of Glendale tonight...rode out slowly with the docking lights on...strange to see everything so dark!https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...590423e5ef.jpg

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Nope...they're talking monday or tuesday for us!

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Yeah but I wasn’t including any of the islands! After just seeing what happened on Welch island, I don’t expect electricity back on out there till spring!

Still no power at my mainland home in Gilford!

Dan

My buddy recently bought a fixer-upper camp on Pleasant Lake in Deerfield. It was really old, really run down. He was going to put a new roof on it, and fix it up right.
Well, Mother Nature had a different idea. A giant pine tree pretty much split it in half. Roof is crushed, newer deck destroyed, etc. Looks like he will need to tear it down and start over.

I feel really bad for him and his family. He just closed on this place in early August, and was so excited to be lakeside.

Til Spring
 

Power still out on Bear?

If so, I am hoping my contractor will use our generator in order to work on our camp.

NHEC may not restore power til spring

If he tears it down they may not be able to ever rebuild if it's close to the water. Tell him to look into the requirements before doing anything. It may be a case where they "repair" it, then add a 2000 sq ft addition.

Bummer Celia. You took a hard hit.

I can't speak to the local requirements but this is the Shoreland Protection Rule that would come into play...

Env-Wq 1408.01 Replacement of Pre-existing Nonconforming Structures Damaged By Accidental Means.
(a) The owner of any pre-existing nonconforming structure damaged by accidental means who wishes to rebuild the structure in its existing location shall begin construction within 2 years of the date of the accident or such shorter period of time as is specified in local ordinances or regulations.
(b) For purposes of these rules, the time period specified in (a), above, shall not run during the pendency of any legal action that is intended to or has the effect of precluding the owner from rebuilding the structure.
(c) If the owner does not begin construction to replace the pre-existing nonconforming structure within the time period established in (a), above, any primary structure thereafter constructed shall conform to all applicable set-back requirements.

Just got out to Whortleberry. No power. Rough ride over. Time for a single malt by the fire.

Like Last Spring's Level, Is Lakeport Responsible?
 

Hurricane Irma came up through central Florida, and dismanteled dozens of docks on my lake. I've recovered neighbors' decking that washed up on my shoreline, and could build my own dock out of them. :cool: Insurance (less a significant deductible) is replacing some of those docks with new ones, but I think the choice of fasteners would have made a big difference.

This year, Central Florida's lakes were kept at an unusually high level. :confused:

Analyzing RG's use of 3" screws, most 3" nails were pulled out here, making for very hazardous debris on shore. Torx® screws snapped off. :( Composite lumber simply pulled-through inadequate screw heads.

Old and weathered 2-inch PT yellow pine boards stayed together, but it was the failing of fasteners that resulted in docks that "disappeared". More than you wanted to know about dock fasteners.

Twenty-five years ago, to build a 150'-long dock—common among Florida's shallow lakes—I bought a gazillion 4" stainless-steel lag-bolts at 50¢ each. When I moved from there, I unscrewed all those pricey s/s lag-bolts and replaced them with fasteners that cost 90% less. Less than a year later, the new owner had the entire dock replaced—and added a boathouse at the end. (Phew). :look:

Meanwhile, I'm still using those same s/s lag-bolts. :coolsm: Since they're like man-cave jewelry to us homeowners, I'll take the time necessary to straighten out those that get damaged. When the use of a three-inch lag-bolt is unavoidable, I just lop an inch off the end and grind a new point.

If I'm reading Winnipesaukee's lake-level correctly, was Lake Winnipesaukee at an unusual level for Autumn? (Like Florida's lakes—"high"). :confused:

Had the lake been at its customary low level, would there have been less destruction? :confused:

Photos of a neighbor's post-Irma dock and composite lumber failure below.

.

4" x 5/16" ss lag screws now go for about 2.39-each.

APS, the water was very low before the storm. A couple days prior to the storm, we got heavy rain and then the storm, and the lake came up quickly. My friend said their weather station detected 7 inches of rain.

I don't know how far back it is, but it isn't very close. I would say it is over 50' away from the shore. He is planning on rebuilding in the original footprint, and not expanding.

Neighbor had the big pine near her dock come down, but on the bright side I can now see Gunstock Mt. from my beach. Does this mean we'll be assessed an additional " view tax" ?Attachment 13419

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Dock insurance claim denied
 

I'm interested in some opinions with regard to home insurance covering dock damage from the storm. My boat was still in the water during this past storm. We found that the lines had snapped and the boat must have bounced around like a pinball inside the U Shaped dock for hours before it finally drifted free. My insurance company is denying the claim on the dock because they say the damage was due to wave action, which apparently is not covered. The damage to the dock was caused by the boat repeatedly smashing in to it, not the waves. Did the waves cause the boat to smash into the dock? Along with the wind they certainly did but it is pretty obvious from looking at both the dock and the boat that it was the boat hitting the dock that caused the damage, not the waves themselves. Is this just wishful thinking on my part or is this something that I should be able to appeal and win?

Almost a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg. A logical thing(you & me) is that the wind increased in speed, causing high wave action and the boat lines to snap, causing the boat to damage the dock. Without the wind, there would not have been wave action and the boat lines would not have snapped. The proximate cause of the damage was the wind. Good luck.

Dave

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How about your boat insurance covering damage to property?

Unfortunately, property damage part of liability is damage to the property of others, not your own.

Dave

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Bad, Bad, Boat!
 

Although I've never had occasion to use one, it'd be worth a call to a "public adjuster" for insurance claims:

Following Hurricane Andrew, many insurance companies would settle readily with such adjusters. Fees are a percentage of recovery above what insurance has offered.

Damage to Florida docks and boathouses following Hurricane Irma has policy holders wondering why they bought insurance over decades. :confused:

But remember, this is The Age of Social Media! :cool:

Good luck...

.

Dock Damage
 

My Insurance Policy specifically states no coverage for damage to docks caused by ice. After paying a substantial premium for the policy, I assumed the dock would be covered.

My question, at the time, what is covered? I need to check again, but my agent told me that would be the only exclusion.

I had very good luck using an insurance adjuster in the past for water damage to the interior of my house. They use professionals, prepare a damage report, and cost for clean up, repair, and other expenses incurred. They usually have a working relationship with the insurance companies.

In your case, the insurance company declined the claim, I would consult an attorney familiar with real estate transactions for waterfront properties. Unless the policy outright declines coverage for your dock, ask what is covered.

I believe the insurance company will not want to defend their absurd position in court, and prefer to settle.

Cobalt

wind and cold
 

Due tomorrow. According to my wind chill calculator, could have chills below 10 degrees. Wintah is heah!

Unfortunately, that is not the case here. They did not put a value to the loss, they outright denied it because of the peril that damaged the dock, which they say was waves. And I don't think its a case of whether or not particular peril is covered or not. For the moment I'm going to assume that waves are not covered (still waiting for their version of the coverage language). It really revolves around which peril caused the loss. Was it, in fact, waves or was it the boat? I can say with certainty that if the boat wasn't there I would not have had the damage that I do. Here are some pics of both the dock and boat damage. https://www.icloud.com/sharedalbum/#B17GfnH8tGEVx1S

Is that really a cleat broken-in-half in those pictures?

It is. Must have been some wave, huh?

Quick question. I have an Android tablet and cannot open the link to see the pictures. Get to an icloud page with all sorts of info about icloud, including how to download a bunch of Apple stuff and to a PC. Am i missing something? Dio b want to hijack the thread over a link to pictures. Just would like to see them.
Dave

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Looks like another big blow is due tomorrow - in fact I was out on Bear and decided with the wind forecast I'd play it safe and head off before it comes.

...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 4 AM TO 8 PM EST FRIDAY...

The National Weather Service in Gray has issued a Wind Advisory,
which is in effect from 4 AM to 8 PM EST Friday.

* Winds...West 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 45 mph.

* Timing...Early Friday morning through early Friday evening.

* Impacts...Downed trees and branches as well as scattered power
outages.

That may finish off some trees that may have just barely survived the last storm. Here we go again!

Look'n at the broken galvanized steel cleat screwed to the wood dock with two screws, it has a thin center area with a weak, thin design where it broke in half .... was not very strong?

Still Worth a Call...
 

Granted, insurance would make your dock entirely "whole" again; however, structural damage seems to be limited, and the cosmetic damage can be cheaply homeowner-restored. (Then take pictures of your repairs, and wait for "Ice-Out"). ;)

Some of those missing panels are likely on shore nearby—and maybe that engine cover can be found in shallow water not far away; that is, if it wasn't found inside the boat.

If my dock was covered by insurance—which it isn't—I wouldn't have made a claim; indeed, I'd expect to pay "hiked" premiums for that damage over-and-over again in subsequent years. :mad:

Windstorm insurance coverage along SE Florida coastlines can run $15,000 a year! :eek:

Restoring long mooring lines can be costly. Would they be covered under your boat's policy? :confused:

.

The cleat looks like cast aluminum rather than galvanized steel.

'The Case of the Weak Cleat' from an episode of the old Perry Mason tv show comes to my imaginary mind here.

Yes, thank-you very much, Mr Rusty, for your expert testimony.

Denial letter
 

The denial letter from your insurance should refer to specific language in the policy. Often, "Coverage"is listed in one area and some paragraphs later "Exclusions", so you have to read both. In any event before you hire an attorney, or public adjuster you can get input from the NH Insurance Commission. Send them your denial and a copy of your (entire) policy. "It's free. The government pays for it."

Sunny Side Down
 

The seasonal 4'x40' wood dock mentioned in Item #39 above was turned bottom side up by the large waves in last week's storm. Today, in southern NH, we lost power for three hours. In an e-mail, Eversource said that the outage involved about 150 customers. 🐻

I'm afraid I can't really help you on this one. Everything I own is Apple. I would have assumed anybody could see it because it's just a URL. Maybe another Android user has some advice.