HomeMy Public PortalAboutOctober 4, 2004Town of Gulf Stream
Hurricane Jeanne Newsletter
October 4, 2004
Dear Resident,
On September 22, 2004 you were sent a newsletter outlining the effects on our town by
Hurricane Frances. This month I am writing a similar letter as a result of Hurricane Jeanne.
You would have to go back over a century in time to see such a frequent occurrence. All of
us have been impacted by these two hurricanes but we are fortunate that our damages were
not worse. Hurricane Jeanne has called several things to our attention that you should be
aware of.
Installation of Generators
Because of the extended time period that many of us were without electricity, you may be
considering the purchase of your own generator. This has proven to be a worthwhile
investment for our town hall. During the hurricanes our generator supplied enough power to
operate our stormwater pumps and our town hall. It is very important that you know the
installation of a generator requires that a building permit first be obtained. There are certain
standards to be met that will be included in the permitting process. Also, the contractor must
be registered with the town before any work can proceed. If you have any questions
concerning the procedure for installing a generator, please call the town hall.
Clearing of Utility Easements
It is important that the various utility easements located throughout the town be maintained
and kept cleared. The town will begin assessing all such easements and will plan the removal
of all debris, landscaping, fencing and other obstacles from these easements. Much of the
power outage was due to tree limbs falling across wires or otherwise touching the electrical
wires. If you have landscaping material in the utility easements that you would like to
transplant somewhere else on your property, please arrange to have this completed within the
next 60 days. After that time, the town and/or utility companies will begin the process to have
this work completed.
When utilities are out, restoration of service is controlled from priorities that have been
established by the Division of Emergency Management. Residential service is on the bottom
of the list and the provider of the service determines in which area the most customers can
have service restored with the least amount of work.
Road Patrol
Securing our town is of utmost importance, especially during extended periods of power
outages. Curfews were established and enforced during these hurricanes. To enhance our
coverage and police presence, the town rented unmarked vehicles and equipped them with
emergency lighting as necessary. We are pleased to report that we have no knowledge of
vandalism or theft during any of these power outages.
On Behalf of the Town Commission and Staff,
May William F. Koch, Jr.