Yard Crashers 2.0?

 

For those of you that may be unaware, Yard Crashers is a television show on the HGTV DIY Network that provides surprised homeowners with a brand-new yard. The basic concept is that their host would ambush homeowners while they were home improvement shopping in the garden section, then follow them back to their homes, tear apart their yards and help them do a complete backyard makeover. They do the complete renovation in two days.

This got me to thinking of the days back when I was involved with the BP Civic Club [now defunct]. In short, our previous code officer contacted me about an elderly resident who was having troubles with several code issues. As I remember it this was brought about due to being overwhelmed with health concerns and medical expenses. As such, her property fell into disrepair.  

 

I met with our neighbor and started to design an action plan of not only how to help her get back into code compliance, but also to see what else we could do, as a community to help her through this difficult period in her life. First on the list of priorities was deteriorating exterior house paint.

I negotiated with a local company (hat tip to Miller Paint- a great and helpful staff) to donate us the paint, and all other associated supplies. Next was to approach an equipment rental outlet for use of a pressure washer (sorry, but I have forgotten who this was. What is it they say about memory?) Lastly was to post our little community story in the Miami Heralds Neighbors section.

As is the theme of Biscayne Park and volunteer help, we had over 15 residents show up on the day of the event. We had our Mayor, Commissioner’s (plural) and volunteer residents ALL working together towards a common goal – that of Community… not partisan politics. [ASIDE] Now, did I take some small pleasure in cracking the whip, so to speak, with our Mayor and Commissioners? Answer, you betcha! [END ASIDE]  

But then we had an unexpected surprise.  Two men drove up (not residents of BP), telling us that they had seen our story in the newspaper and wanted to help. They brought with them several pieces of lawn equipment to include a small backhoe. They went to work removing both downed trees and several stumps that were left as a result of a previous hurricane. They also, on their own, trimmed all of the shrubs, mowed and cleaned up the entire yard.

So, by the end of the day she had a fresh coat of paint, clean exterior trim and her yard (and code issues) were all cleared up. She treated us to a pizza party and was nearly in tears thanking us for our help.

I feel that I can speak for all that were present – in that we were filled with a tremendous sense of community pride.

I have had conversations, on and off since with several residents of how we could possibly do something like this again. Of course, there is no longer a Civic Club to host such an event and we have no budget to speak of for supplies, etc. Also we have gotten stuck on both how and who to offer assistance to.  So, at this point, I am reaching out for ideas and assistance to help us brainstorm this concept into a reality.

Basic Improvement Ideas:  [Ideally we would focus on front yards]

·         Simple tree and hedge trimming

·         Weeding

·         Basic cleanup of exterior- i.e. bleaching mildewed awnings and/or exterior trim. Front doors get dirtier than you think

·         Possible painting

·         Mulching areas where no grass is present

And that’s about as far as discussions have gone to date. As mentioned previously, my smallest concern is that of sourcing the volunteer help from our neighbors. We have had great turnouts when asked for the MLK cleanup days and various other Village planting projects. Such as the recent one by the bridge on 6^th Ave. and Griffing Blvd. Or the butterfly garden created by the railroad tracks… and others.

So, let's get thinking about this and see if we can come up with a plan of action. I greatly appreciate your ideas and input at this time. 

Standing Watch,

Milton Hunter

The Biscayne Parker

miltonhunter@gmail.com
 

The “No Name Storm” Explained

Tropical Storm Leslie (Subtropical Depression One)



October 2-4 2000

Our long-term residents are on record stating that over the past 40ish years there was one occurrence of actual storm water flooding in our Village dating back to October, 2000. It is commonly referred to as the “no name storm.”  Since this has been identified briefly on several of our previous blog posts, I thought it would be supportive to fully explain this rare weather incidence and its effect on Biscayne Park. The information and radar link was provided from our neighbor, Brian McNoldy.  Brian works as a Senior Research Associate for the Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science at the University of Miami.

The subtropical depression that had formed inland near the east coast of central Florida on October 4^th, 2000 would go on to become Tropical Storm Leslie once it entered the Atlantic. 

 

Satellite and radar images showed a large area of showers and thunderstorms that extended from the center of the Florida Straits northward across the Florida Keys into extreme south Florida. Ironically, the disturbance that led to the subtropical cyclone was a tropical wave that entered the eastern Caribbean Sea on September 27, 2000 and was likely the same tropical wave that spawned Hurricane Isaac.

 

As the disturbance moved north towards the west coast of Florida, it interacted with a stalled frontal boundary across southern Florida. During the afternoon and evening of October 3rd, a band of very heavy rainfall became stationary across southeast Florida. Widespread rainfall, with accumulations of 12 to 18 inches, occurred in a swath extending from southwest Miami-Dade County to extreme southeast Broward County, and two (F0) tornadoes touched down in Miami-Dade County. These heavy stalled rain belts produced 17.50 inches of precipitation in South Miami, 15.79 inches at the Miami Weather Forecast Office (near Sweetwater), and 15.30 inches at Miami International Airport.

 

Brian made a radar loop that spanned 45 hours from 7am on Oct. 2nd through 4am on Oct. 4^th. Biscayne Park is outlined for reference.

See the link here: http://andrew.rsmas.miami.edu/bmcnoldy/tropics/noname00/NoName_2-4Oct2000_KAMX_ZOOM.gif

Brian went on to state that “The rainfall on the afternoon/evening of October 3 was truly insane!!  No city could experience that and NOT flood.” 

 



Casualty and Damage Statistics: 

There were no reports of damage or casualties associated with either Subtropical Depression One or Leslie. The interaction of the antecedent disturbance with the stalled frontal trough over south Florida, however, resulted in damage estimated at $950 million, $500 million of which were agricultural losses, and three deaths indirectly attributable to the flooding, two from drowning as a result of driving vehicles into deep water, and one from a fall. 

With this in mind, let us consider the effect of this 15 year old storm event in Biscayne Park based on several photos provided by Jorge Marinoni. These are primarily based on 118^th Street and 10^th Ave.
 

< Click on any photo to enlarge >

 

 

The last picture best illustrates the scale of the storm water flooding we experienced here in Biscayne Park. From the look of the water (in relation with the car’s tires), there appeared to be approx. 3-5” of standing water on the street.  

Based on the facts that in other local areas, two deaths occurred as a result of driving vehicles into deep water and with the amount of rainfall experienced over the 3 day event (12 to 18 inches), I’d say we made out much better than most. 

Thanks again to Brian and Jorge for their assistance in the development of this post.

 

Standing Watch, 

Milton Hunter

The Biscayne Parker

miltonhunter@gmail.com

  

P.S. I’m curious to know if any BP residents filed a flood loss claim in regards to this storm. Also, if so, if they would comment in the section below with any details. Thanks~

P.S.S. Another photo just came in: 116 St. and 10th Ave.