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timtamtalestakestwo · 5 years ago

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Life before lockdown

Since the last blog post I wrote we seem to have escaped from one disaster and entered an even bigger one! Whilst before we were locked inside due to thick bushfire smoke, we now have clearer air than ever but the slight inconvenience of a massive pandemic..

I had a short but lovely trip back to England in February, mainly to interview for a place on the Internal Medicine Training programme. It had been a tough decision, as we both love our life together out in Australia and have had such fantastic experiences and adventures here. I think both of us would love to stay a bit longer, however with my formal training on hold whilst here and a huge difficulty in transferring said training between the countries if I were to start training here, we essentially needed to make a decision sooner rather than later.

It was brilliant to see family and friends again after so long, although certainly took a little adjusting to the cold temperatures and busy roads again having not driven on anything bigger than a largely empty dual carriageway in 30+ degree heat for 2 years!

I later found out I was successful in my application and got my first-choice job so will be spending the next 3 years in Winchester and Southampton from August! This certainly made the whole ‘moving home’ plan seem more real. Although I am fairly certain our reaction for the first few weeks/months of arriving home will be ‘what have we done?!?’ I know for me, the value of having the support of family and friends close-by going forward will hopefully outweigh the bad weather, overpopulation, and extortionate house prices!

On my arrival back to Australia, the virus was still only in its early stages and we certainly hadn’t predicted at that point the imminent deterioration in circumstances across the world; so little so that we booked everything for a trip of a lifetime for our final 2 months here – a month travelling around New Zealand and a month driving from Darwin to Perth. As you can imagine, that dream has since all been taken away rather rapidly.

Image: Celebrating my birthday with a dip in the Bogey Hole!

In early March, we welcomed Tom’s family back to Australia for another visit! The main wildlife left on the list to see after the last visit was a wombat, a platypus, a Tasmanian devil, and quolls..and so the quest began…

As I was working for their first week here, I stayed home whilst they went on an adventure up to the Bunya Mountains in Queensland. By the sounds of things, they brought the rain with them from England and weren’t blessed with the best weather. However, they enjoyed a relaxing few days away from civilization, followed by a few days at Rainbow Beach featuring a day 4WDing on Fraser Island!

We celebrated Tom’s birthday when they got back to Newcastle and were due to go to the Grand Prix in Melbourne, but unfortunately that was the start of the closure of mass gatherings and so it was understandably cancelled. However, these were the days before social distancing was even in our vocabulary, so we got our flights to Melbourne anyway, spending the day exploring the city and botanical gardens! It was only a brief visit as we had a morning flight to Hobart the following morning…

We rented 2 campervans for the trip and headed straight out of Hobart up to the Friendly Beaches in Freycinet National Park for our first night. The night sky was one of the clearest I’ve ever seen so we spent the evening stargazing on the beach and tried our hand at some long exposure star shots! We also had our first encounter with a wombat (which we almost missed in the pitch black – I only noticed it because I was wondering why something I thought was a boulder was grunting!)

Our route the next day took us up the East Coast further, via Douglas Apsley National Park where we hiked to a very refreshing (read freezing!) waterhole for a dip! We spent the night up in the beautiful Bay of Fires, in another beach-side campsite. The sound of the waves crashing on the beach next to the campervan all night was certainly something special!

Image: Apsley River Waterhole

Images: Bay of Fires

We had a long drive the next day to Cradle Mountain National Park, a place I had missed on my first visit and had been dreaming of visiting since! After covering the very wind-y Elephant Pass and across to Cataract Gorge in Launceston to stop for a stretch of the legs, we eventually reached Cradle Mountain campsite before dark. It was certainly the most equipped campsite we’d had so far – our first shower of the trip was certainly welcomed!

After dark, we piled into one van to drive into the park for a wildlife watch, spotting multiple wombats, possums, wallabies and pademelons!

The next day was forecast for rain from late morning so we got up early and Ellie and I caught the first shuttle bus into the park. The hike to the summit was tempting but the forecast suggested that wasn’t the safest choice, so Ellie and I decided to hike to Marion’s Lookout, one of the stops en route to the summit. We’d been advised against the steep rock scramble route up by the slightly over-cautious park rangers, due to the risk of slippery conditions. Instead we took a beautiful longer route up via Wombat Pools and Crater Lake. The place was breathtaking. Jagged peaks, and mirrored glacial lakes, it was everything I had hoped for! We were thankful for the early start as it felt like we had the Park to ourselves and didn’t see a soul for the route up ….until we arrived at Marion’s Lookout and were surprised to see Tom and Gill already there! Having arrived on the next shuttle bus, they had braved the short steep climb (which apparently was no way near as treacherous as we’d been warned) and beat us to it! We were all suitably red-faced and in need of a chocolate break!

I could have stayed in Cradle Mountain all week but there was so much of beautiful Tasmania left to see so we packed up to start the drive up to Stanley on the North West coast. After an hour or so standing on the ‘penguin viewing platform’ at dusk, we finally caught a glimmer of white coming in from the sea – our first fairy penguin sighting! The extra special moment was hearing cheeping noises behind us, turning, and finding two hungry little baby penguins stood at the entrance of their burrows, waiting for their mum to come back with some food!

We spent Gill’s birthday driving around the Tarkine wilderness in the North West. On our first stop at Bluff lighthouse, I managed to get a leech bite on my ankle but unfortunately didn’t notice until about an hour or two later when it was the size of a slug and had injected copious amounts of anticoagulant into me! Ellie saved the day by being the only one of us composed enough to safely take it off! But the bite mark then didn’t stop bleeding for most of the rest of the day…!

That night was the long-awaited platypus sighting, just outside Burnie. It didn’t seem like the most promising spot being very close to an industrial area, and although there were plenty of pademelons about I wasn’t hopeful about seeing a platypus and regrettably retired early to the van. Not long afterwards, Tom snr saw an unmistakable outline through a moonlit reflection on the water, passing under the bridge!

Another long drive the next day brought us over the Central Plateau conservation area and down to Mount Field National Park, not far from Hobart. We stayed in the overflow campsite there, and were surrounded by hundreds of pademelons, lots of very tame and enormous possums and even saw glow-worms on an evening stroll down to Russell Falls!

It was from here that things started to get slightly more stressful….

Whilst we were away, not only had Australia closed its borders, but so had some states, including Tasmania… so thus started a saga of flights repeatedly being cancelled by the airline, and rebooked, and cancelled again, and rebooked, and cancelled again…you get the idea. This of itself was merely a slight inconvenience if it wasn’t for the fact that not only had these cancellations meant Tom’s family missed their flight back to London with Etihad, Etihad (and most other airlines) had now grounded all international flights!

We extended our campervan hire and camped out near Port Arthur in Eaglehawk Neck peninsula in the South East, only an hour or so from the airport if we needed to make a mad dash for it at any point! It was certainly a beautiful place to be stranded and managed to make the most of it with some hikes and a break-in to the now closed Port Arthur Historic site!

After the third or fourth cancellation we decided it best to just go to the airport and wait for them to put us on a flight. It turned out that of the few flights that had been flying, only 50% of the passengers had shown up, so we ended up with a spot on the first one out. If only we’d known that sooner we wouldn’t have been in the difficult position of trying to get Tom’s family repatriated along with thousands of other tourists!

Alas, they were in luck as a relative works for BA, so after multiple international phone calls, she managed to get them safely on a flight home much sooner than many other people!

Despite the mildly stressful end, it was a fantastic trip that we were lucky to even do, as had it been a week later, Tom’s family would have never even made it into Australia!

It was back to work for the both of us – the Emergency Department has been eerily quiet as there has not been the influx of COVID19 patients in Australia we were anticipating and many fewer people are attending unnecessarily (and more worryingly people who need to attend but aren’t…)

Tom and I are now just finishing up at work having already handed in our notices prior to knowing the world was about to turn apocalyptic, so we are now trying to sort out how we will spend the next few months without any options to travel like we had initially planned! We’re at least making the most of the fact scuba diving is on the government-approved list of daily exercise...!

We hope you are all staying safe and staying well in this rather mad time and we can’t wait to see you on the other side! xxx

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jacewilliams1 · 3 years ago

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9/11/01 — One pilot’s experience

It is now 5:25 p.m. on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, a day that will live—as certain as does Pearl Harbor Day—in infamy. I am sitting in room 212 at the Baymont Inn near the Indianapolis, Indiana, Airport. I will be staying here for at least tonight and probably even longer. According to local reports, I am very fortunate to even have a room because of the five to six thousand passengers stranded, like fellow pilot John Baker and myself, in this city that we had never intended to visit. The significance of this day, though, no one could have predicted, nor could anyone have imagined the events that would cause this to become one of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

This day began rather routinely for me, or at least as normal as a day with a 3:45 a.m. wake-up time can be. It was great sleeping weather last night in Omaha, and I enjoyed both the early bedtime (about 9:15 p.m., as I recall) and the cool, mid-50s breeze through the open bedroom windows. I awoke, as I normally do, five minutes before the alarm clock was to sound. I remember appreciating the long duration of the next four minutes. I then deactivated the alarm (so it wouldn’t wake up my wife), and got up.

I had my usual breakfast of two granola bars and a banana, shaved and showered, quickly pulled things together for my flight bag, kissed my wife goodbye, and then left the house for the airport at 5:24 a.m. I know the time exactly, because I remember looking at the clock in my car and realizing that it was actually about 14 minutes later than I had planned to leave.

September 11, 2001, dawned as a beautiful day in the East.

The drive to the airport was unusually relaxing, both because of the light early morning traffic and the refreshingly cool weather; it was the first time in a long time that I had not needed my car’s air conditioner, even early in the morning.

I arrived at the hangar at 5:55 a.m., which was only five minutes ahead of my scheduled 6:00 a.m. show time. John, who was assigned as pilot-in-command for the trip, accomplished the flight planning duties, while I began the preflight of the corporate jet… a task that normally only took 45 minutes or so if all went well.

All did go well, and I finished the preflight a little before 7:00 a.m. The flight was scheduled to depart at 7:30 a.m. for Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), with a return departure at 3:00 p.m. EDT. John gave me the normal flight briefing, which included time enroute, weather, Notices-to-Airmen, passenger requests, etc. He also asked me to fly left seat on the leg to Baltimore, as he had just returned from a two-week vacation and thought that he might be a bit rusty.

Since I would be flying as pilot-in-command, I listened to the recorded airport departure information, obtained the ATC clearance to Baltimore, used the office computer program to calculate the takeoff performance numbers (weight and balance, applicable takeoff speeds, etc.), then briefed John on the takeoff and departure procedures. After that, nothing else of note happened. Our maintenance technician fueled our airplane, and then we just visited and waited for the eight scheduled passengers to arrive.

John eventually went out to the airplane to start the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit and finish the cockpit setup (avionics, route of flight, performance numbers, etc.). I waited with the passengers until the last one arrived at 7:25 a.m. One of the passengers was also waiting on a fax, but finally decided that it wasn’t really needed, and that they could go without it (although it actually arrived later, and was handed to me through the open cockpit window just prior to our engine start). We boarded about 7:35 a.m., I briefed the passengers, started the engines, and began taxiing at 7:43 a.m. We then ran the Taxi and Before Takeoff checklists as I continued toward Omaha’s runway 18 for a southbound departure.

The takeoff and departure were normal, except for having to turn east into the incredibly bright morning sun. It was so blinding that I engaged the autopilot earlier than normal so I could adjust the sun visor to block as much of the sun as possible. The sky was so beautiful and the air was so smooth, though, that, when I could see the instruments again, I disengaged the autopilot and enjoyed hand-flying the airplane for most of the climb.

We received several step climb clearances to 10,000 ft., Flight Level (FL) 230, FL290, FL330, and then up to FL370, our final cruising altitude. We also had several heading changes as the Minneapolis Center controller told us that he needed to weave us through the traffic for our climb. I mentioned to John that I was wearing out the sun visor by having to move it every time we were given a heading change. We were eventually cleared direct to Bradford (in central Illinois), and then direct to Rosewood, which is just northeast of Dayton, Ohio.

A few minutes later we received the first hint that something unusual had happened. I heard a portion of a call from an airline crew (I had “tuned out” the first part of the transmission because it didn’t concern us) asking Minneapolis Center If they had heard anything about what had happened. Center replied by asking if they had been talking to their company, and then stated that they didn’t have any more information at the time. John and I assumed from hearing that conversation that there must have been an accident somewhere, maybe even at Minneapolis, since the crew was asking Minneapolis Center about it.

We then got a handoff to Chicago Center. Shortly after checking in on the new frequency, the controller said something to another airline crew about the East Coast, and mentioned that all he knew was that there had been several accidents in the East. John and I looked at each other in bewilderment, and one of us said something about how strange that sounded, and that it must have involved terrorism or something. Just minutes later—and after another handoff to another Chicago Center controller—we heard, “ATTENTION ALL AIRCRAFT: There is now a ground stop in effect for all aircraft at all locations for all destinations.” John and I looked at each other again and I said something like, “I wonder what in the world has happened?” My thoughts were that maybe terrorists had gotten their hands on some ground-to-air missiles and were using them against airline targets.

The skies over America quickly emptied.

At that point we knew that whatever was happening was very serious. I looked back in the cabin, got the lead passenger’s attention, and motioned for him to come forward. We told him what we had heard and added that even though we could probably get to Baltimore, we might not be able to get out. We also mentioned the possibility of returning to Omaha. He asked how soon we would have to make that decision. I told him that it would have to be within the next 10 or 15 minutes or so to still have enough fuel to get back to Omaha. We told him that we would keep him advised, and he returned to his seat.

After one more handoff to yet another Chicago Center controller, we heard the report that all traffic was stopped going in or out of New York Center’s airspace, and to expect delays if that was your destination. I asked the controller specifically about Baltimore and, after checking, he said that we could still get in there. After just a few more minutes, however, Chicago Center called us again and said, “We’ve got a situation developing here, and we’re going to have to land you at the nearest suitable airport.” We looked at each other again, and John asked the controller what airports we were near. He said “Fort Wayne or Indianapolis… take your pick.”

We were only about 40 miles west of Fort Wayne at the time, so we both agreed, certainly for descent purposes, that Indianapolis would be better. John told him we preferred Indianapolis, and we were immediately cleared direct to Fort Wayne to join the Chang One Arrival to Indianapolis. I typed FWA into the navigation system and turned the airplane to proceed direct while John began looking for Indianapolis approach charts. As I started the turn, I also asked the controller if he could confirm that returning to Omaha was not an option. He said, “You’re right, that is not an option.” I also motioned the lead passenger to come back up to the cockpit and told him that we were just told to land at the nearest airport, and that we would be landing in Indianapolis.

After that, things really began to happen in a hurry. Even though we probably flew for another 30 minutes or so, things seemed to stay very busy and were very compressed. John immediately began to get the Indianapolis weather report, load the arrival and approach to runway 23 left into the navigation system (as the recorded airport arrival information had indicated), compute the landing data, etc. I stayed busy with our step down descent clearances from FL370 to FL330, FL290, FL200, 11,000, back to 16,000, down to 11,000, 7,000, back to 8,000, down to 7,000, 4,000, and—finally—3,000.

In the meantime, the landing runways had been changed to runway 5 left and right, so John reloaded the navigation system and set me up for the instrument landing procedure for runway 5 right. I both hand-flew the airplane and used the autopilot as I followed the numerous airspeed assignments (first 210 knots, then 180 knots, then 160 knots). The radio frequencies also seemed to go from fairly quiet to very crowded in a hurry. As a matter of fact, at one point after the handoff to Indianapolis Approach Control and after several attempts to call them, John looked at me and said, “Well, I’d like to talk to him.”

One major factor that helped our diversion work as well as it did was that the weather in the entire central part of the US was absolutely beautiful. We were taken off the standard arrival routing and were turned to a 230 heading, which took us toward the Indianapolis Airport. It was so clear that we could see the airport from at least 25 miles away.

Another notable factor was the absolute calm, professional manner in which all involved (crews and controllers alike) handled the situation. No one asked anything or said anything other than the appropriate calls and responses involved in such a recovery scenario. Everyone apparently believed, as did we, that whatever was going on was huge, and so all just “stepped up to the plate” and did—very well—what they were trained and asked to do.

We continued following headings and vectors for sequencing to the airport, and eventually received clearance for a visual approach to runway 5 right to “follow the heavy Airbus ahead.” We kept the traffic in sight as we turned about a 15-mile final, continued the non-eventful approach, and then landed on runway 5 right. I made a very smooth landing, which—even at the time—seemed incredibly insignificant in light of the obviously serious situation. Numerous other flights (a total of sixty, according to local media reports) also made unscheduled landings at Indianapolis in the minutes preceding or following our landing.

A day that lives in infamy.

We taxied clear of the runway and continued as directed by Ground Control to the corporate aircraft parking area. A ramp employee then directed us to a parking place near the corporate terminal facility. It wasn’t until after I had shut down the engines, completed the immediate checklist items, opened the captain’s side cockpit window, and asked the ramp worker what was going on that I learned—with incredible disbelief—about the horrific attacks upon our nation.

John and I soberly deplaned the passengers and quickly completed the steps necessary to de-power and secure the airplane. I desperately hoped that I would wake up soon so this nightmare could end. It wasn’t a dream, though, as the eerie and surreal silence in the skies and on the runways and taxiways around us soon verified.

This day has changed our nation and probably every person in it. I know it has changed me forever.

How can any of us erase the memory of the terrible video replays of United Airlines Flight 175 hitting the second World Trade Center tower, or the devastating images of both towers’ later collapse?

As a nation, we clearly face new uncertainties in the weeks and months ahead. This unbelievable event should prompt all of us to not only re-evaluate our safety and security, but also to re-evaluate our own lives and priorities. And, even dozens of years from now, long after the debris from the Boeings and the buildings has been laboriously cleared away, we must never forget this day.

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FAA History and Actions on 9-11-01

(Source: faa.gov)

0800. American Airlines Flight 11, a Boeing 767 with 92 people on board, takes off from Boston Logan Airport for Los Angeles.

0814. United Air Lines Flight 175, a Boeing 767 with 65 people on board, takes off from Boston Logan Airport for Los Angeles.

0821. American Airlines Flight 77, a Boeing 757 with 64 people on board, takes off from Washington Dulles Airport for Los Angeles.

0840. FAA notifies the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s (NORAD) Northeast Air Defense Sector about the suspected hijacking of American Flight 11.

0841. United Air Lines Flight 93, a Boeing 757 with 44 people on board, takes off from Newark Airport for San Francisco.

0843. FAA notifies NORAD’s Northeast Air Defense Sector about the suspected hijacking of United Flight 175.

0846. (approx.). American Flight 11 crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center.

0902. (approx.). United Flight 175 crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center.

0904. (approx.). The FAA’s Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center stops all departures from airports in its jurisdiction (New England and eastern New York State).

0906. The FAA bans takeoffs of all flights bound to or through the airspace of New York Center from airports in that Center and the three adjacent Centers—Boston, Cleveland, and Washington. This is referred to as a First Tier groundstop and covers the Northeast from North Carolina north and as far west as eastern Michigan.

0908. The FAA bans all takeoffs nationwide for flights going to or through New York Center airspace.

0920. The FAA establishes an open phone line with other government agencies and the military to share information about missing or suspicious aircraft.

0926. The FAA bans takeoffs of all civilian aircraft regardless of destination—a national ground stop.

0940. (approx.). American Flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon.

0945. In the first unplanned shutdown of US airspace, the FAA orders all aircraft to land at the nearest airport as soon as practical. At this time, there were more than 4,500 aircraft in the air on Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) flight plans.

1007. (approx.) United Flight 93 crashes in Stony Creek Township, PA.

1039. Reaffirming the earlier order, the FAA issues a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that halts takeoffs and landings at all airports.

1215. (approx). The airspace over the 48 contiguous states is clear of all commercial and private flights.

Note: All times are Eastern Daylight. For UTC/Zulu/GMT, add four hours.

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mastcomm · 5 years ago

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They Escaped an Infected Ship, but the Flight Home Was No Haven

TOKYO — The ground rules were clear. A day before 328 Americans were to be whisked away from a contaminated cruise ship in Japan, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo told passengers that no one infected with the coronavirus would be allowed to board charter flights to the United States.

But as the evacuees began filing onto reconfigured cargo planes early Monday for departures to military bases in California or Texas, some noticed a tented area in one of them that was separate from the rest of the cabin.

Then reality hit: After 12 days stuck on the cruise ship as more and more people tested positive for the virus, they would now be sharing a plane with those carrying the same pathogen they were desperate to escape.

“I didn’t know until we were in the air,” said Carol Montgomery, 67, a retired administrative assistant from San Clemente, Calif. “I saw an area of plastic sheeting and tape.”

While the planes were aloft, the State Department and the Department of Health and Human Services said in a joint statement that the results for 14 passengers who had been tested two or three days earlier came back positive just as they were boarding buses to the airport. After consultations with health experts, the U.S. government decided to let the infected evacuees, who were not yet exhibiting symptoms, board the flights.

The reversal was the latest chaotic turn in a two-week quarantine of the ship that has become an epidemiological nightmare.

Even as the Americans were flying home and countries like Australia, Canada and South Korea were preparing to evacuate their own citizens, the Japanese Health Ministry announced on Monday that 99 more cases had been confirmed on the cruise ship, bringing the total to 454.

Among them was the third Japanese public health official to contract the virus while tending to passengers and crew members aboard the ship, the Diamond Princess.

The unstinting rise in infections raised questions about how the Japanese authorities would handle the offloading of passengers in two days when the quarantine period is supposed to end. Health officials have already raised the possibility that the quarantine could be extended for some passengers.

“The quarantine on the ship ended up being an unprecedented failure,” said Eiji Kusumi, a doctor specializing in infectious diseases at Navitas Clinic in Tokyo. “We should learn from this lesson that a quarantine on a ship is impossible, and we should not repeat this in the future.”

Updated Feb. 10, 2020

What is a Coronavirus? It is a novel virus named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from its surface. The coronavirus can infect both animals and people, and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to more dangerous conditions like Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

How contagious is the virus? According to preliminary research, it seems moderately infectious, similar to SARS, and is possibly transmitted through the air. Scientists have estimated that each infected person could spread it to somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 people without effective containment measures.

How worried should I be? While the virus is a serious public health concern, the risk to most people outside China remains very low, and seasonal flu is a more immediate threat.

Who is working to contain the virus? World Health Organization officials have praised China’s aggressive response to the virus by closing transportation, schools and markets. This week, a team of experts from the W.H.O. arrived in Beijing to offer assistance.

What if I’m traveling? The United States and Australia are temporarily denying entry to noncitizens who recently traveled to China and several airlines have canceled flights.

How do I keep myself and others safe? Washing your hands frequently is the most important thing you can do, along with staying at home when you’re sick.

The U.S. authorities had strongly encouraged American passengers to accept the offer of a flight out. Getting them off the ship took several hours as they were screened, their passports were checked and they were loaded onto buses that took them from the port of Yokohama to Haneda Airport in Tokyo.

The State Department said the infected passengers “were moved in the most expeditious and safe manner to a specialized containment area on the evacuation aircraft to isolate them in accordance with standard protocols.”

The American passengers were taken to either Travis Air Force Base in California or Joint Base San Antonio in Texas, and they will remain under quarantine for an additional 14 days.

When one of the planes landed in California, a line of officials from the military, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Department of Homeland Security welcomed the passengers with banners that read “Welcome home.”

After being ushered through an isolation tent, they were assigned to apartments on the base. “They have flown in specialists from across the country,” said Sarah Arana, 52, a medical social worker from Paso Robles, Calif. “It’s a phenomenal amount of resources. I’m kind of blown away.”

Epidemiologists said U.S. officials had made a difficult decision to allow infected passengers onboard the charter flights.

“The degree of difficulty in getting someone sick home is much greater than repatriating people who are otherwise well and possibly incubating,” said Dr. Allen Cheng, an infectious disease specialist at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Cheng added, “You don’t want to expose anyone on the plane who hadn’t otherwise been exposed before on the boat.”

Australia is planning to take approximately 200 passengers off the Diamond Princess on Wednesday. Dr. Cheng said that Australia had decided that “anyone who is sick or becomes sick in the next 48 hours will stay in Japan and stay in the hospital.”

With Australia and other countries preparing to help transport their citizens off the boat, the captain told the more than 2,000 people still on board that the Japanese health authorities could swab everyone for the coronavirus by the end of Monday and begin letting guests leave the ship on Wednesday.

“This disembarkation will be an ongoing process” until Feb. 22, the captain said in an onboard announcement.

The captain said the cruise line was “coordinating closely with your embassies to understand the arrangements for you once you are cleared from the quarantine on the Diamond Princess and how we can best support you.”

In a briefing on Monday, Shigeru Omi, president of the Japan Community Healthcare Organization, said that Japan had made the right decision to put the ship in quarantine based on the information available when the ship arrived in Yokohama on Feb. 3. “At that time, the international community was trying to contain the virus,” Mr. Omi said.

According to the Japanese Health Ministry, at least 55 Americans on the ship were infected with the coronavirus. Many of them remain in hospitals around Japan.

John Haering, 63, a retired operations manager for Union Pacific Railroad who lives in Tooele, Utah, was taken to a hospital in Chiba Prefecture last week with a fever and tested positive for the virus. He said he felt stranded as he lay in an isolation room.

His wife, Melanie, left on one of the charter flights. “I’m happy for her that she got out of here and that she’s going to get some attention in the U.S.,” said Mr. Haering, who retired in November and was about a third of the way through a six-month trip around the world. “But at the same time I’m sad. You feel that loss of somebody leaving.”

Mr. Haering, who said that he no longer had any symptoms or a fever but that a CT scan showed signs of pneumonia, said he was not sure how much longer he would have to stay.

“They did swab me today again, and I’ll get my test back tomorrow,” he said. “I asked the doctor if the swab shows that I’m negative, and he just shook his head and said, ‘I don’t know.’ There’s a lot of stuff that they don’t know.”

Mr. Haering said he had not heard from anyone at Princess Cruises, the company that operates the Diamond Princess, since he arrived at the hospital. Until Sunday, he had not heard from anyone at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, either.

He received a call and a follow-up email urging him to get in touch with the cruise ship company for further information about how he will get home.

“It’s very scary,” he said. “It feels like a little bit of abandonment.”

The spread of the virus on the ship was illustrated by one extended family.

Tung Pi Lee, 79, a retired physician, was left in a Tokyo hospital with a coronavirus infection while his wife, Angela, flew to California on one of the charter flights. Several of her siblings and their spouses were among the 14 infected passengers who flew home. Two were taken to Nebraska, and another was in California for treatment.

“I am glad for my aunts and uncles to be in the U.S. and to be receiving treatment here,” said JoAnn LaRoche Lee, one of Mr. Lee’s daughters. “Had they been left in Japan, I wonder what would have happened to them.”

Trying to coordinate her father’s care in Tokyo with her siblings in the United States, she said, “feels like a never-ending nightmare.”

Hisako Ueno, Eimi Yamamitsu and Makiko Inoue contributed reporting.

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years ago

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16 Things travel taught us in 2017

We had good intentions to write our ‘Year in Review’ post at the end of the year, but unfortunately we didn’t feel inspired to write over the holidays. The final few months of 2017 were not great for us, because of this, but we’re optimistic about the upcoming year. 2018 will be a milestone year for us – more on that later.

We used to write an annual round-up post that highlights the adventures of fellow travel bloggers, but after 6 years we decided it was time to put that series to rest. However, if you’re looking for some travel inspiration for 2018, check out one or two of the posts below:

26 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2016

25 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2015

40 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2014

28 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2013

25 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2012

19 Epic Adventures by Travel Bloggers in 2011

Today, we’d like to share a few lessons learned from our travels in 2017. You can also read about what we learned in 2016.

1. You always think you have more time, until you don’t.

A few months ago, my Dad passed away unexpectedly. Fortunately, we visited him in Ontario a few weeks before his untimely passing. We contemplated visiting him another time. Maybe next summer. We have more time, right? Wrong.

I am so grateful for the experience we had with him at Lake Simcoe this past summer. I would have been devastated if I had put that trip on hold. His passing has solidified the importance of not putting life on pause because of [insert excuse here]. Don’t make the mistake of thinking there will always be more time. There might not be.

You only have one life to live – so live it!

Related – You always think you have more time, until you don’t

2. Make time for the attractions that are close to home.

The photo above was captured at Joffre Lakes Provincial Park in British Columbia, located about an hour north of Whistler (2.5 hours from Vancouver). Spectacular, isn’t it? Can you believe it’s taken us almost 20 years to visit this lake? What the heck took us so long?!

We often dreaming about traveling to faraway lands. But, sometimes, you will find exactly what you need within a few hours drive. How many times have you said, “I don’t have the time to travel, I’m too busy”. Or, the most common, “I don’t have money to travel”.

Well, the easy solution is to visit the attractions that are close to home.

Related – 50 Photos from our Summer Adventures

3. The details matter. Don’t be petty.

We splurged and stayed at a nice resort during our visit to Curacao (you can read about our experience here). It’s a great property located directly on the beach and within walking distance to the Curacao Sea Aquarium (which is awesome for kids, BTW).

We had a fantastic time at the resort. The restaurant was good. The rooms were clean and modern. The pools were nice and quiet. The beach sunsets were outstanding. It was a fun trip.

BUT – when people ask us about our time in Curacao, we can’t help but tell the story about how the hotel charged us $2 extra for a coffee pod. We spent over $1,000 for 3 nights at this property and the staff felt it was necessary to charge us for 1 measly coffee pod.

Here’s what happened. We couldn’t figure out how to use the coffee machine and accidentally pushed the coffee pod through, before it had brewed. It’s an easy mistake to make. We love our morning coffee, so we called reception and asked if we could have another coffee pod to replace the one we lost. We weren’t trying to be greedy, we just wanted 1 cup of coffee each. That doesn’t sound unreasonable, does it?

Let’s be clear – it’s not about the money. It’s only $2. What got us so annoyed was how cheap and petty the staff were about this charge. It ruined what was otherwise a great experience – all for $2.

Related – The Charming Old Town of Willemstad

4. It’s okay to be a Tourist doing Touristy Things.

Niagara Falls is arguably the most popular natural attraction in Canada. It’s estimated that over 30 million people visit Niagara Falls each year, with numbers consistently increasing every year. That number is close to the entire population of Canada!

When we revealed that we’d be visiting Niagara Falls in 2017 we heard a lot of negative “it’s so touristy” comments. I can appreciate that not everyone is interested in touristy destinations, but we’ve found that these destinations are popular for a reason – because they’re fun!

Sure, there are more line-ups and higher prices at these touristy destinations, but with that high demand comes more options. We enjoyed our time at Niagara Falls and would recommend it to other traveling families. There is so much to see and do around the Falls.

Related – How to Spend 4 days in Niagara Falls with Kids

5. Most airlines want to help – if you’re nice.

We’ve been pretty lucky when flying with our boys. We rarely have flight issues and most of the time things go smoothly. That was not the case for our flight home from Aruba last February.

There was a big snow storm in Toronto that delayed dozens of flights. Our connection to Vancouver was via Toronto, so were at the mercy of this storm. The agents at the airport in Aruba weren’t very helpful. It wasn’t their fault, they had limited information. They did their best – but it was a frustrating situation.

In the end, we waited at the gate for over 9 hours before the plane arrived to take us home. There’s not a lot to do at Aruba’s small airport, so it felt like an eternity. Our boys did great, but they have their limits.

During this time, we reached out to Air Canada on Twitter. We waited on hold for 30+ minutes before deciding to hang up and try our luck with social media.

We empathize with airline agents. It wasn’t their fault the snow storm required flights to be delayed for hours. But they had to deal with the aftermath. Thousands of people were stranded, which meant hundreds of connections were missed and needed to be re-booked. People were angry. We were angry.

Rather than yell and point the finger, we stayed calm and asked for help. Our kids were tired and we missed our connection in Toronto. The person working the Twitter account was able to get us booked on new flights later that night and they secured us a complimentary hotel room at the airport with food vouchers. It was a nice gesture. We all needed sleep – badly.

The lesson – be nice to people, even when you’re upset.

We ended up catching a quick connection in Toronto and therefore did not need the hotel room, but it was nice to know that they were trying to make the best of a crappy situation.

Travel schedules don’t always go according to plan. It’s easy to blame and point the finger, but if you’re nice to the airline representative, you’re more likely to have that nice gesture reciprocated. Try it next time – even if the airline is wrong.

Related – When in Aruba, visit De Palm Island. Here’s why.

6. We are way too dependent on our devices.

When I was in Charlotte last spring, my phone died. It just stopped working and would not reboot. Not having my phone rocked me in ways I can’t explain.

Beyond the anxiety of not having my precious phone, I wasn’t able to do even the most basic things, like reading email or texting. And, because I was in a different country, I was unable to fix the phone until I returned home. That was a looooong 4 days.

All of my email and social accounts have two-step verification, which means a text or notification will be sent to my phone in order to access these accounts.

Guess what happens when you leave Canada and enter a new city in the United States? I’ll tell you what happens — you can’t access your accounts without two-step verification!

Think about that for a minute.

I try to login to my email to get my flight details (because I can’t check-in using the airline app on my freakin phone!) and it denies me access because the verification is being sent to my phone that doesn’t work!

I don’t print anything these days (we don’t even own a printer), which means all of my important info lives in the digital world. And, when you can’t access that info, life gets interesting (and not in a good way).

I don’t know what the solution is, but it’s likely going to get worse before it gets better.

7. We need to Disconnect and Reconnect more often.

Building on the last comment about our device dependency – it’s important to give yourself a digital detox and reconnect with nature. We’re all addicted to our devices these days, which makes it even more necessary to leave the devices at home and surround yourself with nature.

That means you might actually need to bring your camera instead of your phone when you go hiking or camping or swimming. Now, that might not seem like a big deal, until you actually leave your phone at home and have to navigate the world without GPS.

This year, take time to reconnect with nature WITHOUT your device.

Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

8. Fear of wind is a real thing.

Have you heard of Ancraophobia? Most people have not. Basically, it’s an extreme fear of wind. It’s a rare phobia but it can cause extreme anxiety and panic attacks for those who have the fear.

During our trip to Aruba it became clear that Connor, our youngest boy, has this extreme fear of wind.

Because it’s always windy in Aruba, the moment we stepped out of the airport, and he felt the strong wind hit his face, he immediately freaked out and ran back inside the airport.

The first few days in Aruba were really tough for him. The poor little guy was terrified and didn’t want to go outside. In the above photo, Connor is actually sitting in his stroller hidden behind that striped towel.

Fortunately, that trip to Aruba helped him get over this fear. He’s now mostly okay the wind.

Related – First impressions and observations from Aruba

9. Country music ain’t so bad.

Let me start by saying that I’m not a fan of country music. It just doesn’t do it for me.

However, when I visited Nashville last summer, I decided to stop at a Honky-Tonk bar on Broadway Street (that one, pictured above). You can’t visit Music City without listening to some live music, right?

I didn’t hate it. In fact, it was pretty good. Let’s be clear, I’m still not a fan of country music. BUT, if you find yourself in Nashville, it’s definitely worth checking out some live music – even if you don’t like country music. You’ll have fun, I promise.

Related – How I spent 48 hours in Nashville

10. Visit at least one World Heritage Site every year.

Every year we try to visit at least one UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2017 we visited the Historic Area of Willemstad, Curaçao. As you can see from the above photo, Willemstad is quite the place. Its distinct architecture, vibrant colours and rich history make it a must see when visiting this Caribbean island.

We believe it’s important to learn about a country’s heritage, both naturally and culturally. When you start planning your next big trip in 2018, check out this list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and see if you can incorporate one or two sites into your itinerary.

See more photos of Willemstad here.

11. Our planet is not happy with us.

The summer of 2017 delivered the the worst wildfire season on record for British Columbia. During our time at Porteau Cove this past summer we were covered by a blanket of smoke for days (see the above photo as evidence – the sun actually looks like the moon).

It feels like every year we find ourselves saying, “WOW, there were so many natural disasters this year”.

The storms are getting stronger. The fires are burning longer. The temperatures are getting both higher and lower. Flooding, earthquakes, monsoons, landslides, drought – the planet is sending clear signs that it’s not happy with us.

We have to do better. All of us.

12. Sometimes, NOT leaving your hotel is a good thing.

The Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls is a destination all on its own. During our visit to Ontario last summer, we decided to spend a few days at the resort. We didn’t leave the property once. There was no reason to. We had everything we needed inside the resort.

Picture this – your hotel has a massive water park and wave pool INSIDE the actual hotel. It’s incredible. You don’t need to walk outside. You literally walk down the hall from your room, go down a flight of stairs and voila – you’re inside a 100,000 square foot water park.

The photo below was captured from the second floor inside the hotel. It’s quite the place.

Related – Our experience at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls

13. South Florida is open for business.

I visited Fort Lauderdale 10 days after the devastating Hurricane Irma hit Florida and several Caribbean Islands in early September. I was tempted to cancel my trip, for obvious reasons, but reports said that power and water was restored and it was safe to visit. It’s not unreasonable to avoid destinations that have been the victim of a natural disaster.

I’m happy to report that Fort Lauderdale is open for business.

The above photo was taken from my hotel room at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort. As you can see, the community bounced back quickly. Most of the beaches are back to normal and businesses are open and ready to serve you.

I was speaking to a taxi driver on the drive from the airport to the hotel. He was very worried about the impact of the hurricane on the local economy. Fort Lauderdale (and most of South Florida) is driven by the tourist dollar, so it’s vital that the tourists return this winter season.

Related – 22 Beaches to Take Your Mind Off Winter

14. Revisit the places that shaped who you are today.

There are few places in this world that we will revisit again and again. Victoria BC is one of them.

We love the city’s old town character and laid back vibe. Every time we drive off the ferry at Swartz Bay we feel a sense of calm wash over us. Victoria is a relatively big city, but it doesn’t feel or act that way.

Victoria is the place where we first met. It’s where our family story began, so we felt it was important to retrace our steps and introduce our boys to the places we used to frequent. We visited in October over the Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving), which was fitting, given the purpose of the trip.

That trip to Victoria reminded us how important it is to revisit the places that shape who you are today. It puts life into perspective and allows you to clearly see how far you’ve come.

Related – Where it all began. Revisiting Victoria with our boys

15. Catching dinosaurs is a really cool experience.

Last summer, I went sturgeon fishing for the first time. I knew very little about sturgeon fishing prior this excursion up the Fraser River in Chilliwack, British Columbia. I had only been fishing a handful of times, but I had seen a few photos of these giant sea creatures online (like this one).

If a catfish, crocodile and reef shark mated, the outcome would look something like a white sturgeon. They are not cute and cuddly. They look like underwater dinosaurs! Watch the video here.

We spent about 6 hours on the river and caught 3 sturgeon that day. I would have been happy with just one, so I’d say this fishing excursion as a huge success.

Related – Sturgeon Fishing on the Fraser River in Chilliwack

16. It’s okay to visit Cancun in June.

Most people avoid traveling to the Caribbean in the summer months, which is considered the off season. It’s much more humid that time of year and the chance of rain is high. I learned that visiting in June is actually not a bad time to visit Cancun – is there really a bad time to visit Cancun?

It rained every day during my visit, but not for long. It lasted about 15 to 30 minutes and then it was done. I didn’t mind though. I actually like a little rain. It helps wash away some of the intense mid-day humidity.

Related – Photos of the Iberostar Cancun Resort in Mexico

What about you? What did travel teach you in 2017?

Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Read next – The first sunrise of 2018 was a memorable one!

16 Things travel taught us in 2017 is a post from: Traveling Canucks

25 Awesome Day Trips from Vancouver, BC

Our experience at the Lions Dive & Beach Resort, Curacao

First impressions and observations from our trip to Aruba

Our experience at the Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Canada

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gartdavis-blog · 7 years ago

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Visit to Aguadilla

Friends,

I recently traveled back to the house I grew up in on M street in Ramey. I have followed the state of the island since Maria hit almost 8 weeks ago, and had lots of questions going down, so I thought I’d share my notes…

Travel by air: I was not able to book in or out of BQN airport… Jetblue flights that run overnight from the states were all cancelled. So I booked AA through San Juan. Prices were reasonable on AA, but Jetblue is still the best if you can get a flight. Easy to find flights down to the island… harder to find them back. SJU airport was full, but operating normally. AC was on, and I had no trouble transiting and picking up my rental car. BQN currently only has had a regular service from Spirit Airlines from FLL. In theory, service from Jetblue and United will return to BQN before the holidays, but we’ll only know for sure once its happened. One new feature of BQN - the old ready area where the bombers used to park has been taken over by the US military, and is now a small city of lights with lots of army trucks exiting and entering near the golf course. Now that the Army’s mission is complete, this may return to its normal empty state.

Connectivity: much better than expected. I have a Verizon contract and was connected to Claro the moment I powered up at SJU and it remained so all over the North side of the island. Near Ramey, the connection is actually LTE, which means its been good enough to use my phone as a hotspot for email, research, e-commerce. I believe that this is partially a result of more than 40 high efficiency solar powered cell stations that were brought to the island by Vanu inc. (Vanu Bose, the founder of Vanu and the driver of this humanitarian contribution, was the son of Amar Bose of the eponymous corporation. He passed away last week.) People on AT&T were also on Claro. I had coverage from San Juan to Mayaguez continuously on Route 2 without interruption. I wouldn’t count on this to watch netflix, but it was strong and reliable for phone, text, and email. All of Ramey had coverage. At this point there is no value in pursuing satellite, but there are various expensive Satellite systems, like this one from Garmin, that keep you in basic communication when you're off the cell grid, but they don't actually replace Internet connection. There's a great review in there that goes on for pages - its a complicated device.

Travel around the island - Driving from San Juan to Ramey was almost completely normal except for the visuals. You notice right away that all the outdoor advertising and large signage is gone, and pretty much anything involving wood, corrugated roofing, or poles for any use. Traditional construction of concrete with metal ventanas is pretty much untouched. The impact is notable in San Juan, but becomes much more dramatic from Arecibo on. A kinda weird visual - you could tell the worst sections because the buildings looked sandblasted. Many businesses along #2 were open with generators, or occasionally, a section that had power. I took the same route to Ramey as I have done, without detours. Some traffic lights are out, but none of the really important ones where big routes cross. If you have to turn left at a busted light on rt. 2, just don’t…. turn right and figure it out later.

Water… is flowing in Ramey and many places around the island, and did not drop out when I was there. There’s still a boiling order, and when you take a shower you come out smelling like you exited a heavily chlorinated pool. But regardless, having water is great. I brought two different filtration systems, one that is gravity based (Lifestraw) and one that you pump. I bought 4 coleman solar showers, which are basically 5 gallon black plastic bags with nozzles. Down the road, I’ll try to purchase some water storage, a big cisterns for flushing, and something else for long term storage of potable water, but right now this was not as urgent.

Fuel: I had no problems getting gas, there were no lines and most gas stations were open.

Groceries: The Econo is open, and even takes credit cards. As always, its a social center, so budget 3 minutes for talking for every minute of shopping. The coolers were full and prices are about as I remember them. I bought a fresh salad that was good!

Restaurants: many are open, though some with a smaller menu or shorter hours.

Open out gate 5:

Levain (daily coffee here was sent from heaven)

Debut

Cofos Pizza

Martin’s BBQ

Cinco

Country Pizza

110 thai

Palmas

Open down the Hill:

eclipse (dinner only, no breakfast or lunch)

The frituras place at the S on the way down to Jobos

Ocean Front and lots of places near Jobos

Julios and lots of the other frituras places on the beach near Isabella

Open out Gate 1:

El Meson

Sasones

Desecheo

Lots of fast food out near #2

Closed:

Umas

Ramey Bakery

Airport cafe

Marriott (they have a small thing set up just for guests)

Beaches: After seeing pics of crashboat online I was concerned that all the beaches were just as hollowed out… not so:

Crash boat: every bit as dramatic as the pics. Right side is now tiny and not terribly safe, lots of exposed rock under the surf near the jetty. It seems that a lot of the missing beach was thrown onto the space that was the parking lot… which is now 3-4 feet deep with sand. I hold out hope that this sand can be pushed back out to re-create some of the old the beach. The left side you can still park and swim; its smaller but not that different from how it was.

Malecon Aguadilla: The brand new oceanfront walk seems to have come through entirely unharmed and looks great.

Borinquen beach: Much as beautiful as it always has been. Only new feature: a military unit desalinating water in the parking lot… impressive operation.

Survival / Martinica / Bajuras / Shacks: the Sand road down the cliff is still intact, though the left turn to go to Survival is completely blocked. You can go straight across, although its still rainy season and with all the recent dumping its turned into a bit more of a cesspool of garbage and shit than I remember. It appears that despite the violence of the storm, the waves did not break through the dunes and flood the old sand excavation area - a concern I’d long held. Once across, you can walk the strand to either survival or Shacks without impediment. I saw many hoof prints as well, so it looks like people are riding this stretch. The lawns next to the Eclipse took a beating, but the restaurant was hardly touched… hopefully people will be able to breakfast and lunch their soon.

Jobos: is in mid-construction down near the beach access, so I didn’t see that much, but did not seem too undermined. None of the oceanfront places fell in, and many were open and totally full on a Friday night.

Surfers: the road down has a couple trees propped across the roadway, but not so low you can’t pass. The parking lot structure is a bit undermined, but it was before. Waves are the same.

Spot/Middles/Isabela: I was down that way at Julios in lower Isabela on Sunday and the place was as full as I can remember, complete with the parade of Jeeps and music. The beach roads are intact and the north shore seems largely as it was.

Money / ATMs, Banks, Credit Cards: this is not quite back to normal, cash is still the only currency in a lot of smaller businesses, but I didn’t have trouble getting cash out of ATMs, and used credit cards for large purchases at Home Depot and Econo.

Electricity - This is really the biggest story that remains. The grid is a string and tinkertoy tangle that will be an enormous labor to sort out. Just to restore 30 houses on our street is a project that will require clearing/cutting dozens of fallen trees to create backyard access, and then every pole, wire and transformer is down (and will have been for months), and most connections to the individual houses are impaired as well. And the whole island is like that. Right now, the focus is on the easiest and most critical places. The most recent estimate that I think is credible is 70% of meters connected by the end of February. This leaves the 30% that pay the smallest bills and are the hardest to reach, and I could see it being another year before its 95%. While I was there, none of the housing areas in Ramey had power, but there were a few areas outside Gate 1 and Gate 5 that had been restored. Lots of people run generators - our neighborhood sounds like lawn mowers going 24 hours a day. The Solar folks, particularly Maximo Solar near us, are crazy busy. He’s signed contracts for more than 1,000 off-grid systems… only about a million more to go!

Until power is restored - There is a lot that can be done to improve quality of life even if you do not have grid power. Its hard to know how much to spend because you don’t know when you might be lucky enough to get your power back on. My view - think of your spending as one part now, one part preparation for the next Irma/Maria. But with the money thing in mind, I’ll go in order from cheapest to most expensive. I brought two checked bags of 50 lbs each, so my experience was limited to what I could brink and what i could buy on the island.

— My very favorite thing is the OPolar USB fan. This 9 inch fan doesn’t replace a ceiling fan, but it runs all night, blows enough to keep me cool and keep the bugs at bay, and uses just a part of my laptop battery, and it was cheap. We still had our mosquito nets, but the mosquitoes were actually not bad in Ramey, so I did not re-hang them. This fan actually had a review from someone in PR who used it after Maria using her laptop battery. I also found these little fans that are used to cool electronics and blow 50 CFMs each and are powered by USB ports out of the batteries. I bought two sets of two... These worked and drew very little, but the Opolar was a much better solution for cooling down and sleeping.

— I bought 4 LED solar lights that you leave outside during the day and stay on all night... they have motion detectors and you can leave them in three modes: full on, night light, or motion detecting that goes from night light to full. My next favorite thing. charge up during the day, take them inside and light your evening hours no problem. Then leave them in night-light mode so you don’t stub your toe on the way to the bathroom.

— a Two burner grill and a propane cylinder. I bought these on the island for $89 and $49 at the Home Depot in Hatillo, and now I can boil water and cook stuff.

— portable fold up solar panels (36 watts) - this is perfect for charging cell phones and kindles, but not for laptop or fan. I’d skip this, and instead, the next two are useful individually, but if you’re willing to drop the dough, they are perfect together:

—185 watt-hour battery that output USB and, with separate inverters, 110 volt AC which runs laptops, charges phones, anything up to 100 watts draw, including the USB fans (see above), but also the smaller of the standard 120 volt rotating fans.

— 80 watt fold up panel to charge the battery. These connect to each other via a 5.5 outside diameter * 2.5mm inside diameter DC cable that is female on both ends, but is fairly short, so I bought 3 12 foot male to female extenders. This combo worked great, but you really do need 8 hours of sun to recharge the battery if you’ve drawn it all the way down. It weighs 4 lbs, folds to the size of a fat laptop, and if you have a reasonably sunny day, will power up the battery I listed above. While I don’t recommend it, I did leave this unit out in some pretty heavy rain several times, and it continued working.

— One of the things that I hungered for as I tried to mete out my meager trickle of electricity was the ability to know how many watts a thing used… what would burn down my battery faster, this fan or that fan? This watt meter would have been super useful, so I’ve bought three and they’ll go back down with me in December.

— A 1000 watt honda generator. This is 26 lbs and can be brought in checked luggage as long as you never open the box. It is the quietest, lightest, smallest generator on the planet, and runs longer on less fuel than anything out there. Two trade-offs: you can only power 900 watts of stuff with it, and its pricier than many bigger, noisier, heavier generators. This will let you run things like a (modern) fridge, almost any household item that doesn’t have a heating element including all your fans to keep you cool, and you can charge your batteries in the rain. Generators could not be had at any store I visited on the island, nor could you buy a jerry can, and I looked. If you bring a generator to the island, bring a jerry can or you’ll not get much use of it.

— Cool trick: turn off every single breaker in the house. Turn everything off. Cut off the female end of an extension cord, and splice on a male end. Plug one end into your generator, and the other into a wall socket. Now all the things that are on that circuit are powered by the generator. In my case, that enabled things like ceiling fans and the lights attached to them. Warning: do not back-power the grid, make sure that the circuit you plug into is -not- open. If this sounds confusing, just think of it like water. If your neighbor has well water and your city water is out, they can run a hose to your outdoor spigot and turn both ends on, and you’ve got water in your house… now you just need to make sure that your neighbors well isn’t running through your house back out into the city water system full of broken pipes or whatever.

— Refrigeration -- Our house fridge ran brilliantly on the Honda genset… it cooled right down, and stayed pretty cool when the generator wasn’t running. Alternatively, there are some really fantastic new compressors in a 40 quart fridge/freezer (about 1.33 cubic ft) that draw just 30 watts (about 10% of the power of a normal fridge) and can run for a week on the charge in a 12 volt car battery. I'm not going to jump on this, but it may be the best way forward for folks that are trying to run a minimalist electrical footprint on portable solar panels.

— Cleanup & Tools -- Chainsaws could not be had at any store on the island. Dewalt has a new 'flexvolt' battery system with 60 volt tools. For example this chainsaw or this fan. If you buy 4 batteries, you can power an inverter power station that with the power stored in all 4 batteries is a little like the jobsite version of the Tesla Powerwall, which can power a house fridge or other normal things that need house current. I didn’t purchase / test this.

Laundry -- This becomes a top issue once you’re in week 4 and you have water and generators. The motors in older washers draw 1,000 to 2,000 watts, so you need a bigger generator than the one I brought. Modern energy star washers draw more like 500 watts. Dryers - Just no… I’ll put up a clothes line for the back porch.

Bigger Batteries, Inverters, bigger portable solar — We have had folks from RAM staying in the house, and they were kind enough to put another portable solar solution on the house. It was a pair of Centech 750 watt inverters, a Solar charge controller model cm-30a, two Uni-Solar PVL-136 roll-out solar panels, and a 935 CCA 12 volt lead acid truck battery that I bought at the local auto parts place. This system worked, but was not able to run stuff that drew more than 100-200 watts. I think part of this was just my ignorance of how to optimize the utilization of this rig.

Bigger Generators - Generators are everywhere, so the whole island is like Saturday morning with lawn mowers running. The inexpensive gas generators work great but they are -very- noisy. After waking up to the sound of a generator for the Xth time, quiet is important and merciful. With that in mind, the Honda 2,000 watt generators can be put in tandem, they have an ‘eco’ mode that throttles up and down as energy is drawn, they are efficient, and as quiet as its possible to make a generator that makes this much power. 4 kilowatts peak service will allow most houses to do most things, with thoughtfulness about what gets turned on. A dual rig with parallel cables, security attachments and extended run fuel system can be had for under $2,500.

Permanent Solar - This is the long term solution. I’ve gone ahead and committed to 21 240 volt panels and a Tesla powerwall, to be installed by Maximo Solar. This, combined with a moderation of electrical consumption, will permanently address electrical power. Two neighbors had rooftop solar arrays that survived the winds of the storm completely intact. Another neighbor out on the cliff was a bit more exposed, and their array tangled with a solar water heater tank, and was a total loss.

A couple concluding topics:

Law & Order: My experience was really very much like life on the island at any other time. Across more than 4 decades there’s been lots of petty larceny, and perhaps I’ve just been lucky, but I’ve experienced just one face to face larceny (in high school on the track bus) and zero violent crimes. While there are stories (as ever) and people should take proper precautions, I found the island as peaceful (and chaotic) as ever it has been. The mood and tone were warm, and I felt at every moment surrounded by commiseration and a willingness to help. I felt totally secure at gas stations, banks, supermarkets and airports.

The big work: I saw electrical crews out at all hours of day and night, in all weathers. Debris removal crews had started to come through our neighborhood. Its an extraordinary undertaking, with no drive-in assistance, but I think the agree with others that amidst the huge challenges and overwhelming scale of work, the key words are resilience, optimism, and heartwarming positive vibes.

How to help?

The first way to help is simply to think about this as you read the news, and as you advocate and you vote. The future of the island is absolutely in the hands of our federal government, everything from the amount of assistance supplied to the diaspora of Boricuas that are arriving in the 10s of thousands, to the way that PREPA will pay the billions required to rebuild 50 years of electrical power infrastructure. This stands on top of the basic questions that predate Maria: a decade of economic and population shrinkage, and a death spiral of debt burden.

There are many charities doing extraordinary work on the island. Global Disaster Immediate Recovery Team worked with the Vanu team to restore cell communications on the island. There is still a lot of work especially up in the mountains, so you can volunteer through the coordination site Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters. If you’re on the island and unemployed, FEMA is hiring.

At a more personal level, I’ve followed through on gofundme campaigns of friends and colleagues, and tried to work the connections I know and contribute what I can to the upward spiral. I’ve diverted resources from stateside projects to cleaning and rebuilding on the island, and tried to support others as they’ve done so as well.

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universeinform-blog · 8 years ago

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Poor weather cancel your flight? Here are some tips for what to do next

New Post has been published on https://universeinform.com/2017/03/15/poor-weather-cancel-your-flight-here-are-some-tips-for-what-to-do-next/

Poor weather cancel your flight? Here are some tips for what to do next

POLAND, Ohio (WKBN) – It could sound a laugh getting stranded in a heat climate town, but what if it takes place to you?

US Airways canceled over 5,000 flights Tuesday and 650 have already been scrubbed for Wednesday.

Southwest Airways, which contains more home passengers than another airline, doesn’t anticipate to operate any flights Tuesday at 14 airports stretching from Washington to Portland, Maine. Southwest canceled approximately 900 flights, even as American Airways, JetBlue Airlines, and United Airlines each cancel ed more than 500.

Monitoring provider FlightAware.Com says Tuesday’s cancellations deliver the full for the week to round 7,740 flights. A further 650 flights had been canceled for Wednesday, a number of that FlightAware expects to upward push as the Airways scramble to renew operations.

Kathy Pahanish of Govt Excursion and Travel in Poland has been looking the huge typhoon carefully and has already adjusted Journey preparations for customers. She modified flights for six individuals who are in Bermuda, giving them an additional few hours within the solar, plus finding a way returned domestic via Atlanta.

“If you have a person going thru JFK these days or the following day, you without a doubt want to exchange their agenda and take them thru every other gateway that could not affect them with the aid of the typhoon,” Pahanish stated.

Mary Ann Dwyer at Tippecanoe Tour provider additionally helped a Valley flier get across the typhoon. She knows it’s now not easy to do by myself.

“Anybody panics while they may be on their own and they don’t know what to do. They stand in those long lines and by the point, you get up to the counter, the flights are long gone,” Dwyer stated.

In case you’re stuck at the airport, Travel retailers endorse being the

Smartphone with them whilst your turn comes on the ticket counter.

“We have the ability to convey up flights and so we can’t inform us there’s not anything available,” Pahanish said. “I’m able to tell you what flights to invite for or clutch them myself with the airline, and then when you arise there, they’ll see it’s already been accomplished.”

Changing an Undertaking Manager Mid-Flight

Certainly one of my column readers currently despatched on this question: Considered one of our senior Venture managers left all at once within the middle of a 3 yr million $ contract. What could enjoy and training you to bear in mind in promoting an alternative?

Oh, right meaty trouble. Not so easy an answer.

There’s sincerely in no way a great time for a PM to depart a Project, specifically whilst the flight takes anybody with the aid of wonder. Control scrambles to find an alternative, the Challenge crew can be in a country of the surprise because their chief is now flying the coop, and the potential successor wishes to double-time it to determine out a way to take the reins speedy. The key here is to minimize the impact of flight such that the Undertaking is not considerably impacted. There are sides that I suppose are important to minimizing the impact: preparedness in case of flight and deliberate action if a flight happens. Following are a series of concerns for every.

First fact, preparedness in case of flight:

Have a Mission succession plan in location for key Project team members. This includes No longer simplest the PM, however, key analysts, developers, and different tough-to-replace crew contributors. Check whether the Venture Manager is already a flight hazard due to previous occasions. For something reason, the Project Manager may be at the flash point and ready to leave or already seeking to leave. File if there are there precise talents required of the placement. Some Mission Control positions can be filled with the aid of an amazing general Assignment Manager, at the same time as others may also require a particular purposeful, technical, or enterprise skills. Next facet is moved if a flight happens: Execute the succession plan if the deliberate successor is ready to anticipate control. On occasion, the successor can be able to easily slip into the footwear of the prior Task Manager. At different times the successor may have to percentage workload with his or her Manager or different Undertaking team contributors to lighten the weight and higher limit Challenge effect. Do not anticipate plenty out of the fleeing Assignment Manager. She or he may physically be around for some other week or but mentally the transition to the brand new task has already begun. Live near the scenario. Don’t just anticipate that because there’s a new name inside the Challenge Supervisor container at the org chart that each one is going to go well. Preserve near watch over the brand new Assignment Manager and be prepared to help in case you see problems beginning to cropup. Maintain the group calmly. while a pacesetter flees the situation is ripe for confusion, dissension, and infighting which could cause finances and agenda issues. Keep the group centered and motivated through the transition. Most importantly, Maintain them knowledgeable on what is going on. The role the following successor. This is good for two reasons: it facilitates mitigate the hazard of any other PM flight and is a herbal getting to know an opportunity to build up new PM.

What is a CBet in Poker?

You may have heard the term CBet before in poker, but are uncertain as to what it method exactly. A CBet is not a poker rule, however, it’s far a common method. Properly a CBet stands for continuation wager which is when you bet on the flop when you had raised preflop, subsequently – the continuation. You’re simply following up your own guess, with any other guess. This is typically completed to represent a sturdy hand.

CBetting is one of the maximum commonplace varieties of betting strategies due to the fact You’re frequently doing this in function and also you earn more value long term whilst controlling the hand, your opponent, and the potted length. A typical CBet is 1/2 to 2/3 size of the pot. CBets have an instead high fulfillment charge, especially in opposition to a single opponent. So allow’s observe A regular CBet state of affairs.

With the blinds at 10/20 within the early tiers each person has folded to you and from the middle-overdue role in an unmarried table sit down and pass, you decide to open-boost your KTos. So you make it 60 chips to move. every person, which includes the small blinds folds in your apparent electricity hand, except the large blind who calls, including any other forty, to make the pot 130 chips in general. Here comes the flop which has flush and directly chemistry. Your opponent who acts first decides to test to you. Now because of the board having some attracts available making a decision to wager 2/three pot which is set eighty-five chips, making the pot now 215. That guess is a textual content e-book continuation wager.

Now let’s turn that play around and in preference to your opponent checking, he virtually led out with a guess of eighty-five. That is not a continuation wager, as he turned into the only who known as your bet preflop. It also negates you from making a bet, although you always have the option of calling or re-raising. Given the early stages of this sit-down and cross tournament and your small investment in the pot Here, I’d possibly fold the KT instead of name or bluff Here.

Wait! Don’t Cancel That Hair Appointment

Life can be very excessive. The entirety is clamoring for our interest. Work, own family, hobbies, kids where’s the time for ourselves? And now you recognize you have an appointment at the neighborhood salon. It’s right, priority 0. However, it turns into a priority in some unspecified time in the future due to the fact we all want a trim.

So, canceling your reservation shouldn’t be an alternative. It must truly be a top priority. Apart from the time on my own for rest it’ll give you, there are 5 appropriate reasons why you should not call and cancel your subsequent salon rendezvous.

Preserving the appointment will sincerely prevent time. You know the way its miles to fix Everything one morning until that fateful day while you word your hair is long overdue for an adjustment. So, after hours of looking to force Everything, you’ll renounce yourself to the reality that only a cut and style is going to restore this mess. By means of traveling your stylist now, you may prevent the push to repair the long past due to hairdo while it’s bounce to precedence primary to your list. Coping with a great cut and fashioned style inside the morning is a breeze and could prevent masses of time.

You may keep the cash. Have you ever allow your grass get too long? you have to name in a military of mowers to get it lower back to every day. With a hairdo This is long overdue, your stylist will need to Paintings tougher and you may spend greater time and money to get it returned to form.

three. whilst you suppose you need a haircut do it today. Of course, we all assume the next day or subsequent week or next month will truly be more time friendly, that our workload can be slower than today. Has that ever took place on your Lifestyles? a subsequent week can be very similar to this week and the week after. Do not youngster yourself. when you think it, do it.

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