Fallen Power Lines and Transformers on NE 15th Street in Fort Lauderdale

Wilma plowed through the State like an intergalactic vacuum cleaner, obliterating a wide swathe of civilization. Necessities taken for granted by millions of South Florida residents - power, water, telephone, and fuel - disappeared within a few hours. Windows and doors exploded off buildings like popcorn. It pealed roofing and walls from structures as if they were wet cardboard. Trees and vehicles became projectiles, driven by high winds into one another and adjacent buildings. Once Wilma finally jumped to the Atlantic Ocean, people realized that nothing was left unscathed. Owing to the enormous scope of the storm, evacuation was not an option.

Ghost Town - Federal Highway and SE 24th St

Of Florida Power & Light’s 4.5 million South Florida paying customers, 3.5 million had no power. While the utility’s main power plants were still functional, 240 substations suffered catastrophic damage. In neighborhoods with above ground electrical lines, trees and other flora were intertwined with high tension wires and banged up transformers were reconfigured to mimic Modern Art. In Broward County, 98% of FPL’s customers were stranded. 859,000 Broward residents were powerless while 3600 incredibly lucky homes were still juiced. The utility, despite importing 3000 additional electrical workers from out of the area on Monday, told customers that it would take up to four weeks to repair all the damage.

Broward Financial Center in Downtown Fort Lauderdale

Along with hospitals, police stations and fire stations, water treatment plants were also left without power. Once FP&L powered up these critical parts of the public service infrastructure and turned the water on, residents received another shock. The water never arrived at its destination. Officials learned that water mains throughout the County were pounded to dust. Even sections that could be repaired were contaminated by backflow infiltration. Despite reassurances by officials that massive repair efforts were underway, by Wednesday morning FP&L was only able to bring power to an additional 2400 Broward customers. Bellsouth announced that 855,000 residents on Florida’s east coast lost phone service after the storm. Of those with service, the vast majority exclusively used electric-powered cordless phones, useless where the power was off. Residents found their cellular phones to be of limited use due to infrastructure damage experienced by most of the cellular networks. Residents were faced with no power, gasoline, water and telephone service - limbo. Isolated Regency Tower residents saw little relief on the horizon.

Regency Residents Witnessed Playa del Mar Losing Many Non-Compliant Windows

Regency Tower, like the rest of the Galt Mile, was a disaster area. Landscaping was uprooted and shredded. Vehicles left on the outside parking decks were stripped of windows and pummeled by flying debris. Cars, SUVs and small trucks were tossed about like pinballs, banging into perimeter walls and one another. Dozens of non-compliant windows and “hurricane shutters” that were ripped off the building became flying guillotines, repeatedly smashing into vehicles, the perimeter fences and the building walls. Ironically, these shutter panels that were installed 35 years ago to protect the units from severe storms became one of the primary sources of damage. Many of the decorative street lamps on Galt Ocean Drive were sheared in half or decapitated. Similarly, three of the high intensity lamps illuminating our decks were knocked off their support poles. Fences at the east side of the north and south parking decks were torn out. The awning covering the entrance to the garage was twisted into a gigantic Rubik’s Cube and the ceiling above the main entry alcove endured multiple cracks. The swimming pool became a huge trash receptacle, containing sections roofing material, shutters, window remnants, shutter tracks and battered parts of the water towers that were blown off the Galt Ocean Club’s roof. Our own roof was spared, save some minor damage to a water tower line.

Mayor Naugle To FP&L Help High Rise People

On Tuesday morning, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle appeared in a televised interview during which he described the area game plan. He said that FP&L and local officials would spend Tuesday assessing the extent of the damage. He confirmed that powering up hospitals; police and fire stations and water treatment facilities were uncontested priorities. The Mayor surprised viewers when he said, “I know that many single family homeowners may not agree, but we need to get power to the many high rise buildings in the area. People stranded on the 15^th floor without power and water present access problems not faced by other residents. This has to be one of our priorities.” On Tuesday, the Board contacted Broward County to learn when the water would again flow. County spokespersons said that we could expect to see water by Tuesday evening. While they weren’t permitted to sell perishable items, Winn Dixie Supermarket in the Galt Mile Shopping Plaza used emergency generators to open for business late Tuesday afternoon. To purchase the remnants of their skeletal inventory, Galt Mile residents formed a line that extended almost 100 yards into their parking lot and brought plenty of cash and patience.

Galt Ocean Drive by Plaza South After Wilma

Faced with a desperate situation, many Regency Tower residents realized that they needed one another to survive. Grudges were set aside, people checked to see if heretofore ignored neighbors needed help. Bucket brigades were organized to bring water from the swimming pool up to units to force toilets to flush. As frozen foods defrosted, people aggregated around the Association’s barbecue grill, creating a spontaneous daylight restaurant. Hungry residents contributed food or cooking skill, turning the catastrophe into an opportunity to know one another. Our emergency building generator provided for our basic power requirements, powering one elevator, the fire safety system and emergency lights. Our maintenance department extended the generator's capabilities to temporarily power the office, facilitating communication with owners not in residence trying to learn the status of their homes. The building’s public address system was used to keep those in residence abreast of events and make vital announcements. Information was also posted on the portable bulletin boards at the lobby elevators. When the area became inaccessible during the initial stages of the crisis, volunteers such as Anne-Marie Griffin, Marty Rivas and others helped man critical security positions while others responded to supplications for help from their neighbors. Serendipitously, this disaster brought out the best in our Regency “family”.

Fire Marshal Steve Kastner - EMT Teams

City officials realized early on that many elderly residents normally cared for by Home Health Care Aides or nurses were isolated and inaccessible. Given the potential for tragedy, Fort Lauderdale Fire Marshall Steve Kastner sent a three-person EMT crew to every building along Galt Ocean Drive on Tuesday, canvassing the neighborhood for those in need of assistance.

City Manager Gretsas Pushed Galt Repairs

The Fire-Rescue personnel entered Regency Tower and spoke to building staff and available residents, inquiring about medical shut-ins and others that may not have been able to alert neighbors to possible emergencies.

By Wednesday morning, several Associations on the northern end of the block (Galt Towers, L'Ambiance, Galleon, Ocean Club, Ocean Summit, etc.) regained electricity and some also had water. The Regency Tower Board contacted Vice Mayor Christine Teel, alerting her to a possible health crisis adjunctive to prolonged lack of water.

V. Mayor Christine Teel Avert Galt Health Crisis

City Manager George Gretsas responded by informing a Regency Board member about the City’s repair progress. He explained that when the water was turned back on by Tuesday afternoon, water main damage thwarted attempts to attain pressure adequate to reach most of the buildings south of Ocean Summit. He said that they would concentrate on repairs to the water mains feeding the barrier island, projecting that water could possibly flow to the balance of the area as early as Wednesday afternoon. By about 3 PM, water pressure reached levels adequate to restart our building pump. At about 4:30 PM, screams of delight and relief were heard along the entire block as electricity was restored to the remaining buildings. Regency Tower was returned to the 21^st century.

Looters Hit Hamilton Gallery on A1A and Coral Ridge Towers Coops Lost Non-Compliant Windows

Fort Lauderdale was operating under a “boil water” order, a warning given when system contamination is suspected. People without electricity who weren’t able to boil their water to kill toxic organic material could still disinfect contaminated water. Florida Department of Health spokesman Irving “Doc” Kokol explained that water can be made potable by mixing in 8 drops of unscented bleach (Clorox) per gallon and letting it set for 30 minutes. If the end product is still cloudy after 30 minutes, repeat the process. Mayor Jim Naugle also contacted Galt Mile Community Association President Robert Rozema, asking that residents conserve water whenever possible. He explained that enormous damage to the Lift Stations that insure water quality had yet to be repaired and that the boil water order would extend at least through Friday.

Galt Residents Line Up at Winn Dixie on Tuesday

With the return of basic utilities, Regency Tower immediately turned resources and manpower to the massive clean-up and repair efforts. On Tuesday, the Board organized a building-wide investigation into the damage sustained by individual units. Six teams, each comprised of a Board member and a volunteer resident, divided the building into sections and documented the visible damage found in every unit. Joe Anastasi, Barbara Verol, Bob Nagle, Eileen Bendis, Rafael and Ofelia Alleguez each teamed up with a Board member to evaluate our 203 units. The review revealed that dozens of non-compliant windows and shutters were torn out by the storm. While some of the impact rated windows broke, not one was shattered apart or penetrated. The impact windows performed as expected. They stopped the storm from entering protected units.

Roof Stripped from Holy Cross Medical Group in the Galt Mile Shopping Plaza

Not surprisingly, the only units that experienced serious damage were those whose owners still hadn't installed impact rated windows. While some of the damage was caused by flying debris, the vast majority of the non-compliant windows and shutters were blown out by negative wind pressure. In one unit, however, the non-compliant windows were seemingly victimized by positive wind pressure. The windows were blown into the unit, causing instantaneous evacuation. The enormous pressure change collapsed two interior walls. In several units, sections of balcony railing were torn from their posts and some of the individual pikes were bent, apparently impacted by flying debris. Several units also suffered infiltration, often under balcony doors and around windows. A major source of infiltration resulted from the hurricane shutter tracks buried in the walls under windows. When weep holes in the tracks become clogged, they fill with water which eventually spills into the subfloor. The collected water builds up until it reaches the lowest levels of the unit’s floor (sometimes in the middle of the room), where it soaks into the padding underneath carpeting. Water then absorbed into the carpeting appears as random patches of wetness, seemingly unconnected to one another.

Ocean Club Suffered Minimal Damage Had Electricity and Water by Tuesday

The results of our investigation were given to the office. By Wednesday, if any unit owner called to find out how their home weathered the storm, they were given a verified report. After water was returned to the area and the swimming pool was no longer needed as a source of water to force flush toilets, the contaminated pool was drained and rehabilitated. While Board members worked to organize the recovery, residents pitched in with employees to clean up the grounds. Mark Pestano, Joe Anastasi, Eric Berkowitz, Mark Gregory, Bill Tennenbaum and many others worked with staff to clear the debris inundating the premises.

Ocean Manor Experienced Serious Damage

Southpoint and Plaza South suffered extensive damage to their lobbies. Associations dependent upon emergency generators using diesel fuel or gasoline weren’t able to replenish depleted fuel supplies. Ocean Manor Condominium Hotel experienced serious exterior damage including the collapse of the Tiki Bar adjacent to the pool area. Galt Ocean Club lost several rooftop water towers, one of which now adorns their tennis court. During the storm, Regency residents facing north witnessed dozens of non-compliant windows in Playa del Mar systematically extracted. Similarly, owners of south-facing units saw many of Galt Ocean Club’s 15 lost windows torn out. Ocean Summit reported the loss of about 80 non-compliant windows. In addition to losing over 20 non-compliant windows, Galt Towers also lost some windows to a sizable chunk of concrete balcony railing knocked off the second penthouse of Plaza South. Regency South, Royal Ambassador, Southpoint, Ocean Riviera, Caribé, Playa del Sol, Commodore and Coral Ridge Towers North also reported losing large numbers of non-compliant windows. With few exceptions, Associations assessing unit damage reported direct correlations between the extent of the damage and the window types protecting the units. An unusual phenomenon characterized as a mini-burst, a sort of mini-tornado generated when high winds are trapped in a particular structural configuration, seems to have occurred on the north side of Commodore’s parking deck. Fierce winds carried a car from the Commodore parking deck over the perimeter wall to the Playa del Sol parking deck. L’Hermitage, wherein construction permits were issued in the mid to late nineties subject to the post-Andrew construction codes, was caught in a code twilight zone. The technological teeth were put into the current Miami Protocols in 2001 and 2002 when testing and protection standards were solidified and upgraded to more closely match the threats faced by acceptable products. As such, unlike the more recently installed impact windows that successfully withstood Wilma’s onslaught, many of L’Hermitage’s windows were devastated. In response to Wilma, many Associations are reordering priorities to incorporate upgrades to their emergency response systems and accelerate their building-wide protection programs. Priority repairs to roofing, A/C systems and structural damage will also occupy Galt Associations for the immediate future.

Lines at BP Gas Station at 6th St and Federal Hway

Another critical development surfaced in the form of endless gas lines. While local gas stations had full tanks, many of them had no power to pump the gas to waiting vehicles. The few stations that secured emergency generators were beset by thousands of motorists and gas generator owners needing another day’s fuel supply. Miles-long lines of vehicles surrounded the operational stations all day on Tuesday and Wednesday. At closing time, station owners called the police to help suppress flaring tempers of drivers notified that they would have to wait until morning to finally gas up. Hundreds of drivers who spent 6 to 7 hours waiting on line opted to sleep in their vehicles rather than relinquish their place on line and “try again tomorrow.” Many ran out of gas while waiting for service. When stations opened the following morning, vehicles with empty tanks had to be pushed up to the pump to get gas. Many stations instituted a $10, $20, or $25 maximum allocation policy. Evidently, adequate gas reserves were available once Port Everglades regained the power needed to offload fuel. The stumbling block will continue to be power to the individual gas stations. As more stations get power from FP&L or obtain emergency generators to pump their gas, the crisis will abate.

TOYS-R-US on Federal Highway

Seneca, a mid-1^st century AD Roman philosopher said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Luck is what Regency Tower experienced when beset by the strongest rated hurricane in recorded history. Drawing on the lessons learned over the past two years, Regency Tower instituted an Emergency Hurricane Plan addressing both resident safety precautions and building-wide preparation protocols. As compared to many of our neighbors, Regency Tower was one of the best prepared Associations in the Galt Mile neighborhood. Instead of depending upon official “Watch” or “Warning” alerts to trigger preparation response, work was commenced based upon the actual time estimated to complete those preparations. Balconies were secured, the roof was secured and elevators were brought to emergency status prior to the power outage. Responding to the Florida Division of Emergency Management’s admonition, “The most important precaution you can take to reduce damage to your home and property is to protect the areas where wind can enter,” Regency Tower’s grass roots Impact Windows Project protected the vast majority of our residents’ homes.

Regency Tower Maintenance Crew Aids Recovery

After the catastrophe, the Board reacted quickly to assess the damage and organize efforts to soften the storm’s effect on residents - both here and abroad. Despite being unable to return from North Carolina until Fort Lauderdale Airport was reopened on October 29^th, President Dott Nicholson-Brown remained in constant contact with the office, overseeing recovery efforts. Vice President Pablo Verol met with Board members Fern McBride, Louise Collins, Iris Anastasi, Bill Tennenbaum and Eric Berkowitz to help organize and execute a recovery plan. Prior to the return of water and power, the Board compensated for the vacuum created when employees had difficulty getting to work - adjusting shifts to bolster security and afford assistance to those in need. Our maintenance department gave the office staff temporary emergency power to provide residents with a critical communications center. While created for office personnel to answer owners’ questions about the condition of their units, the individual unit damage assessment also served as a repair guide, indicating to maintenance staff which units needed temporary emergency repairs. Holes left where non-compliant windows were ripped from the building were covered with plywood. When damage to the water tower was discovered, board and resident volunteers personally turned off every A/C unit in the building to prevent possible burn-out when the power was restored. Once damage to the water tower was repaired (within two days), the A/C units were turned back on. Board members were in contact with City and County officials, obtaining crucial information and encouraging repair efforts needed to recover water and electricity. While the Board and our employees worked to stabilize life after Wilma, our greatest resource was our residents. People wanting to help one another and the building volunteered their assistance without being asked. The lobby became an exchange, with people offering batteries, candles, water or other help to neighbors. Those with “sterno” stoves left hot meals for those they thought in need. People patrolled their floors, checking on neighbors whose names they didn’t know. As many of us have long known, the people that live here are special. Wilma offered them another opportunity to demonstrate just how special they are.

Along with some of the information presented above, an article on the Galt Mile Community Association web site has a more comprehensive overview of what happened to the Galt Mile neighborhood and the rest of Broward County. Click Here to check it out!