Hurricane Irma update

Due to Hurricane Irma’s widespread impact on cell phone towers, cable lines and Internet service, a number of owners who were not in International Village during the storm have had trouble contacting friends, relatives and office staff over the last few days for news about the hurricane’s impact. During the storm, International Village lost cable, Internet, email and landline phone service (but unlike about 75 percent of Broward residents, most of the community fortunately never lost electricity). Cell phone service was also very spotty for many residents, including myself, for the first couple of days after the storm, and it may remain spotty for some. The office and guardhouse phone lines and the office email server, as well as our property manager’s work cell phone and the rover’s cell phone, have been working sporadically, so if you have any hurricane-related damage or other issues to report and are concerned that your message may not be getting through to the manager, please copy me on the email and I will verify that he got it.

Thank God Hurricane Irma’s impact on International Village was far less than it would have been if the storm had remained on its originally forecast track, but the storm has been our community’s most significant event since Hurricane Wilma, and cleanup and repairs will continue for at least the next few weeks. We also send our thoughts and prayers to all those living in those parts of Florida that were hit hardest as they recover from the devastation.

The biggest impact on International Village was the number of trees and limbs that were downed by the strong winds, which swelled to gusts of over 100 mph. A couple of windows on the lake side of the Heidelberg building were smashed   by   the   limbs   of    an uprooted tree, and several cars were damaged by downed trees or snapped branches.  Several   leaks also have been reported, a number of lamp posts were damaged, and sections of the wooden fences around the clubhouse and next to the resident entrance were toppled. However, a makeshift fence has been put up at the entrance to prevent unauthorized walk-ins. Two elevators are down, but the elevator contractor has been contacted and they should be serviced shortly. Both pools are closed pending maintenance by our pool contractor, but should reopen today or tomorrow. Garbage pickup also has been delayed as the city’s waste collection crews have been diverted to address the large amount of debris on the roads. As for the surrounding Broward community, a large percentage of traffic signals are still out of service and many tree limbs remain on the roads, but signs of normalcy appear to be returning, with more gas stations, stores and businesses beginning to reopen.

A big thank you to our International Village maintenance crew, who got quickly to work the morning after the storm cleaning up the extensive debris, leaves and branches that littered the entire property and clearing trees that were blocking roads and walkways. I would also like to thank our security chief Austin Freeman for keeping an eye on the property throughout the duration of the hurricane, as well as all the owners and residents who heeded the warnings to secure their properties, and especially all those I personally observed chipping in to help after the storm without being asked – whether by raking leaves in front of their buildings or checking in on neighbors and absent owners’ properties. 

 

Hurricane Irma is the biggest test International Village has faced since Wilma, but it has demonstrated that when put to the test, we truly rise to the occasion and come together as neighbors to help each other and show our love for this community we call home. Irma was also a sobering wake-up call, reminding us that even though we went more than 10 years without a hurricane following Wilma, we still live in Hurricane Alley and may have to start considering ways to better protect ourselves and our properties from nature's fury.

John Labriola

International Village President