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Boardwalk                

    

    A Public Service of Boardwalk Realty

    1804 Bienville Blvd

    877-861-3992

    email - inforequest@boardwalk-realty.com 

 

Ike Blog

                           

  • October 4, 2008 - Sand is being moved back onto the gulf beach.  The first active sifting site is located on the north side of Bienville between 2312 & 2322 Bienville.  Sand is brought to the site and  placed into the sifter. Clean sand comes out on the other end and debris from the sand is spit out into a pile.  Sifted sand is then taken by dump trucks to the south end of St Stephens and dumped along the shoreline. Pictures are below.   Power on the west end was is currently out due to one of the sand trucks hitting a power pole earlier this afternoon.  Power Co is working to repair the damage now - it's never a dull day!
  • October 2, 2008 - Hurricane recovery Update from Town Hall (The following was retyped word for word from the Town handout.)
The Town of Dauphin Island is pleased to announce that recovery efforts following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike are well underway.  Here are a few items of interest that property owners and residents need to know as we continue the clean-up process:
  • Crowder-Gulf is the Town's pre-positioned contractor and is responsible for most of the recovery measures on the west end of the island.  Sand cleared from the roadways will now be screened/filtered before being returned to the south shoreline.  Three-staging areas for the screening are planed along the north shoulder of Bienville Blvd  and one at the Town's public beach.  Once cleaned , displaced sand will be trucked and dumped along the gulf shoreline where it can provide the greatest benefit for property owners and infrastructure protection. 
  • Property Owners south of Bienville Blvd and west of Raphael Semmes will be receiving an urgent request  from the Town for a right-of-entry to expedite the sand recovery process (above). We urge all owners to sign and return the right-of-entry prior to the October 13, 2008 deadline. Due to the short time frame available, all right-of-entry received after the October 13 deadline (or not returned at all) will be deemed as "approval".  We apologize for the short notice but fortunately...things are progressing at a fast pace!
  • Crowder Gulf will be removing sand from road shoulders as part of the recovery process on the west end.  All property owners along Bienville Blvd (75) from approximately Rapheal Semmes west, Island Shores Drive (25), Bridgeview Drive (25), St Stephens (40) and Sehoy Street (40) should pay special attention to the entire width of the right-of-way as measured from the centerline of road  to the abutting private property boundary will be cleared of sand.  Any personal items (excluding mail boxes) should be removed so as not to adversely delay the contractor.
  • Some of the canals along the north side of the island were (again) partially filled with sand and debris.  The Town is working with homeowners and contractors in an effort to correct these matters on a case-by-case basis.
  • Property owners who hire private contractors to "move" sand in any way must first obtain a NO COST PERMIT!  Property owners who "move: sand themselves are also required to obtain a NO COST PERMIT.  All permits are issued at Town Hall.
  • At this time , we are not sure whether a replacement berm will be included as part of the post disaster recovery measures.  There are a number of factors still unknown that will ultimately determine the future of this project.  We will keep you posted.
  • Please do not place debris on the right of way until after the sand is removed. This will only create unnecessary delays for the contractor during the sand removal phase of the project.
  • Driveways installed on the rights-of-way prior to the sand reclamation are subject to damage.  We suggest you use minimal product on the driveway entry until after sand reclamation is complete. Neither the Town nor Crowder Gulf will be responsible for damage on the rights-of-way.
  • Due to the numerous pieces of large construction equipment and narrow lanes due to piled sand, we encourage motorists to stay off of the west end unless you have a need to be there.  Unnecessary traffic creates additional delays!
  • The Town of Dauphin Island respectfully solicits your support and patience as we work to restore services to the effected areas of the island.  If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to contact Town Hall at (251) 861-5525 or email at wsandagger@townofdauphinisland.org or mstrickland@townofdauphinisland.org 

 
  • September 30, 2008 - Just got a call from Vaile with Water & Sewer – gulf side of Bienville up to Seneca Ct should have water by this time tomorrow, possibly even this afternoon.  They found a major clog that had the system blocked and the vacuum truck is clearing it .  Vaile said they should have it clear tomorrow morning if not this afternoon.  Also the water & sewer board has decided not to require the agreement with property owners I mentioned in earlier updates.  They felt this may hold up the progress of the property owners and did not want to slow the recovery effort.  Vaile did ask that property owners be aware of the fact that there were several breaks in the lateral lines which allowed sand into the system; he stressed the importance of making sure your plumber has flushed your lines well before tying back in to the system to prevent any back ups.  
  • Work has begun on the right of ways. According to Mayor Collier per a conversation this morning, the sand that was piled from the clearing of Bienville and other streets is being gathered and will be placed at 4 different sifting sites, 3 of which will be located along the north side of Bienville and the 4th at the Town's west end beach property.  The contractors will sift in one area at a time.  The sand will be gathered not only from the piles already generated from the street clearing, but also from the entire right of way.  (The Bienville right of ways extend 75 feet to the north and 75 feet to the south of Bienville's center line.)  Once sifted the contractors will place the sifted sand all along the gulf shoreline as equitably as possible. Trucks will back up to the shoreline and dump loads of sand, winds and currents will shape the sand, carrying it along in the alongshore current building beach over time.  The contractors will not be able to drive trucks/equipment into the water, so they will be unable to dump sand south of homes currently in the water.   The Town plans to send out Right of Entry forms for west end property owners to sign, allowing contractors to access property to place sand.  These forms must be completed and signed before October 13.  As soon as we receive the Right of Entry form we will post it here as downloadable pdf file.  The completed form may be mailed, faxed or emailed to Town hall.  In an effort to avoid as much travel as possible on private property, the contractor will attempt to use the 4 town owned streets (Rapheal Semmes, St Stephens, Sam Houston & Sehoy) as entry routes for the vehicles. In other words, the dump trucks will access the gulf front via these streets whenever feasible and then move along the gulf front, south of the homes.    
  • September 27, 2008 - The following pictures were taken Sept 27.
  • September 22, 2008 - Power expected to be restored west of St Stephens on Sept 28.  Water service to gulf side homes from Seneca Ct west will be off for several months.  Bienville has been cleared all the way down, sand is piled on both sides, crews are working on Bridgeview Ct today. Below are pictures taken this morning.
  • September 16, 2008 - Gulf continues to recede. Many homes on south side looked much drier today! Road crew working on Bienville, cleared to just past St Denis (side streets not cleared yet). Power off west of St Stephens. 

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  • September 15, 2008 - Post Ike aerial photos are being added today and tomorrow. Click the Ike Aerials link to view. Work has begun to clear Bienville Blvd. Estimate is 2-3 days to complete Bienville.  
  • Click to view - NEW PICTURES UPLOADED 9/13/08 at 9:pm
  • September 13, 2008 - Causeway open, check point at Rapheal Semmes - you must have re-entry tag to go past check point and will need 4 wheel drive past that point.  Will post damages details for Boardwalk homeowners as soon as possible. Below are new pictures this morning for those past Tovar since I could not get past that yesterday.
  • September 12, 2008 - Lots of new damage on west end just got down as far as Tovar Ct and got some pictures. Did not feel comfortable taking the four wheeler past that point, water got to deep. Water still washing over west end in several places. A few power poles are down. Lots more steps missing, street damage on court streets and many gulf front homes still have water and waves breaking under them. 
Most of the pictures have now been added to webpage but are not yet in any particular order. 
   
  • September 11, 2008 - It has been an eventful day so here is the short version -  Ike caused serious flooding on the far west end, result of which is not known yet as it is still flooded; the causeway to the Island flooded and was closed until early evening; the Boardwalk office was closed because Bienville was closed at Orleans Dr due to flooding; the power went off for a couple of hours this morning; I (Beth) got off the early very early this morning, but they closed the causeway before I could get back so I was stuck off the Island all day waiting for the causeway to re-open; Brad got deployed at 7am this morning and left for Texas- he is a member of Alabama's DMAT Team - a national disaster medical assistance team through FEMA & the Dept of Homeland Security.  Below are some pictures taken as Josh (our 11 yr old) and I made the trek back to the Island after the causeway "kind of" opened around 6:30pm and some pictures we took by the office. High tide was at 10am this morning and the water began to slowly recede  after that in most areas but is still flooded on the west end past our office.  We are expecting more problems as the tide kicks up again in the morning, and will report on conditions tomorrow.

Causeway - State DOT cleared the debris and temporarily opened one lane. They would then led a group of cars onto the Island and then led a group off of the Island.

Beach across from Boardwalk office

 

West from office

Truck on Bienville between Boardwalk & Ponce de Leon

a family checking out conditions - note the wave height

  

 

  • September 10, 2008 - Ike causes flooding on far west end.
 

Gustav Blog

  • September 9, 2008 - Water and sewer department has the water on to all west end properties that do not have broken pipes. Properties with broken pipes have been capped off until plumbing under house is repaired.  They have found many properties west of Sehoy on the gulf side where the sewer lines are full of sand.  They will be going from street to street clearing the lines, which will take several weeks. 
  • September 8, 2008 - Bienville cleared on west end, check point removed.  
  • September 6, 2008 - Water is still off on the gulf front side from Sehoy Ct west.  I spoke with Water & Sewer management yesterday and was told that they should be able to give an estimate for repair completion on Tuesday.  As soon as I have that info I will post it here on the blog.  They are currently going from property to property in that area noting all the damage and are finding numerous broken pipes, sewer lines full of sand etc.  Road work continues today at a pretty fast rate as crews are working from both ends.  The crews have reached 2500 block of Bienville from the east and Tecumseh Ct from the west.  Given their progress Bienville may be clear by Monday pm.
    IKE 

    Keep an eye on Ike, as much as I hate to mention it, it must be watched.  Consider the timing of repairs/unboarding - you may want to wait until we know what we're in for.

    Good links for information:

    http://www.wunderground.com/ 

    http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

    http://www.hurricanealley.net/

    Local News Links:

    http://www.nbc15online.com/Default.aspx

    http://www.wkrg.com/
     
  • September 5, 2008 - Bienville being cleared from the east and from the west today, east crew has cleared up to St Stephens, west crew has cleared from West Wind to Vaca.
  • September 4, 2008 - Town has sent out the Waiver Release and Hold Harmless Agreement for properties on the list posted yesterday that are within 25 ft of the gulf.  Boardwalk homeowners will receive the form via email.  Click here to download it.  Please remember it applies only if your home is one of the addresses listed in the chart below under the September 3 notes.  
  • Road work has begun, but is progressing slowly. Bienville is cleared to a point in-between St Dennis and St Stephens.  As they have done in the past, sand is scraped from the road and places in piles on the right of way to be replaced on the beaches later. 
  • New Aerial Pictures - Picture below shows far west end from town's west end beach looking east. Boardwalk Rental locations are marked, additional aerial pictures added shortly

    

Far West End

Tristan Ct East

Shell Ct, Bridgeview, to 2600 Block of Bienville

 

2300 Block & Island Shores

 

2300 Block

2200 Block east

 

Quebec to Ponce de Leon

 

 

  • September 3, 2008 - Town should begin issuing permits for repairs to contractors on Thursday or Friday. Contractors must have permit with specific address and contractor vehicle entry tag to be allowed past check point. 
  • Water Dept has restored water to west end as far as Sehoy Ct.  Water will be turned on to homes on the north side of Bienville past Sehoy later today if possible.  Water to homes on the South side of Bienville past Sehoy will not be turned on at this time, while water department continues to make repairs and cap broken lines.

  • Now - before you read the statement below and your blood pressure goes dangerously high, I have spoken to the Town and they are working on creating a hold harmless agreement for the owners of these properties to sign, releasing the Town from any liability in allowing a house to be occupied within 25 feet of the gulf. Once created, the hold harmless will be faxed to Island Realtors for distribution or you can contact the town for a copy.  Once we receive the fax I will post that information.  Once you have signed the waiver, your power can be restored. Please remember that the power meters are digital now and no meters will actually be "pulled", the power company just flips a switch on their end and then let there be light.

    This morning (9/3/08) we received a fax from the Town of Dauphin Island today that states: Regarding: the following properties will not be allowed to have power until the water has receded at high tide appox 25' away from the piling. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.  (signed Town of Dauphin Island Inspections Department) 

    NO POWER TO THE FOLLOWING HOMES
    101 St Denis 103 Strand Ct
    2229 Bienville 103 Surf Ct
    2231 Bienville 100 Tampico
    2233 Bienville 100 Tecumseh
    2237 Bienville 102 Tampico
    2239 Bienville 103 Tampico
    2301 Bienville 103 Tecumseh
    2303 Bienville 104 Tierra
    2431 Bienville 103 Tonty
    2603 Bienville 104 Tovar
    2611 Bienville 103 Treasure
    2613 Bienville 104 Vaca
    2615 Bienville 104 Vargas
    101 Seneca 103 Vargas
    100 Shell 105 Vargas
    102 Shell 104 Westward Ho
    100 Slidell 106 Westward Ho
    102 Strand 2933 Bienville

     

  • NEW PICTURES OF BOARDWALK RENTALS TAKEN 9/2; & link to VARIOUS WEST END IMAGES TAKEN 9/2 - WORKING ON ADDING MORE NEW PICTURES NOW (11:30pm Tuesday) - Had to leave west end to go to a house fire on Chaumont this afternoon - (fire was extinguished and the day was saved by your trusty volunteer fire department - but we sure are tired).  Will add additional links here to the pictures as soon as I can tonight.  Power is back on - even to the west end, water not on west end yet.  Sand on west end road, but not the worst we've ever seen by a long shot - do need 4 wheel drive past check point. 
  •   Worn out after the Chaumont fire was out, your volunteer department was hard at work from about 3:30 to 8:30 this afternoon. (pictured left to right, top Nate Deaton, Larry Bridges; bottom Jerry Smith, Brad Cox).  Keep in mind they are always on the lookout for more volunteers, if you're interested just give us a call and talk to Brad.  Thanks to all the volunteers  for their hard work and thanks to Brady Mallon & Paul Sandagger for lending a hand and strong backs pulling hose. 
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  • Data from the Dauphin Island Weather Buoy. during the storm
  • Bridge open, check point at Rapheal Semmes. Power company is working on line down in Bay. The water co has put a boil water beyond this point sign up at the water tower.  Be careful driving that far this morning, Brad says there is still some debris on the roadway, drivable to check point, just watch where you are going.  Take bug spray with you - mosquitoes and biting flies are out on the west end.  As you walk around your property on the west end, please use caution - the sand is not "dry" yet and you can get yourself bogged down. I think Brad has already gone up to his thighs off Pushmataha.  

    Causeway & power co in bay
    Check point at Rapheal Semmes 

    Remember your re-entry tag

     

  • Monday, Sept 1, 8:00pm - Bridge Now OPEN, plans are for the west end checkpoint to be at Bienville Blvd & Rapheal Semmes Ct.  Make sure you have your re-entry tag if you are going to travel west of Rapheal Semmes. (Our sources are great but keep in mind things can change - so don't shoot the messenger if that happens please). I do not have details on road conditions for driving on west end yet.  Boardwalk Homeowners - we will begin checking things out for you tomorrow.

  • Mon, Sept 1, 5:30. New pictures from west end courtesy of Nate Deaton - Please do not make any attempts to drive down to the west end until the area has been ruled safe for access by Town/PD.  Also - Causeway roadblock is still up, causeway may be cleared by mid day tomorrow but please keep in mind things are subject to change - make sure its open before you try to head that way.  Lots of cranky people in one area is seldom a good idea, please be patient with officers - it is your property and safety they are trying to protect.

    Bridgeview looking east from corner Bridgeview & Sehoy

    North side 2300 block

    Mid West end

    Far West end

 

 

  • Monday Morning 7:35am - Information to date - During the night our warning went from Hurricane to Tropical storm force winds.  Power off on Island, Causeway at Cedar Point before DI bridge is closed.  Some flooding on east end in lowest areas reported by police department.  West end -  berm is washed out, water on Bienville.  For those of you familiar with the location of the Boardwalk office (1804 Bienville- on north side of Bienville just past the Inn @ DI), report verified this morning that Bienville is covered with wash from Gulf - water is not that deep at that area of Bienville, but it stretches from the gulf front over Bienville and about 1/4 of the way into our parking lot.  From our office - it is possible to see some of the west end berm walkovers - they are still standing but are in the surf and a couple look a little tipsy.  As of 7:40am the first beach house on the gulf front west end (Boardwalk Rental #19 - 100 Ponce De Leon Ct - visible from our office) still does have its stairs. For those of you who have been through this type of tropical storm winds/surge - you know to expect side streets and Bienville to be flooded with sand on streets that will most likely have to be cleared (the berm will land somewhere), some driveway damage, and possible damage to stairs. Good news is that there was little rain fall on the Island and winds not as high as they could have been. Will pass on more information as able.  

  • Sunday night (10:50pm) - All settled at a Mobile hotel tonight, hopefully we will be able to head home tomorrow as Gustav still on westward track.  The power on the Island went off around 4:30 this afternoon.  A power line in the Bay went down, a barge will be needed to make the repair and with rough water conditions it may be a while before repairs can be made.  Channel five news is reporting power on the Island may be out for several days. We were told that the water department had cut off the water on the west end late this afternoon. Officers began door to door mandatory evacuation patrols on the west end this afternoon moving those still boarding on their way. Ship & Shore closed at 7pm tonight, (I'm sure you all know how unusual that is)!    The expected storm surge is 6-8 feet, which could cause much beach erosion. Below are some pictures taken around 5:00pm this afternoon and links to local news stations

Bay side 2900 block

New West End Town Beach

East from Westward Ho

South from walkover at 2706 Bienville

West from walkover at 2706 Bienville

East from 2706 Bienville

East from Dauphin Island bridge around 6pm

 Live Satellite and Live Updates

http://www.nbc15online.com/Default.aspx

http://www.wkrg.com/

 

  • Sunday morning - A MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDER WAS ISSUED BY GOV RILEY AT 7:21 AM THIS MORNING FOR AREAS SOUTH OF I-10. We are now under a Hurricane Warning & Flash flood watch.  Link to latest weather statement - http://www.weather.com/weather/newscenter/alerts/USAL0146?alertId=674701   & mandatory evacuation order - http://www.wkrg.com/local/article/mandatory_evacuation_for_areas_of_mobile_co/17458/ 

  • Pictures taken at 6:30 am Sunday - Beautiful morning, weather expected to begin to worsen after noon.      Taken from Westward Ho Ct, views are to the east, west & south

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  • 8/31 - 12:30 am - Beth and I just went for a nice walk on the beach at Westward Ho. The wave were no less than 1' and nice enough to walk barefoot through. Sorry no pictures; the flash does not do night time landscapes well. More tomorrow.

  • 8/30 - a beautiful day bit everyone is busy in case Gustav goes on a "bender" and stumbles east. We have been placed under a hurricane watch as of today. We are leaving our options open on leaving Sunday night. We are not worried about the storm as much as we are worried from our families being stuck on the Island is the causeway floods. Brad's federal deployment has been delayed since our team's area is under a hurricane watch.

  • 8/29  We are keeping an eye on what Gustav is doing. We will update our plans and of course be you premier source of information before and after. The current info we are getting form our sources (EMA and DHS) indicates a land fall just west of New Orleans. This will still affect us with tropical storm force winds, heavy rains and flooding.

 

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