Joaquin prep-

[mrsclem]

I know most ponders are thinking winter prep and now Joaquin is coming to the east coast. We have a hurricane prep we do here to get ready for power outages etc.
As far as the ponds are concerned I have lowered the water levels by 1 foot, made sure everything is netted to keep out leaves and debris, generator is ready to go and I have stopped feeding just in case of a power loss. What do you that deal with these storms do to prep your ponds?

 

[sissy]

I would not be ready and not sure how well prepared you are would help much because you never know how strong a storm wiil be .My son lost everything to hurricane sandy and he thought he was prepared .

 

[Meyer Jordan]

As a survivor of Ivan (2004), I must agree with Sissy, there is no true effective means of preparing for a tropical cyclone no matter its intensity. Power loss is the main issue that can be dealt with. The use of a generator is an option, but that may become a problem depending on the storms intensity and duration.

 

[tbendl]

Mrsclem I think you've done all you can possibly do. Making sure things are secured in your yard to prevent anything from blowing into the pond and watching for flooding is about the best you can do.

 

[Priscilla]

As a survivor of Ivan (2004), I must agree with Sissy, there is no true effective means of preparing for a tropical cyclone no matter its intensity. Power loss is the main issue that can be dealt with. The use of a generator is an option, but that may become a problem depending on the storms intensity and duration.

I also went through Ivan. Destroyed the island. I've never seen anything like it and hope to never go through that again. In the case of a another Ivan, I would have to write the pond and fish off. Complete and total devastation, with something like 80% of the island covered in sea water. No power or water for months. There were complete (cement) apartment buildings that were washed away, leaving only the foundation.

I have never thought of a plan for hurricanes. But now that's it been brought up, I must come up with a plan. And perhaps invest in a solar pump or bubbler.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I also went through Ivan. Destroyed the island. I've never seen anything like it and hope to never go through that again. In the case of a another Ivan, I would write the pond and fish off. Complete and total devastation, with something like 80% of the island covered in sea water. No power or water for weeks. There were complete (cement) apartment buildings that were washed away, leaving only the foundation.

I have never thought of a plan for hurricanes. But now that's it been brought up, I must come up with a plan. And perhaps invest in a solar pump or bubbler.

Solar will not work during a tropical cyclone.....not enough sunlight! It will work once the storm has passed, but damage has already been done at that point in time.

 

[Priscilla]

Solar will not work during a tropical cyclone.....not enough sunlight! It will work once the storm has passed, but damage has already been done at that point in time.

Yes, I hope my pond would be good for 24 hours no power. After that solar would be good, provided no salt water entered the pond. Lots to think about.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I question the wisdom of lowering the pond's water level, especially a foot, as part of the pre-storm prep. What is the reasoning behind this?

 

[bettasngoldfish]

I think the reasoning is so that the pond doesn't overflow and wash fish out of the pond.

Seems to me this is all good to do in preparation for disaster. Then just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best.

 

[tbendl]

I would guess to mitigate the pond flooding.

 

[sissy]

my sons generator was over 5 ft off the ground and it was not found after storm surge he was on The NJ shore near Keansburg amusement pier .He just got a partial payment from the insurance company because they will not let him rebuild there and he does not have the money to do so since he waited so long for them to give him even a small amount of money .I was in Puerto Rico when a tropical storm hit there and no fun being on an island during a storm .So I feel for you Priscilla .

 

[Big Lou]

Stay safe as possible. Our horrific weather threat are tornados so there is no time for disaster preparedness except seeking appropriate shelter. My assumption you lowering the ponds water level is a) allow room for rain and b) place your pond below ground level thereby hoping the massive winds will blow over the indented ponds area. Like getting in a ditch to avoid the tremendous air stream. B would only work if rain has not already flowed the pond.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I can't imagine any rain event that would create an overflow of the magnitude needed to allow for the escape of fish. We have experienced rainfall events of 20" in less than 24 hours with no reports of fish escaping the confines of the pond.
What I do see by lowering a pond's water level before a tropical cyclone is providing somewhat of a 'catch basin' for the rainfall. Rainfall being acidic by nature would, if not allowed to run-off, but accumulate because of the lowered pond water level, would change the pH of the pond. The amount of change would be dependent on how much the original level was lowered and how that translates into percentage of total pond capacity. The higher the percentage of capacity replaced by the rain water the higher the risk of a major and fairly abrupt change in the pond's pH.....a pH crash.

 

[Priscilla]

I know most ponders are thinking winter prep and now Joaquin is coming to the east coast. We have a hurricane prep we do here to get ready for power outages etc.
As far as the ponds are concerned I have lowered the water levels by 1 foot, made sure everything is netted to keep out leaves and debris, generator is ready to go and I have stopped feeding just in case of a power loss. What do you that deal with these storms do to prep your ponds?

Good luck with the storm. I hope it has an uneventful passing or dies before reaching you.

 

[Lisak1]

I'll be thinking about you @mrsclem - very scary business, these tropical storms. We are lucky in the midwest that most of our storms are manageable - lots of snow or a fast moving tornado. The first just requires hunkering down; the second you can't plan for, you just hope to survive.

I would think fish would naturally seek the bottom of the pond as opposed to getting washed out, but what do I know!

Good luck and check in when you can!