Dear San Carlos Owners,
As you are likely aware at this point in time, Hurricane Sally made landfall
around 5am Wednesday morning in Gulf Shores as a Category 2 hurricane. The
excessive winds and rain toppled power lines, downed trees, and made it
impossible to drive through the streets in Gulf Shores. As a result, San
Carlos staff were prevented from accessing the building until the flood
waters receded and debris was cleared from the main access routes. At this
point in time our staff, along with many Board members, have been itemizing
the damage caused to the building and taking all necessary precautions to
assure that all units and common areas are protected against residual
impacts. Any guests remaining at San Carlos should depart immediately. All
Owners should be aware of the following:
1. Power – San Carlos is currently without power and running on the
backup generator. The generator only supplies power to our elevators and
exterior lighting (i.e. water pumps are not powered by the backup generator
which means that all units remain without running water). Initially, city
officials projected the return of power to Gulf Shores within 72 hours but
this projection has been hindered due to the excessive damage and may be
delayed well into the weekend. Baldwin EMC has hired an additional 1,500
contractors to assist with expediting their efforts.
2. Water – Boil Water Notice: Gulf Shores utilities has issued a boil
water notice for San Carlos and all residents south of 12th Avenue (i.e.
South of Dominos pizza). Due to several water main breaks, water has been
shut off for all Gulf Shores Utilities Customers (again, south of West 12th
Avenue. Gulf Shores Utilities is actively working to assess the damage and
restore services as soon as possible. If you have questions concerning
updates on when water will be turned back on, your welcome to contact Gulf
Shores Utilities at 251-968-6323.
3. Trash – All residential and commercial trash pickup is suspended
until further notice.
4. Visitors – NO VISITORS are permitted into Gulf Shores through
September 26, 2020. This will give emergency crews and first responders a
chance to get a good assessment of the work that needs to be done. Most of
the traffic lights throughout the city are down. These intersections should
now be treated as a 4-way stop so please use extreme caution if you will be
approaching these areas.
* Hurricane Re-Entry Passes are required to travel southbound over the
W.C. Holmes Bridge, located on Hwy 59 crossing the Intracoastal Waterway. A
Hurricane Re-Entry Pass Distribution Point has been set-up north of the
bridge at the Gulf Shores Welcome Center, located at 3459 Gulf Shores
Parkway. San Carlos Owners may pick up re-entry decals from 8:00 AM – 5:00
PM daily by providing proof of residency, property ownership, or GS business
license.
* Hwy 59 South of Fort Morgan Road, East Beach Blvd, and West Beach
Blvd are now passable. Hurricane Re-Entry Passes are required to enter
these specific zones.
* The following roads remain impassable or having standing water:
4th Ave
3rd Ave
8th Ave
Windmill Ridge Road
Minnow Lane
Sunrise Drive
Waterway West Boulevard
Portions of County Road 6
State Park Road 135
Eastbound Lane on Hwy. 182
5. Curfew – the curfew previously issues in Guld Shores remains in
effect from 8pm through 6am.
After our initial assessment of the building, we do have damage to the main
roof, various a/c units were toppled over (both on the main and sub-roofs),
flooding that took place in the elevator lobbies (apparently allowing water
to move into the entryway of ’05 units), the front carport overhang ceiling
lost numerous tiles, the pool tarps were torn by the high winds, and there
exists an abundance of debris throughout the building. As of this morning
we have various contractors on-site who will be initiating all repairs in an
expedited manner. Further, we have started entering all units to for
purposes of opening balcony and front doors (allowing all units to air out),
and are also itemizing whatever water damage may have occurred on a
unit-by-unit basis. As we progress through this process, I will first be
taking all necessary precautions to rectify any issue particular to your
unit, and then contacting you to discuss preferred vendors and course of
action.
I have contacted the Association’s insurance company (Whitehaven Insurance)
and followed the required steps to initiate a building-wide claim. Here
again, I will be updating everyone as we proceed with this process and
inform everyone on coverage issues. Please see the attached photographs
reflecting some of the damage we incurred as a result of Hurricane Sally.
Lastly, please know that I am following the storm systems that are currently
off the coast and remain in development. I will act accordingly if these
systems become a threat to San Carlos.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns (251.747.4111).
Sincerely,
-Dan
** NOTE ** I apologize for the delay of successfully posting this update
online. Cell phone and internet coverage was entirely knocked out over the
last few days which caused a significant hinderance in getting this to you.
I will be speaking to our Yellow Hammer, our IT provider, in an effort to
avoid this type of delay in the future.
