I just spent some time looking at photo accounts from the west side. Wow. Water at shoulder level in some places. 2 million without power. Boats everywhere. Small planes turned over on top of other planes. I have checked in on some cousins I have in the Tampa area and waiting to hear back.
I’ve heard from a friend and forum member in the Tampa area and they are relatively OK. The revers surge actually drained the bay rather than flooding it based on wind direction.
Still waiting to hear from a friend and forum member near Naples where there was a massive record breaking surge.
Edit: Just heard from him and only light damage. Great!
Again best to them and all who are affected.
Bud
Last edited by Janice & Bud; 09/29/2206:01 AM.
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Eye has officially moved into the Atlantic ocean. They are anticipating the storm to change back to a hurricane soon. East coast of Florida still in for hours of rain.
Sanibel Island on the west coast, off Ft. Myers.... the hurricane destroyed the highway going through the island. It's amazing to see how easily it lifted 6 inch thick chunks of pavement and just tossed them about like nothing. For residents there, it appears that boats will be the only way in and out for a while.
[list] [*]Paint our roofs white. That would reflect more than seeding the clouds would do, but nobody seems to care (I did mine)
Based on my observations, industry and world governments got us into this warming mess and they will have to get us out of it. Individual citizen efforts are worthy but we need much more than that to fix this problem. I'm not proposing seeding the clouds, but I am suggesting the US and other countries research the delivery of suspended, reflecting particles into the strastosphere, far above the clouds to cool the planet, similar to that caused by some volcanic eruptions. Are there downside risks to geo-engineering? You bet, a possible reduction in agricultural output is one. But look at what's happening around the planet. If we think things are bad now, wait until positive feedback loops begin to kick in.
BTW, I have a sister in Tampa and she reports rain and wind but no power outages or massive flooding. She expects to be back to work tomorrow. Fort Myers is another story.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
Just a quick note. Running on generator power. 140 MPH wind at the ranch. All the cows survived. Next ranch over lost many cows. Roof is messed up but I got it covered. Things are under control at the ranch. Ranch forman is stuck there because of continuing rising water. I can not get back to the ranch due to rising water and road closures.
The rising water from the run off is flooding houses near me and will continue for at least two or three days. The hurricane damage is far from over.
People are still drowning in their houses as of 10/1/2022.
The power may not be back on for days or possibly weeks. Pumping well water with generators.
The good news is none of my people have gotten killed.
Thousands of people are displaced and that is not limited to the coastal areas. The flooding is intense in the center of the state and rising as we speak.
Limited fuel, cash only, limited supplies of all types. Water is very difficult or impossible to find around here due to the inability to re-supply by truck.
My UPS does not like my generator...lol
We will do what we can to help others around us who are in worse condition than us.
The good news is none of my people have gotten killed. Billy
NBC News is reporting at least 34 storm related deaths and a hospital in Ft Myers is facing a sanitation crisis due to no running water.
Billy, we're wishing you and all Floridians the best . . . stay safe.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
<...snip...> The good news is none of my people have gotten killed.<...>
Glad you and your people are OK, Billy.
We lucked out here. I'm on high ground, so I didn't get any flooding, miraculously, my power never went off, and zero damage to my house.
Clean-up is almost done. Hundreds of palm fronds, and small tree branches to pick up pile for the county trash pickup. Plus storm awnings up, storm shutters down, and neighbors all checked on. Everyone else on my little dead-end street is OK.
So it's time to donate some blood and send a check to the Red Cross.
Thanks for the updates Billy & Notes. We have been closely watching the situation and fully understand the devastation that has been caused. Glad you are all safe.
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The power just came back on at the new house here in Sebring. Most of the business area is still out of power. We are glad to have the AC and hot water heater working but I feel for the people who can not open their stores.
Still no power at the ranch. The road is still closed. I can get there (I think) by driving an extra 150 miles.
My neighbors near the ranch came over today with three more chainsaws and have cut most of the trees out of the fence that is down. That is one of the benefits of living in the country.
Many people are still in shock. This may well be the most devastating and costly hurricane in US history.
I have been through several but I never saw anything like this. Even Andrew was not this bad because it was confined to a pretty small area.
Hurricane Andrew damage About 49,000 homes were destroyed and 108,000 were damaged, according to the National Weather Service. More than a million people were left without power. Thousands were homeless. Andrew caused a then-record $26.5 billion in damage, the Miami Herald reported on Andrew's 25th anniversary.Aug 26, 2022
Tens of thousands of people in Florida are struggling with the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian, one of the largest disasters to ever hit the state.
Total fatalities currently are 83 and are expected to grow
2.6 million without power
300-mile path of destruction
Orlando underwater, Arcida underwater, flood waters rising 3 days after the storm.
Andrew was a disaster of epic preparations but Ian has caused greater damage to Florida and may well be the most costly storm in US history in modern times.
Other hurricanes have had stronger winds. Other storms have killed more people. Few if any have had the geographic distribution of IAN.
Donna wiped out Fort Myers Beach and had a storm surge so great that you couldn't go near the Everglades for weeks because of the stench of all the animals it killed. It was also wiped out by 3 other storms since then (including Ian).
Each hurricane in Florida gets worse because of the population growth. So the deaths and property destruction is proportional. Before Central AC, not many people wanted to live down here.
The population in the city limits of Pompano Beach, FL when I was fewer than 2,000. Now it's almost 115,000. Plus, there are scores of new cities that weren't there, and the 'wild' areas of Broward County are now all housing developments.
I was in the eye wall of either Frances or Jeanne for over 12 hours as it stalled and slowly turned to the North. The barrier islands here took a big hit.
The worst hurricane on record is the one that affects you, personally, the worst.
Looking back is important but I'd say looking forward is more so.
Is anyone seriously discussing how Florida (and other States for that matter) can harden themselves against future storms?
The photo below seems to indicate a business as usual approach of continuing to string power lines overhead instead of underground.
Similar question for strengthening building codes particularly for relatively flimsy manufactured homes and flood protections.
Or are elected officials thinking this will be the last Cat 4 storm that rolls in off the coast?
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2026 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
What people don't realize or care much about is the fact that we are moving food and water by small boat near the ranch due to flooding on the river here today. We don't depend on the state to do anything. We take care of the people around us.
Why would I build a hurricane-proof house on the beach when I can get the rest of the people who live inland to pay to fix things after a hurricane? Do you think your homeowner's insurance will be the same price next year?
We have come to demand cradle-to-grave protection from the government and refuse to take responsibility for ourselves.
The good news...except for having to provide my own electrical power, I am pretty much back to normal.
Best wishes to everyone who is still suffering from this storm.
Many of those still suffering are elderly and/or with minimal resources and hope. As we all assuredly know there's another world out there of people living on the margin and I doubt that they are particularly interested at this moment in where help might come from ... just bring it on. So reiterating my thoughts when I initiated this thread I wish all the best -- to those who lost all and those who are going through extremely tough times yet can see recovery down the pike.
I reflect on the thousands of workers needed to keep the condos going, gas station workers, grocery store employees and on and on. Many likely lost their homes and jobs.
As Notes mentioned it's a good time to consider donating and the Red Cross, as he mentioned, is always, IMHO, a fine and well vetted option.
J&B
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I will say that FPL hardened their infrastructure over the last several years such that no FPL Owned distribution equipment suffered damage from Ian. In less than a week they had restored almost 98% of their customers. There are a few hundred utility companies in Florida, though, so obviously everyone is not so lucky. But they all cooperate when it comes to storm restoration. About 65000 people staged and ready before the storm landed. Underground utilities are fine, but you still have to have substations and distribution centers that cannot be buried and that is where the money goes to harden the system. 200mph poles for the major distribution, smart metering so outages can be pinpointed immediately. The goal of course is to restore as many as possible as fast as possible, and certain distribution gets priority, hospital zones, etc.
Caveat, I work in the electric utility industry.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
Not too long ago, FPL buzzed the lines with a drone, and sent out tree trimming contractors to trim the limbs that might take the power lines down during a storm. The crew that trimmed the trees on my lot were friendly courteous, professional, and they trimmed the problem branches without butchering the trees.
I've also noticed a lot of wood poles along the Indian River Lagoon being replaced with concrete poles. I'm sure the concrete poles stand up to the wind better.
It seems the hard work and care paid off. We didn't even lose power in this storm, although we didn't get the most intense winds either.
I know when those meters aren't spinning, you aren't making any money, and we are spending money feeding a gas generator, so it was a win-win endeavor.
Duke Energy services my area up here. They did a good job of restoring power for me in several locations. The ranch in Arcadia got hit hard and we had power back in 5 or 6 days. 4 or 5 days here in Sebring. One of the houses on the ranch, where the foreman lives got messed up pretty badly. The one I live in had very little damage. We think we had wind gusts up around 140 MPH.
Hospitals, police, fire and emergency facilities, water and sanitary authorities, nursing homes and assisted living facilities, etc should and do come first to get power restored.
The next step is to restore power to the largest amount of people. In other words, if 200 thousand people have lost power due to a few simple faults, the power companies will go there first. This is logical for both the power company and the client.
It is obviously heartbreaking to see people's homes destroyed in hurricanes and forest fires. I also think people should be able to build wherever they want to. I don't think the rest of us should have to pay to have their property repaired or risk our lives to rescue them when they were told to evacuate. And obviously, there are exceptions to everything.
This is sort of like the people who buy a house near the end of an airport runway and then try their best to stop the aircraft noise.
People should be prepared for hurricanes who live where they occur. What irritates me is people calling FEMA on their $1300 cell phones asking for a generator who have been living in a hurricane/flood zone for years.
We are pretty well prepared with several generators, a well, a septic system, fuel/drinking water, and enough food to feed us and all our neighbors. Plus I really can shoot deer off the front porch but I would have to be starving to do that. I just don't like killing animals. I can if I need to and every year around Thanksgiving I kill a pig and roast it. Even that is beginning to make me feel a bit uncomfortable.
Even now we are still helping the people who live around us...that's just what ranchers and country people do, even in today's world.
The roofers are working near me and the Tejana music is alive and well.
Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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Version 2026 introduces a modernized GUI redesign across the program, with updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, and a new Dark Mode option. There’s also a new side toolbar for quicker access to commonly used windows, and the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, making it easier to customize your workspace.
Another exciting new addition is the amazing new AI-Notes feature, which can transcribe polyphonic audio into MIDI. View the results in notation or play them back as MIDI, and choose whether to transcribe an entire track or transcribe specific parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 Mac Special Offers Extended Until May 31st!
Good news- we've extended our Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® special offers until May 31, 2026!
Band-in-a-Box® 2026 is packed with major new features, enhancements, and an incredible lineup of new content! The program now sports a sleek, modern GUI redesign across the entire interface, including updated toolbars, refreshed windows, smoother workflows, a new dark mode option, and more. The brand-new side toolbar provides quicker access to key windows, while the new Multi-View feature lets you arrange multiple windows as layered panels without overlap, creating a flexible, clutter-free workspace. We have an amazing new “AI-Notes” feature. This transcribes polyphonic audio into MIDI so you can view it in notation or play it back as MIDI. You can transcribe an entire track (all pitched instruments and drums) or focus on individual parts like drums, bass, guitars/piano, or vocals. There's an amazing collection of new content too, including 202 RealTracks, new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 5, two RealDrums Stems sets, and much more!
There are over 100 new features in Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®.
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Today's the Last Day of the Band-in-a-Box 2026® for Mac Special!
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Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!
Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.
Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.
If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!
202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!
With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!
Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!
Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.
Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.
And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.
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2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!
With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!
These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!
This Free Bonus PAK includes:
The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK:
-For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles.
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MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App
Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:
20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)
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