(WSVN) - It’s been a year since Irma. A year since South Florida had to repair or replace everything from roofs to utility poles. But some temporary repairs are still in place — like a rope tied to a tree to keep a pole from falling over, which is why one homeowner called Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
You can use a rope to secure a boat, to jump for fun — or in South Florida, to keep a utility pole from falling over.
David Goldstein, rope holding pole up: “The top of this is now tied off to a tree. Between the rope tied to the tree and the weight of the cables, that’s the only reason it’s standing still right now.”
When Irma hit South Florida, David says the storm blew down this pole, taking the power, telephone and cable lines with it.
David Goldstein: “And it just snapped at ground level and fell and blocked the whole street. You had live electric [wires], and the transformer caught fire.”
FPL sent out a contractor who installed a new pole and attached the power lines to it. Then they pulled out a rope and propped up the broken pole with the AT&T and Comcast lines still attached.
David Goldstein: “The old pole is being held by a rope tied to a tree. It’s just sitting on top of the old stumps, and the weight of the wire is what is holding it, along with the rope tied to the tree.”
David was told it was temporary. That was back in September 2017.
And that old pole with a rope tied to a tree holding it up has become the neighborhood’s permanent problem.
David Goldstein: “The other day, when the winds were howling out there, 30 miles an hour, 40 miles an hour sometimes, you can see it sway back and forth.”
David was told AT&T owned the broken pole, so he called them. They said, “You need to call Comcast.”
Comcast said, “You’re an AT&T customer, so we can’t help you.”
FPL said, “We can’t do anything because it has phone and cable lines.”
The runaround almost sounds like a comedy routine, but David is not laughing.
David Goldstein: “We’re in hurricane season again.”
And every South Floridian who has been through a hurricane can look at this pole and tell you exactly what’s going to happen.
David Goldstein: “So the next wind that comes along, yes, it will blow down again. What if the tree limb cracks? It will fall. And what if it hits somebody? Who is going to be responsible after that?”
Well, Howard, how do you get something like this fixed before it falls and hurts someone?
Howard Finkelstein, 7News legal expert: “Legally, it’s simple. Whoever owns the broken pole has to fix the problem. In this case, AT&T owns it, and if it falls and hurts someone, not only would they have to pay for damages, they may also have to pay what the law calls punitive damages, which is punishment for not correcting the problem for almost a year. That is way beyond reasonable. It is reckless.”
We contacted AT&T and Comcast. Turns out Comcast needed to move their line off the broken pole before AT&T could remove it.
Comcast wrote, “Our construction crew had this location as pending pole transfer once FPL completed the work … Unfortunately, it was not completed in a timely manner and we apologize for that inconvenience.”
Comcast then moved the line. AT&T took down the roped off pole.
David Goldstein: “Ecstatic. I can’t believe how fast you got that done! What took 10 months of making phone calls and complaining, you guys fixed it in two days.”
Even better news — the rope held for nearly a year and the pole did not fall and hurt someone.
David Goldstein: “Please call Help Me Howard. They make it happen.”
Glad we could be of assistance. And who owns the utility poles in your neighborhood? Hard to tell. Just call all the utilities and let them figure it out.
And the numbers to call for a dangerous problem like a rope holding up a pole or a live wire are under this Help Me Howard story.
A problem left you fit to be tied? Feel like you are at the end of your rope? Call us, and let us lift you up and remove those knots in your stomach.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
In case of a dangerous utility pole
Comcast:
The best way to alert us is by calling 800-COMCAST, but also to please reach out on social media by providing the details to us @comcastcares on Twitter.
AT&T:
If citizens are concerned about any of our equipment, they can contact our 24-hour equipment service line at 1-800-288-2020.
FPL:
First call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.
Then call 1-800-4-OUTAGE (1-800-468-8243) to immediately to report a dangerous condition, such as a downed power line.
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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