Since someone previously posted that the reason people have an issue with the rebuilding of New Orleans and the potential for further hurricane damage, may have to do with the demographics of New Orleans. I simply reversed the argument and questioned if the lack of FEMA support in the Florida keys also has to do with demographics…

If you worked in the insurance business in Monroe County, you would know that flood insurance was required if you had a mortgage. However, if your house was built after (not certain of the year, but it was 60’s or 70’s) even if you had flood insurance, your first floor was not covered.

[Quote] Swoop:
If you worked in the insurance business in Monroe County, you would know that flood insurance was required if you had a mortgage. However, if your house was built after (not certain the year, but it was 60’s or 70’s) even if you had food insurance, your first floor was not covered.


May it be the fact that the government built levees and dams failed the New Orleans population which anticipated a certain level of protection and because of the vast disaster, FEMA went to work.

In your situation, the possibility of flooding is a constant with no dam or levee protection and the scope of damage was more confined. I don’t know and perhaps you should pose that question with your local representative and you will have a defined answer.

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Of course some real-estate person would explain all this before
someone up north would invest in the property, right???

We've been through a cat 5 in Florida....

The solution is actually pretty simple....be prepared and take the necessary actions to remain safe.

Are they scary...yes, IMHO because of the twisters that seem to come with them

We went through a direct hit with the 'eye' going directly over us back in 2005 with Wilma, a cat 5 when it hit Ft Lauderdale....not pleasant....and 5 months after moving to TV another direct hit with a hurricane

it also makes a difference which side of the storm you are on

you never really get used to them, and you breathe a sigh of relief when they head away from you, or drop down to a tropical storm...much like living in California and dealing with the earthquakes, or the states that are prone to twisters

except for the manufactured homes in the historic area the homes in TV have been constructed in accord with building standards to withstand the hurricanes...and it's safe to shelter in place

we stock up annual with what we call our hurricane stash of non-perishable foods....when the season is over and we're happy that we didn't have to use any of it we bring it over to the local food bank

Original post RE Cat 4 Storm aiming at N.Orleans
 

Since the original post was a thoughtful item about how it feels when a Cat 4 hurricane comes at you, I thought I would bring the thread back to its intention which certainly was not about "demographics" but about trepidation and fear for people.

Having lived in various parts of deeply South Florida from 1988, I have had far too much experience of hurricanes and storms. I have been evacuated, I have left voluntarily, and I have stayed in my home.I have been on the 10th floor and watched a side by side refrigerator fly by. Either way, when the time comes, it is really difficult to know whether to go or stay when a storm is coming, and each has its drawbacks, especially if you have animals. If you are driving north there are really only two highways out, or I should say 2 long parking lots.

However there is a certain rhythm to preparation before the storm hits. As the Boy Scouts say "Be prepared." And so, in April and May you make sure that you have everything you might need on hand, because when a storm is coming everything is flying off the shelves and out of Home Depot and it becomes very difficult to get anything. You have to hope that you happen to be at the store when the delivery arrives.

In all honesty I prefer staying at home, and I say this when I have been through a CAT 4 the eye of which went right across the house. The scariest part is when the house starts groaning and the walls begin to move, it's not much, but enough to give you a good scare. Then there's the noise, the freight train sound of the wind and the thumps and bangs of tree limbs or trees hitting the house. This storm took its sweet time, 24 hours to pass across. In the eye we were out in the street clearing debris from the drains so as to avoid flooding. No electricity in an all electric house (never again!), no phone for almost a week. Not pretty or fun, but our well built block home with poured concrete 'pillars' every 3 ft in the block and concertina shutters was not damaged that weekend, just a few Spanish style tiles flew off. Nor was it when the exact same thing happened just two weeks to the day later, but a Cat 2 this time. Who says lightening doesn't strike twice? Must have been the guy who wrote the song "It Never Rains in Southern California"!

Nevertheless, I loved living near the beach and everything that S.Florida is famous for. Would I want to be there now? NO! Very happy in the Villages on the top of a nice hill.
Happy Sunday Folks!

No. Wilma was a cat 3 when it crossed the southwest coast of Florida from the Gulf. While moving east across Florida, it was downgraded to a cat 2 and exited the east coast into the Atlantic near Jupiter.

Our daughter-in-law grew up in New Orleans and her parents and sisters are there as I write this and Ida’s eye is hitting shore. Circumstances were such that they couldn’t leave to get out of harm’s way as they have done many times. They know this one is going to be really bad. We can only pray for them.

She and our son were planning to retire on the north shore of Lake Ponchartrain near Slidell LA, dock their boat behind the house and go fishing every day. Their dream is to spend six months there and the summers thru change of colors in their house in Michigan.

Ida may change those plans. Ida is pushing a huge storm surge right into Lake Ponchartrain. There may not be much left on the north shore after the hurricane finishes.

Your ill-disguised insinuation is DISGUSTING!

I’m so sorry they couldn’t evacuate, I will keep them and all the people in Ida’s path in my prayers for their safety. Please keep us informed.:pray:

Another ill-informed opinion from someone with thoughtless, self-serving purposes.

"...Since the original post was a thoughtful item about how it feels when a Cat 4 hurricane comes at you, I thought I would bring the thread back to its intention..."


Thank you!

I couldn't imagine being anywhere near NOLA right now. :(

Wishing your family and in-laws all the best. Please let us know after Ida passes - how they made out.

We don’t know who you are talking to here.