[Cody Dawg]

Charlie. Frances. Jeanne. Wilma. All of these hurricanes caused significant damage to Florida and Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma caused, collectively, about 50K in damage to our home alone - we lost a roof, flooded, two cars, and needed a new air conditioning system. We still paid about 20K ourselves after fighting with Allstate to pay even what they did.

We're in a new home, supposedly "hurricane proof," (we had to move because the cost of our insurance jumped up 10K for this year because we were in a wood frame house and insurers hate them) CBS or concrete home, but I'm freaked out about it.

Anyway, it's supposed to be a cat 1, but they're usually wrong one way or another. I'm debating whether or not to put the hurricane shutters up, actually. If it breaks up over Cuba then it'll be a strong storm, manageable. If it doesn't and strengthens over the straits of Florida - what I think is that it's going to move further east and come in not over South Florida's tip but will come in at about Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach - or over the water then it might strengthen to a cat 2. The category 2 storms don't seem that bad in theory, but Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma were cat 2s and they caused significant damage. Jeanne was horrible because of water and Wilma was surprisingly stronger than the first two, at least for us.

Good luck everyone with preparations.

[The Godfather]

Personally, I am glad that:
1. Ernie is swaying to the east coast.
2. My house is not near the water.
3. If my car is totaled by a thick tree, I win.
4. I am used to the hot weather, and not dependent on air conditioning.

[Cody Dawg]

Good for you, Godfather.

Yes, the east coast has had a lot of hurricanes.

I'm getting ready to make the proverbial "water run." By noon the stores will be bare of water, batteries, and canned goods.

The only good thing for us is that we're on a hospital electrical grid so hopefully power won't be out too long.

[Cody Dawg]

Godfather, thanks for reminding me and now I'll remind others:

MAKE SURE YOUR AUTO AND HOME INSURANCE POLICIES ARE CURRENT AND PAID.

Usually homeowner's is paid in full and not monthly, but sometimes auto is paid monthly. We have Geico (I love Geico - love, love, love Geico because of rates and because I'll never forget the Geico rep wading out through water after hurricane Frances to give us a big check to buy a new car - and recommend Geico) and it's paid monthly.

It would be bad if someone hadn't made a payment and had a claim of some kind and because the bill wasn't paid the company fought it. (Not likely, I know, but I heard that some companies did that, actually.)

[davesimondotcom]

No offense meant personally by this, Cody, because your losses are very personal and I'm sorry for it.

But, I am so sick and tired of people who live in hurricane zones complaining and worrying every year that there might be a hurricane coming. Duh!

New Orleans got fscked up worse than it had to be because their bonehead mayor didn't evacuate using buses that he had on hand, the city's levees didn't hold because corrupt politicians in Louisiana had taken money for improvments and wasted it away on other things (like themselves.)

It's not just hurricanes. Everytime the Northeast gets a snowstorm, the news stations make it seem like it's something unusual and we all have to sit and worry about the Northeast.

Or there are mudslides or fires in Malibu. Every year. Yet people still build multimillion dollar homes there.

Does the news ever cover when we have fires engulfing the state of Montana? Same kind of drama, people losing their homes, evacuations, etc. But it doesn't make the news. And here's the kicker, it doesn't happen to the same spots every year! So it's not like people can plan for it quite the same.

I'm sorry another hurricane is headed your way. But I'm tired of thinking that it's the end of the world each time nature takes it's course in the world.

It amazes me that every time a hurricane comes, people rush to the stores to buy water, generators, plywood, etc. Why not keep the plywood from last time to cover your windows? Or, better yet, get some steel shudders (expensive, but then, so is living in a hurricane zone.) Water doesn't go bad, so keep some around the house. Or keep bottles and run the sink before the storm hits.

But I promise, we'll see the same news story about the same people going to Lowe's or Home Depot getting their plywood in a panic.

I really do hope that people's homes and lives are safe from this and any other storm. I'm not a cold bastard. I just get tired of it, the same routine, every year.

Besides, I'm pretty sure that if my house were destroyed by a forest fire, earthquake, or the Yellowstone Caldera blowing up, it wouldn't even make the news. OK, the Caldera would, but only because that would destroy the majority of the northwest.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Does the news ever cover when we have fires engulfing the state of Montana?

We have a state called Montana?

On a more serious note, I always make fun of all the idiots that run to the grocery store when there's a forecast for a small snow storm. They stock up on a months worth of supplies for a minor storm that will pass with a day and only make travel inconvenient. It's like people WANT a reason to panic.

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by Dakar

We have a state called Montana?

Yep, it's where all the crazy people are. The Mountain Men who claimed the Olympic biathlete for their "wife," kidnapping her. The Unibomber. The Freemen. Ted Turner. BRussell. Montanan. Me.

Originally Posted by Dakar

It's like people WANT a reason to panic.

That + a 24 hour news cycle = the perfect storm.

[Dakar]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Yep, it's where all the crazy people are. The Mountain Men who claimed the Olympic biathlete for their "wife," kidnapping her. The Unibomber. The Freemen. Ted Turner. BRussell. Montanan. Me.

Hmmm... Sound like it could use an invading. After Iraq, you're next. Warn your grandchildren.

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

That + a 24 hour news cycle = the perfect storm.

Last year I had to swallow my laughs, though. I was legitimately out of groceries and had to endure extra special Grocery Hell because i was shopping during a snow warning.

[MindFad]

It's gonna suck. And I just got the AC in my room fixed, too.

[Cody Dawg]

davesimondotcom:

I understand what you're saying about natural disasters happening all of the time in various parts of the country or world.

But, having a hurricane come through year after year after year has significant ramifications for everyone and sometimes it's not that easy to undertand.

A lot of us - that includes my family - have had significant financial losses and some people where I lived (I moved 10 minutes away) still do not have roofs. In fact, a drive down interstate 95 between Fort Pierce and Miami, a 2.5 hour drive, shows thousands of homes along the freeway corridor with nothing but blue tarps on their roofs - they've been there for a year or two or more.

So, some people still have never recovered from previous hurricanes. It's not like they can just sell their homes and leave, either, which is also what a lot of people assume. First, they don't have a roof TO sell their home for a decent price and secondly, where would they go?

Florida, at least Southeast Florida and Southwest Florida, is in a weird situation right now. If you're in a home you cannot afford to move because affordable housing is gone. The median or average price of an average so-so home is now about $350,000. That's for a one-story 1600 square foot home on a lot in an average neighborhood - nothing special. You certainly cannot sell a damaged home and get anything near what would be required to buy a new home.

Then there are the taxes and insurance. We have a special tax provision in this state for home owners. If you own a home your tax rate is locked in at a certain tax rate for the year that you purchased and has a cap of about 3% on it as far as an annual increase in taxes.

Some people are paying about $1500 a year in taxes on homes they have been in for years. But, if they were to sell their home for, say, $300,000 and move to another $300,000 home they would see their tax bill go to about $6,000 because they are then locked in at the current rate, see? So, for that reason alone they cannot afford to move.

Next is insurance. Some people have insurance on the homes that they're in, but they've been grandfathered in and continue to have insurance simply because they're long-time customers and in the same home. But, if they were to move to a new home that is not concrete block constructed with hurricane codes met, then they may not be able to find an insurance company, even their current insurance company, to cover them - and if they did their insurance would easily go to over $10,000 annually. That's what happened to us - our insurance for one year alone increased from about $3,000 to almost $13,000. When we got the new house the very first question potential insurance companies asked us was, "Is the home concrete? We don't write new policies unless it is concrete."

So, because of hurricanes in Florida everyone who is poor and middle class is feeling the effects of the hurricanes for a variety of reasons. It's not just external damage that occurs, but sometimes extreme financial stress, deprivation, and even the loss of homes as people cannot afford to pay their taxes and their home insurance and they have their homes foreclosed on. Then they're homeless because of financial problems - if they weren't left homeless from wind or floods from a hurricane.

Anyway, that's a little insight for non-Floridians who don't fully understand what it's like to be in a storm that is as strong as a tornado - for several hours - and leaves significant damage that lasts years afterwards.

[turtle777]

Can't we just declare eminent domain on the whole state of FL and make it all noman's land ?

-t

[voodoo]

If one lives in a concrete house, one is safe against hurricanes. People who live in hurricane areas should live in houses that are made for withstanding hurricanes.

Yes, those houses will cost a lot more. No they won't fly away each year.

V

[Cody Dawg]

voodoo:

You're funny - succinct and funny.

Yes, it would be nice if everyone could afford a concrete home, but they can't.

You know what's weird? In the 60s and 70s most of the homes built were concrete block. Beginning in the 80s the builders gained confidence and/or wanted to save money and they started building houses out of wood frames. They built wood frame houses from the 80s through to about 1997 or 20 years.

Beginning with hurricane Andrew builders realized that wooden houses were going to be blown down by the big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. Taking a cue from the third little pig, the smart one who had his house built out of bricks, they then started building homes again from concrete bricks and/or cement. About that time most of Florida's counties also decided to pass code laws that required homes to be built of concrete and have certain hurricane reinforcements.

Those concrete homes are very expensive, actually, compared to wood-frame homes so not everyone can afford one, unfortunately.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Yes, it would be nice if everyone could afford a concrete home, but they can't.

Me: Then move somehwere else.

FL dude: But oh no, the standard of living is soooo nice here. I want to enjoy it.

Me: Well, enjoy ALL of it then ! And stop whining !

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Me: Then move somehwere else.

FL dude: But oh no, the standard of living is soooo nice here. I want to enjoy it.

Me: Well, enjoy ALL of it then ! And stop whining !

-t

Do you normally have conversations with imaginary people?

[Cody Dawg]

Plus, people can't afford to move...something I tried in the previous post to illustrate but he apparently ignores.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Plus, people can't afford to move...something I tried in the previous post to illustrate but he apparently ignores.

Bunch of crap.

Sell your expensive FL house, buy somewhere where housing is cheap, and the difference should easily pay for a move.

Don't give me this sh!t about "can't afford", "can't afford", "can't afford", but they are still living in FL. We are talking homeowners here.

-t

[finboy]

I think I can identify with both sides on this issue. I grew up in the Carolinas, where there was (until a few years ago) NOTHING expensive and/or permanent built on the coast. If you had a house at Nag's Head, it was a shack where you slept after fishing all day. Why? Because you KNEW that it was going to get blown down. That's changed since the 1980s.

Fast Forward to Southeast Houston: except for the built-up mud flats south of NASA, there is no place else to live. So... for now we have a house here, within 30 min. of work. As soon as we can afford it, we're moving inland. But that sounds easier than it really is. Because of flood control dikes and trenches, even houses as far as 40 miles inland face the risk of flooding on a regular basis. More often than hurricanes, actually. So we'll have to choose wisely, and we'll have to drive an hour to work. Work someplace else? Easier said than done.

We bought a "shack" inland, in a small town, that is our vacation home. We just bought it so we'd have someplace to evac to. It costs us a pretty penny, but there's no other way to be safe if we have to leave town in a hurry.

I have a friend of mine that makes 3 weeks' of hotel reservations inland for every named storm. I have another friend that plans to leave his windows open when he evacuates next time.

Florida, on the other hand, runs a unique risk. We can always run inland here in Houston - you guys are stuck. The only good thing about the last few years' hurricanes is that they've started to wake people up. That should have happened after Hugo, Andrew and Floyd, but it didn't. So the folks who are there now -- we need to feel for them. They didn't know any better. Especially the old folks who move down from up North -- what do they know about hurricanes?

The folks that STAY there, long term, when they don't have to... that's another story.

If you live close to the water (or at 2 ft. about sea level, as in Florida) a hurricane is not a matter of if, but when.

Hey, AllState has begun cancelling policies for "wind damage" near the Texas and La. coasts. Those folks are SCREWED. Good luck getting an insurance company to pay, too. Beaumont Texas still looks like Smurf Village.

If people all around the country knew about what was really happening in the disaster areas, even a year later, it would change behavior. Instead of focusing on the government's responsibility, I wish the news types would point out how the insurance system fails and how folks are struggling to exist, even now. That might change some people's minds about how fun it is to live near the coast.

[chris v]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

Yep, it's where all the crazy people are. The Mountain Men who claimed the Olympic biathlete for their "wife," kidnapping her. The Unibomber. The Freemen. Ted Turner. BRussell. Montanan. Me.
.

Zoiks!

Edit: But Bozeman is FULL of, like, hippies, dude.

[Cody Dawg]

finboy

Bunch of crap.

Sell your expensive FL house, buy somewhere where housing is cheap, and the difference should easily pay for a move.

Don't give me this sh!t about "can't afford", "can't afford", "can't afford", but they are still living in FL. We are talking homeowners here.

You think?

Move where?

You going to give them a new job where they move to?

What I said is true: If your house is heavily damaged STILL then you cannot sell a home easily unless you sell to a liquidator and then you'll get pennies on a dollar. If someone is selling a home then for the bank to give the person a loan (mortgage) then the house has to have certain value. If the home is damaged or not in good condition then a lot of banks will not lend the money. So the only person who can buy a home like that is a liquidator who will pay cash cents on a dollar and that means that those people won't have enough money to move away - even if they had a job wherever they were going.

[xi_hyperon]

Originally Posted by voodoo

If one lives in a concrete house, one is safe against hurricanes. People who live in hurricane areas should live in houses that are made for withstanding hurricanes.

Yes, those houses will cost a lot more. No they won't fly away each year.

V

Safe against hurricanes, yes. Storm surge - not if your house is on the beach. Not even concrete will withstand that. There's no way I'd put my house on a beach like so many have on the gulf coast.

[chris v]

Fortunately, it doesn't look like this one's a killer. No really high winds, and they keep revising it eastward. Might miss the US altogether.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

What I said is true: If your house is heavily damaged STILL then you cannot sell a home easily unless you sell to a liquidator and then you'll get pennies on a dollar.

Fair enough.

But all those, whose houses are currently NOT damaged, are they making plans to leave, or at least, seriously consider it ?

Most of them don't. They wait till something happens, then they whine and complain, demand the government to bail them out and wait for the next thing to happen.

Vicious cycle.

-t

[voodoo]

Originally Posted by xi_hyperon

Safe against hurricanes, yes. Storm surge - not if your house is on the beach. Not even concrete will withstand that. There's no way I'd put my house on a beach like so many have on the gulf coast.

Of course.

V

[CaseCom]

Originally Posted by davesimondotcom

It's not just hurricanes. Everytime the Northeast gets a snowstorm, the news stations make it seem like it's something unusual and we all have to sit and worry about the Northeast.

So true. Like after a heat wave ends here in the Midwest, you turn on the network news a day later and sure enough ... "A killer heat wave bears down on the East Coast! What residents are doing to prepare..." You get used to it after a while.

[Cody Dawg]

You're talking about sensationalism. Fair enough.

What about when the news doesn't report things promptly enough? Or at all?

The next thing you hear is people saying, "We were never warned or alerted." That's exactly what happened with Charley when it came through. People saying that they weren't warned adequately.

So it works both ways, I suppose.



One thing that is interesting is that people are going crazy trying to get hurricane supplies together.

Give. Me. A. Break.

They knew it was hurricane season back in May. Why didn't they stock up on supplies back then? Water, batteries, flashlights, gas cans, etc.? Even plywood for boarding up? No, they wait UNTIL there is a storm imminently upon us and then they go out on a frantic scavenger hunt, get all crazy, become verbally abusive and or physically combative with other shoppers instead.

[KeriVit]

So anyway...

I don't live in FLA, but I do live in Savannah. And even if it's just a bad storm by the time it gets here, I'm still a bit concerned. Ya see, living in my RV for now, I'm susceptible to much less harsh conditions. Never mind the fact that I am surrounded by live oaks.

So, I've packed a bin just in case and gone ahead and bought provisions.

Provided my RV actually stays upright, I have a generator should I lose power.

Hopefully I won't have to endure much. Me and 2 dogs rolling over in an RV is not that appealing.

Yes, I moved here. Yes, I was aware of the hurricane possibility. But what was I supposed to do alter my life path because of it?

[davesimondotcom]

Originally Posted by chris v

Zoiks!

Edit: But Bozeman is FULL of, like, hippies, dude.

Affectionately referred to by Bozemanites as "ridge hippies." Referring to the guys who come here for school and end up working four jobs during the summer so they can ski the ridge all winter.

My brothers-in-law were both ridge hippies. Takes longer for them to graduate.

But the era of the ridge hippy is coming to an end, I think. Many of the kids who come here for school get enough help from their parents that they don't need to work a bunch of jobs. So there aren't any workers for fast food anymore.

[davesimondotcom]

Cody, the reason insurance costs a lot more in your area is stated right in your first post:

Originally Posted by CodyDawg

Charlie. Frances. Jeanne. Wilma. All of these hurricanes caused significant damage to Florida and Frances, Jeanne, and Wilma caused, collectively, about 50K in damage to our home alone - we lost a roof, flooded, two cars, and needed a new air conditioning system. We still paid about 20K ourselves after fighting with Allstate to pay even what they did.

You live in a hurricane zone. This is roughly the equivelent to Dick Cheney trying to get medical insurance.

You are lucky if you can get insurance at all.

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

You Bet The Crap We Are!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[The Godfather]

The only good thing about insurance companies denying insurance to new home buyers is that it will help the housing bubble to finally pop.

It happened to me when I bought my house last year. The insurer cancelled 1 month after buying it. I was lucky to find another insurer soon after (well, actually my insurance agent did all the work). I just wish insurance companies would disclose upfront in prime time TV ads what they can't insure.

C.D.: You know that Ernesto is only the first hurricane of the year?

[villalobos]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Those concrete homes are very expensive, actually, compared to wood-frame homes so not everyone can afford one, unfortunately.

They would not be that expensive if everybody and his dog did not HAVE TO HAVE a 3000+ sq ft house. a 1600 sq ft house is cannot be that expensive to build.

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by villalobos

They would not be that expensive if everybody and his dog did not HAVE TO HAVE a 3000+ sq ft house. a 1600 sq ft house is cannot be that expensive to build.

You take the life story of a well-to-do Floridian, and stereotype the whole State based on that. Actually, the majority of Floridians make less than $30k a year, don't have a net worth that allows them to move out and start job-hunting, and, most importantly, love their State.

Which was the State with the less unemployent rate in the nation again, I keep forgetting.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by villalobos

They would not be that expensive if everybody and his dog did not HAVE TO HAVE a 3000+ sq ft house. a 1600 sq ft house is cannot be that expensive to build.

That's very true.

And a lot of the floorplans are absolute crap, wasting space left and right.

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by The Godfather

You take the life story of a well-to-do Floridian, and stereotype the whole State based on that. Actually, the majority of Floridians make less than $30k a year

Do they rent, or own ?

It's hard to believe you get anything but a shack for what they can afford. One more reason to NOT stay there...

-t

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by what_the_heck

Do they rent, or own ?

It's hard to believe you get anything but a shack for what they can afford. One more reason to NOT stay there...

-t

A shack if you want a house in a luxurious ZIP code. A decent family home if you want it a little further.

P.S. I've got no idea whether 51% of Floridians rent or own.

[Cody Dawg]

What great posts.

KeriVit - You know, I was wondering how you and those dogs were the other day! You hang in there...I hope you'll be fine. You're a great person for taking such good care of those dogs.

KeriVit

Yes, I moved here. Yes, I was aware of the hurricane possibility. But what was I supposed to do alter my life path because of it?

Don't worry, a lot of us are in the same boat. We all do what we have to to survive.

GodFather - Yes, unbelievable that this is only #1. We're off to a slow start this year compared to other years.

And, yes, people want to stereotype Floridians based on a particular area and based on what they hear.

People hear that houses are $300K to $350K in certain areas and they assume that that $350K home must be fantastic. We'll Godfather and I are here to tell you it ain't so. When we went house shopping a couple of months ago we looked at the introductory (bottom-priced) homes in Palm Beach county. They were 1600 square feet and very, very average. And guess what else? UNINSURABLE BECAUSE THEY ARE WOOD FRAME HOMES. We had to move out of the county to a more rural area to be able to afford a decent home that was insurable. We were incredibly lucky because we got a very nice home (concrete) in a nice neighborhood and we got it for $100K off the asking price because the builder's buyer walked away from a $100K down payment/deposit on building the home and the builder only wanted the remainder of the original price of building the home. (Typically, we've looked for foreclosures or fire sale type of situations when we've bought a home in the past, and this time was no exception except that this home was brand new and a gift from God and yes, I do think that God was involved...it was too much of a stroke of good luck.)

A lot of the people who are making less than $30K a year - which includes retirees - are living in the middle of nowhere and/or live in mobile homes or are in little condos.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what this storm does now that it's blown over Cuba and is back over the open water.

Here it is - you can just make out the eye as it passed over Cuba and now it's back over water.

Right now it's a tropical storm and it looks disorganized, but maybe it will get better organized now that it's back over bathtub warm water (88f).

[KeriVit]

Just wish I coulda bought a house by now. Of ANY material! I'd feel a little better.

The dogs are good Cody, had a scare with one a while back, but he is now called the Miracle Dog at the Vet.

Anyway, even if we don't get the brunt of the storm here (and who knows right now) I'm thinking 70 mph winds could knock over my Winnebago. Not sure. I know I have to bring the awning up...

Guess I'll just wait and see.

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

People hear that houses are $300K to $350K in certain areas and they assume that that $350K home must be fantastic. We'll Godfather and I are here to tell you it ain't so. When we went house shopping a couple of months ago we looked at the introductory (bottom-priced) homes in Palm Beach county.

Yeah, and some of us own really expensive houses simply because we bought them back when they were cheap. The price of my house doesn't really tell you much about how much money I make. My first house 8 years ago was 1500 square feet and $134K. That house sold last year for $330K. Had I not purchased the first house when I did, I'd still be in an apartment. That's the real problem with the real estate market around here - it has jumped so much in so little time that people that didn't own before it happened are practically shut out of the market.

I wish the insurance companies weren't so hard on Pinellas County - we're not the ones getting all the hurricanes!

[Cody Dawg]

Hopefully by then it will just be a lot of wind.

KeriVit, yes, you're in the same boat as so many people.

The fact is that as fast as people saved up to buy a home, the price of homes here and even up in Georgia, have outpaced anything that people can afford.

It's very sad.

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Yeah, and some of us own really expensive houses simply because we bought them back when they were cheap. The price of my house doesn't really tell you much about how much money I make. My first house 8 years ago was 1500 square feet and $134K. That house sold last year for $330K. Had I not purchased the first house when I did, I'd still be in an apartment. That's the real problem with the real estate market around here - it has jumped so much in so little time that people that didn't own before it happened are practically shut out of the market.

I wish the insurance companies weren't so hard on Pinellas County - we're not the ones getting all the hurricanes!

Most counties in Florida aren't getting all the hurricanes either, but you guys have one of the biggest stakes in the state.

I too would be happy if insurance companies would go communist all of a sudden and make a one-fits-all premium for the U.S.A., but that's a crack pipe dream.

[The Godfather]

Originally Posted by Cody Dawg

Hopefully by then it will just be a lot of wind.

KeriVit, yes, you're in the same boat as so many people.

The fact is that as fast as people saved up to buy a home, the price of homes here and even up in Georgia, have outpaced anything that people can afford.

It's very sad.

On the other hand, home ownership is some of the least worried-for problems. It is mostly drama, drummed up by the TV industry.

They'd be much better renting until the house market flattens. They'd be in much deeper dung if they signed up for those 50 year mortgages that banks are talking about.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally Posted by wallinbl

Had I not purchased the first house when I did, I'd still be in an apartment. That's the real problem with the real estate market around here - it has jumped so much in so little time that people that didn't own before it happened are practically shut out of the market.

that's my story. and I like it down here. Every place has some whacky problem (floods, fire, earthquake, tornado, etc). I don't do much gambling, so Hurricanes are my gamble.

That said, Ernesto is a pussy. The people around here are acting like looneys.

edit: Perhaps I'd have a different viewpoint if I were a homeowner down here. Maybe that would make me looney?!

[wallinbl]

Originally Posted by The Godfather

I too would be happy if insurance companies would go communist all of a sudden and make a one-fits-all premium for the U.S.A., but that's a crack pipe dream.

I'm not referring to the state in general, just the local area. If you live in Pensacola or Miami, then pony up. I just figure they don't need to run our rates nuts as we don't really get the hurricanes here. We're in a pretty good location - the hurricane has to come around the bottom of the state and then turn back at us (the ones that start over by Mexico never really get very big). It's really not common. The far south, the east coast and the panhandle are really the problem areas, not west central.

[Cody Dawg]

wallingbl

The far south, the east coast and the panhandle are really the problem areas, not west central.

Famous Last Words™.

[KeriVit]

pussy or not, I still live in a tin can!

Oh well.

Regarding a home purchase. Sold mine and made some dough, but really hate the thought of giving it back when the market is so high. I'd at least like to break even a few years down the road.

[Cody Dawg]

That hurricane is organizing like crazy - WOW!

Frankly, I'm shocked.

[MindFad]

First rain bands are coming in. Nothing worth noting just yet.

[Cody Dawg]

NASA just decided that they'd better move the shuttle Atlantis back to the hangar that it is stored in - which takes 12 HOURS to get back.

They've had two freakin' days and they've JUST decided this and are now going to try to beat the storm?



Guess they're doing the same thing a lot of us are and seeing this storm organize far better than we anticipated and are now worried.

[MindFad]

12 hours is more than enough time, and now would seem the right time to make such a decision in the storm's track.

I'm sure NASA are definitely huddled around the handheld TV watching Channel 7's in-depth reports of incoming wind and rain.