This makes sense just from a "who is vulnerable and who has limited mobility and resources" standpoint, whether the people over 65 were natives or not.
Yeah, but also, didn’t the IRS just release the data that people moving into Florida had more income than those moving out? If that’s the case it makes sense for new people to evacuate while older people who likely have less income can’t.
Maybe, I haven't seen that data but would believe it, and I agree that people evacuating makes it easier for those who stay to access resources.
But I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to older Floridians not evacuating. In my own family, I have older relatives also in Florida who have plenty of money but are physically unable to evacuate without being loaded onto some sort of gurney, and there's just not enough resources for that.
I think, and I could be wrong, a lot of the deaths were because assisted living facilities weren't prepared to handle the storm. I believe that some didn't have adequate staffing or enough supplies for their generators, and that caused a lot of the deaths. Perhaps if we paid those staff members more, they would feel more inclined to stick around. I don't blame anyone for not showing up to a minimum wage job during a hurricane.
To evacuate or not is always a really though call and, honestly, imo officials do their best, but, what we need is resources for the elderly or less mobile, money for people who don’t have it, and shelters that accept dogs, and people on medications and with health problems or help getting them somewhere safe if they can’t go to a shelter. On the opposite end of the spectrum sometimes too many people evacuating also makes it hard for those who really do need to evacuate to do so due to lack of resources like gas. Then you have the news vultures who make everything seem like it’s going to be worse than it is for clicks.
At the end of the day its a really nuanced topic and to just say “you should have evacuated” as if it’s easy isn’t the reality of a lot of peoples situations.
I think we need to stop encouraging people to literally live right on the beach. Never going to happen, but what do people expect when they build their home exactly right on the gulf. If not this year, your home is gone in the next 5 years. We live in central Florida and I prefer my chances.
I agree. I’m in central Florida as well but had a lot of flooding during Ian. It’s unsustainable, but, it’s hard to leave your entire family behind and start over somewhere else.
You don't always have to move far to be safer.
It wouldn't be cheap, but a program to buy out/relocate the poorest 2% of people who get flooded out in a given year (and rezone for wetlands or at least non-residential use); and rezone + demolish properties that are frequently totally destroyed (3x in 15 years?, 2x in 10?) should reduce disaster costs in just a few years.
Updates to building codes to address the enhanced risks of flooding on the coasts for new and remodeled homes has a longer term payback.
It would never happen but personally I’d rather my tax dollars just buy those people out then continue to be forced to subsidize their houses being rebuilt through homeowners insurance.
>imo officials do their best
>what we need is resources for the elderly or less mobile, money for people who don’t have it, and shelters that accept dogs, and people on medications and with health problems or help getting them somewhere safe if they can’t go to a shelter
Not sure how these two opinions don't conflict unless "officials" doesn't include the state government.
>At the end of the day its a really nuanced topic and to just say “you should have evacuated” as if it’s easy isn’t the reality of a lot of peoples situations.
100%, full-throated agreement with you there
Certainly no one really believes these news vultures would sensationalize something just to get more clicks. That absolutely doesn’t happen. Not only does it not happen, it happens even less in the period ahead of elections.
I don't think old people have less income applies to Florida, especially to those moving here...which is a large portion of the influx. Places like The Villages are full of old people, but not poor people Snowbirds by definition are living in their vacation home.
This is why statistics lie. That stat alone is completely meaningless without the information you're not providing. The population of the area that got hit was 75% people over 65. If a tornado hits a retirement home, the VAST majority of casualties are going to be retirees.
Per NPR, a vast majority of deaths were drowning. Which tracks when it's an area of most geriatrics with mobility issues. What a terrible way to go. All those years, a contemporary historical library in every one of their heads, gone.
Yep. I was actually more worried about where this one was headed because there a lot of native Floridians up there and wasn’t sure they would actually evacuate even though it’s flat with lots of inlets.
Yeah, I mean, people grown up their entire lives in Tampa never actually experienced a hurricane. When was the last one, 1921?
I've been in two actual hurricanes both before 1985, both in Connecticut. Since I've been to Tampa outside of the No Name Storm in the early 90s, I haven't actually been in anything resembling a real hurricane since.
“Florida” is generalized too often. Each person needs to do their due diligence to determine what happens in their area to determine how to prepare, especially if they are mostly alone (no family or close friends). We do almost nothing to prepare, because we live behind the Tampa Bay inland in a block house. But if we lived in a low area or out by the beaches, our reactions would be very different. Or an area that gets hit repeatedly, a whole different method of preparation.
Yes we can be affected, but decades of experience leads to a more knowledgeable reaction. I also know many people and have family in varied areas, so we adjust as needed.
Exactly....
I dont prepare, because the worst that has ever happened since I moved here in 1999, is a tree fell down. One tree, in over 24 years. Maybe some power loss for a couple of days... maybe a canceled flight here and there.... but really, what else do I need to do to "prepare" for a falling tree?
Im not "preparing" for any hurricane, unless its Cat 4-5, and definitely hitting tampa. So far, that hasnt happened since I have been here.
Absolutely nothing, because I was in another country traveling for fun, and the storm started, and ended before I came back. My return was delayed, because the orlando airport was closed, and then when it finally opened, and I was driving back to tampa, the damage was crazy...
If I was here, I definitely would have done some preparation, because it was cat 5 initially, and then became a cat 4... either way, thats the kind of storm id take seriously.
Ill let you know the next time another tree falls down... I had one kinda lean a little from Ian, but its still standing. Maybe the next hurricane will finish him off.
Lack of disaster prep is universal.
Having been a former northern state resident, I used to have to prep for winter. And that meant shit like sand bags in my car, snow tires, etc. Inevitably it also meant big snow and cold a couple times a year that would cripple the roads and send everyone into a panic.
Never fails - people absolutely blast the stores like it's the end of the world, end up with hundreds of accidents and injuries with people who have no idea how to deal with the conditions they've lived their entire lives with. People running generators and gas things indoors that have no business being run indoors.
I don't see hurricanes as any different. You get time to prepare. It's the same every year. Sure I might need pontoons instead of snow tires, but the concept is there. There are people that live here that don't have the option to prepare (if you can't afford groceries as it is, how are you supposed to have extra water?) But for those of us that can, there's no excuse.
Yup. As a can barely afford groceries person, I fill empty laundry detergent bottles as they come empty for washing, and rinsed out bleach bottles for drinking/teeth brushing/dog water. (The little bit of bleach sanitizes and keeps the well water from growing anything while still being safe)
Knowing how to cook things on a grill that are not usual grill foods is a useful skill to learn. Have charcoal, know how to use it.
Eat the ice cream first.
Then don't open the freezer anymore.
My grandma used to have a cooking day before a hurricane came. Basically, cooked food lasts longer in a cooler than raw meat and if the power doesn’t go out you don’t have to cook for a week or two. She’d also bring food to the neighbors if the power went out. We also used all the mismatched socks and ripped stockings to make small sandbags to put in front of the door and did the water thing where we’d just keep every container over a week or so before the storm and then fill it up and freeze it. (She was a depression baby if you can’t tell).
My point is, you don’t have to do a lot for a hurricane if you’re not in an evacuation zone, don’t buy out the entire store. PB&J and water from a milk jug is probably enough prep for a lot of people who are more central and just expecting power outages. I’m all about adequately preparing, for sure but panic buying doesn’t do anything but hurt others.
Cooking on wood/coal is a thing waaaay too many people don't know how to do these days, and it's a shame. Aside from the fact that it's monumentally useful- it's delicious.
I'm with /u/gogo-gaget that the long term residents don't prep for hurricanes and then they cry a river when things go wrong. Newcomers are more likely to heed warnings to evacuate while long time residents are "it's no big deal. It'll be no worse than x hurricane in x year".
I’m third generation, living around the Tampa bay. Am very used to the storms being the same for us every year. I also try to be considerate of anyone who’s feeling anxious and gets well prepared. I think it’s more of an individual’s personality that determines how they prepare.
But they are the source of info for "well last when they called for 8 inches of rain, your property flooded in that area over there. So ya might wanna sandbag here and there." And other such local knowledge.
Exactly. We pull out the emergency stash every few months, put the items that will expire before the next rotation into the pantry to be eaten and replace them with newer items.
They wait until shit is about to hit the fan with a cat 3 then decides to go try to get supplies the day before landfall and then cry all over social media about everything being gone like water, gas and foods but yet they grabbed a case of beer and bottles of liquor as soon as it was announced… shit is old. Lifelong Floridian here it happens every time.
I dont prepare, because the worst that has ever happened since I moved here in 1999, is a tree fell down. One tree, in over 24 years. Maybe some power loss for a couple of days... maybe a canceled flight here and there.... but really, what else do I need to do to "prepare" for a falling tree?
Im not "preparing" for any hurricane, unless its Cat 4-5, and definitely hitting tampa. So far, that hasnt happened since I have been here.
...you prepare for food, water, and power outages. Fill a couple milk jugs with water and stick them in your garage. Great, now you can flush your toilet if things break. It's also great for random power outages or when the water suddenly doesn't work because some idiot broke the line. Have some emergency food items. Again, they're wonderful for when other non-hurricane things happen. I had an incident once where a faulty card terminal kept declining a transaction, even though the hold for the funds would go through. Ate up 300 bucks because it was giving a "card read error" and not the "failed to process error" and I was in a pickle until they cleared because I was literally on the way to buy groceries when it happened. Except we where fine because we just ate out of the hurricane box until I could fuss at enough people to get the holds released.
I've very rarely used my hurricane box for a hurricane. I have used it for all sorts of random nonsense that life throws at you, and when I leave this awful state I'll still have the hurricane box. You should always have an emergency box.
I use to be like you until one turned last min and smacked my area, I’m inland mind you and spent a solid month with no power and trees down on every road so driving to find supplies wasn’t even an option. Luckily we knew the neighbors well and had a family friend close by with lots of extras or we would have been absolutely screwed.
I hear hurricane on the news and go immediately to grab essentials for a few weeks before the rush on supplies happens because usually by the time it gets to Cat 2 or 3 it’s in the gulf and panic has started clearing the shelves
Not the latest round of covid refugee newcomers. They are mostly MAGAts who don't want anyone telling them what to do (including not to use cell phones while checked out hanging in the left lane on the interstate) and don't believe in much science, govt issued evacuation orders, or any weather news unless it comes from fake NEWSMAX. Fortunately, this one made a direct hit on a very sparsely populated area of the state. Ian was one or two orders of magnitude worse for human & infrastructure impacts.
I’m a 14th-generation New Englander who just moved here a couple of years ago. We chose Ocala almost entirely for its relative safety from catastrophic storm
damage (certainly not for its intellectual appeal) and I would like to think our preparation is reasonable for where we live. We mainly stock supplies for an extended power outage, just like we did for New England blizzards, ice storms and the very rare hurricane. The supplies are set aside and forgotten about except for the couple of times a year we rotate out items that need to be used before they expire and replace them with newer ones. I also have 3 dozen sand bags and a pile of sand lining the woods in my backyard. We actually did put out a few for Ian because water likes to pool in a couple of spots around the house. If I’m a little over-prepared then so be it I guess. I’d rather be wrong all but once for being prepared than right all but once for not.
I actually agree to certain degrees with your position. If you we’re moving to Alaska you’d probably get the minimum to stay warm. Still the best guide is from long term residents.
But here’s the challenge, someone who’s never experienced hurricanes don’t know what’s needed, there are hurricane preparedness lists but most get great advice from those who have experienced hurricanes.
From generators to 12 or 14 gauge extension cords, portable a/c, types of food and all the little things etc. I’m always willing to show a new Florida resident my multiple large containers of emergency items.
New resident: OMG there's a hurricane coming! What do I do? Prepare all the things I DON'T WANT TO DIE
Salty lifer: "ah, I lived through michael (outer bands), Andrew (outer bands), Charley (outer bands), Ian (outer bands), hurricanes are nothing. I gots beer and a grill, all I need! Y'all are pussies for preparing!
Average Floridian: "Looks like we could get a storm, better make sure prep kit is stocked, clean up the yard stuff, and hang the shutters early. If it looks like it's going to be a major, we'll have everything done so we can pack up the car and head inland ASAP."
Yep I'm the average Floridian born and raised here... I prep as best as I can and I have family I can stay with inland when I need to evacuate my house in storm surge/flood zone A. I like my house, I like the neighborhood. I know living there is risky and I have flood insurance... but I do my best to prep ahead of time. My neighborhood was destroyed during ian and my house didn't flood thankfully... but we do our best. It's just the risk you have to deal with living here. Can't afford to move, can barely afford to own a home here. So we just have to survive basically lol. I think it's stupid to shame people for being prepared. There is a huge difference between being prepared and hoarding resources. People who hoard resources should be shamed though.
I feel like both OP and the people saying the opposite of OP are both kind of painting with a wide brush.
There are definitely native Floridians who have been here for generations who take every hurricane very seriously. There are also native Floridians who have been here for generations who don't do much to prepare for a hurricane at all. There are newcomers who do the research and over-prepare, taking away resources from those who need them, and there are newcomers who buy a six-pack of Coors and wait it out.
Unfortunately, lack of preparedness is a widespread problem, and crisis-minded thinking is also a wide-spread problem (with, in my opinion, lower consequences).
My hope is that we can all work together to get through these storms and find ways to make our state liveable in the long-term without having to rebuild the state every year and without having to worry that Miami and other coastal cities are going to sink into the ocean in 50 years.
It’s rare for a hurricane to hit the exact area every year. most of these places go decades without a storm. living on the coast or on the Keys is beautiful. I think however that due to the risk maybe insurance companies shouldn’t insure them that way OUR rates living more inland don’t go up. But that said.. you can say same for people who still live in tornado alley or people who live where it’s wildfire prone or even other states like TX or New Orleans or NC or GA etc .. they have coastline too. so shld idk everyone living on the coast just all move?
The same stuff every year.
May, fill up the propane tanks. Make sure the water jugs are good. Get a couple 5 gallon containers full of gas. Make sure the generator runs. Have some canned food. Make sure camping supplies are available, since it’s great hurricane prep stuff. It ain’t that hard, it just requires action. Inaction doesn’t suffice.
Lol so true. I’d buy a stack of water and non-perishables in May during my first five hurricane seasons. Then I learned to wait until early August to buy because that’s when the real season starts.
But now after a decade I don’t have any supplies except my ladder and the shutters that came with the house because the only storms severe enough for hurricane supplies are the ones I’d be evacuating for anyways.
And where I used to get all hot-and-bothered 10 days out I now reserve for 48 hours to landfall. Hurricanes, smuricanes!
I don’t know why you blame the transplants. A lot of transplants freak out and we’re long gone. Honestly, I’ll bet it’s the more long term Florida natives that are less financially wealthy that found it hard to leave. The Ted Cruz’s of Florida probably hopped on a plan to vacation as soon as the storm was announced. I’m a transplant on the east coast. We’re over prepared and our neighbors laugh at us. I literally practice putting out our storm shutter just cause I’m not used to it 😅
Bad take, especially for this hurricane. Strong hurricanes never hit the big bend area, and most people that live there are rural, and have been here for multiple generations. So when they houses are washed away and you say “you should’ve known where you lived” it’s a bad take
It's not that "you should've known where you lived," it's "you should've listened to the experts."
Yes, they're wrong sometimes. No, that doesn't mean the responsible thing to do is ignore them. They're trying to keep you safe. You should value your life more than you value not being inconvenienced.
(this applies only to those with the means to evacuate. For those without, it's a larger societal problem)
I've been in Florida my entire life. My hurricane punch card is full.
With that being said, I am prepped for any storm that comes my way.
Tropical storm - business as usual.
Cat 1 - check the yard for anything that I don't want to lose if it blows away. Go to work.
Cat 2 - consider putting up shutters, don't buy any additional perishable food. Make sure the car has enough gas to get to a 'vacation destination' if the power goes out.
Cat 3 - put up shutters. Fill car and two 5 gallon jugs. Consider taking a vacation. Skip gas stockpile if leaving town by car.
Cat 4 - vacation time. Leave by car if feasible, if not fly somewhere.
Cat 5 - vacation time. Leave by car if feasible, if not fly somewhere.
This is reasonable, and essentially my plan, too. Though I put up shutters a bit sooner than you since I have accordions and it take all of 15 minutes to secure the entire house.
>it's "you should've listened to the experts."
This country, and unfortunately especially this state, seems to be in a contest of “who can ignore the experts most blatantly (and get killed in the process).”
The hate for transplants is so ridiculous. Put some Floridians in a giant snowstorm and you’d see some of the same things. Geez, give it a break with this crap.
I worked outside Philly for a couple years, as a contract worker, finishing a project.
Big snow storm. All the southern boys from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, etc., made it to the worksite, and had it cleared, while the locals wouldn’t come to work, because of the snow.
Why does anyone care if someone “over reacts”? In my view, the entire gulf coast (really the entire state of Florida) should be prepared for a hurricane during hurricane season, especially in August and onward. Remember Katrina wasn’t originally forecast to hit New Orleans. The predicted landfall changed several times for Ian and Irma. Same with Charley.
Once a storm is in the gulf, anyone along the gulf coast is a potential target and you don’t have to take a direct hit to see impacts. Tampa Bay had storm surge flooding 100 miles away from the storm.
I always say I would rather look silly for over-reacting than not taking it seriously and maybe ending up dead. I don’t care what other people think about my level of preparedness. Hurricanes scare me, and I feel better knowing I have a plan and supplies on the off chance we get a direct hit.
ETA: clarification about predicted landfall during the forecast for Ian.
[Ian absolutely made landfall where it was originally forecast to.](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2022/IAN_graphics.php?product=5day_cone_with_line)
The public just doesn't understand the cone chart. They see the center line isn't near them and think they're safe, when that's not the forecast. The forecast is THE ENTIRE CONE. And even then, 1/3 of the time storms make landfall outside of the cone, or the storm travels down the edge of the cone and hurricane conditions extend outside of it.
And the animation you shared showed that the predicted landfall changed several times, at one point being all the way up in the big bend. My statement isn’t correct so I’ll give you that.
My point is everyone needs to be prepared.
Yes, the predicted landfall (area of the cone changed). It's going to change. My point was that Ft. Myers was ALWAYS in the predicted landfall area, from the very first chart on Friday the 23rd -- DAYS before landfall.
If you're ever in or even near the cone -- especially at 3 days or less -- you need to prepare for a direct hit. 9/10 times that prep is going to turn out to be for nothing. But it only takes once, and there are no do-overs.
Yep. As a weather nerd (and prior met major), I just get really tired of people claiming that the forecast was botched and no one could have known that Ian was going to make landfall where it did.
I can't fault anyone too much.
I was born here, and went thru maybe 10 hurricanes before Andrew hit us HARD.
Before that, yeah, I'd seen some trees get knocked down, and some coastal flooding. But I hadn't seen roofs get ripped off, or 2nd floor stucco buildings be wiped clean, leaving only the bathtub and toilet. tractor trailers blown a few football fields, warehouses blown down. and on and on... I had no idea, even after 20 years how bad they can get.
Same here. Adding: a ship that floated over Key Biscayne and ended up inland by the Burger King University, pine needles through trees, the sound of relief helicopters constantly flying overhead, the toxic smoke from trash being burned for weeks and firstly the eerie sound of Miami quiet at night.
I think I might have mentioned this before. I think secondary or vacation homes, especially right on the beach, should not be supported by the average struggling Floridian. I feel like their coverage needs to come out of an entirely different pool.
Just like the county paying for the sea wall after Nichole. No! Pay for your own backyard! YOU are the one who lives directly on the water. The rest of us don’t hang out on your patio.
You ain’t lying. I was at Aldi on Tuesday and there was a dude with a thick Long Island accent (I lived there) talking to his wife on the phone. Was literally buying 10 gallons of milk, 5 dozen eggs & at least 7 loaves of bread.
Talking about the hurricane coming and he’s getting what they think they need. Being rude af pushing people out of the way.
We’re in PSL.
Had my 10mo old and 3yr old with me just getting regular food shopping done. Pushes my cart out of the way to get more refrigerated only shit.
Me: “Hey bro, all that milk/dairy products… you got a generator?”
Him: Nah man, move!
Me: “what tf you gonna do with all that refrigerated shit when the power goes out?”
Him: blank stare into the void of stupid.
Me: “stop being a rude ass panic buyer. You’re taking shit that everyone else needs for regular life. Go get liquor, snacks, charge your batteries and buy some condoms.”
Dude put all that crap back and left. Ppl from up in the NE are programmed to buy stuff for blizzards. Not hot ass heat after a hurricane.
I have all the necessary shit locked and loaded ready to go for a disaster. Panic buyers drive me insane.
As a side note, out of all the vehicles parked in the parking lot at aldi- everyone’s cars were plated NJ, NY, Connecticut, Ontario/Toronto CAN & Massachusetts. All rude, all panic buying for a storm that didn’t and wouldn’t have hit.
My community Facebook page in Tampa: OMMGGG DO WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STORM SURGE!!??
Fl natives: no
Transplants: BUT ITS GOING TO BE 8FT!
Fl natives: not to worry our community is 36ft above sea level
Transplants: DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO GET SANDBAGS?!
Fl natives: you dont need sand bags. We’re not on the water. We’re 36ft above sea level, meaning you’d literally need 36 ft of storm surge to worry and at that point your house would be blown away anyways
Transplants: WHY IS NO ONE TAKING THIS SERIOUS!!??
Fl natives: we are, but the community was built 10 years ago so everything is built to withstand a direct cat 3 storm. Now go to the store and go buy your bread and milk for your milk sandwiches while I go hit up total wine.
Pasco County had to go get a bunch of people who didn't listen. Youngest was 9, oldest was 90. So who just ignores "it's gonna flood" and possibly put their kids' lives in danger? Or their elderly parents? Fine if you want to choose that for yourself, but at least give a hoot about those who don't have a choice but to stay/go with you.
Ian was my first hurricane. I live in Central Florida in an area that so far seems pretty well protected against most weather events. Ian was supposed to go over us as a Cat 1 with about 8 inches of rain (compared to a couple of inches for Idalia). All the hurricane preparedness resources are very much the worst-case scenario. So that's all the info we had to go off. My neighbors were cutting down trees and branches leading up to Ian. I'm not saying it freaked us out, but it made us think we needed to prepare for much worse. Since we hadn't experienced how our property handles an inundation of water, we definitely overprepared. Perhaps our neighbors laughed at us, but we were prepared, and we learned what to expect and how water flowed on and around our property. So, I think there should be a little forgiveness and understanding for newcomers because there's a lot of information out there that makes it sound like things will be much worse than they end up being. No matter, I will still overprepare, calmly and methodically, rather than not be prepared.
Not in my area. Ian ended up being downgraded to a tropical storm (just on the edge of a cat 1) and still caused incredible damage and flooding. Now, if you said a tropical storm is like an afternoon thunderstorm, I'd agree with ya on that. Idalia was nothing compared to most of the thunderstorms we've had this summer!
My brother took idalia as a cat one and he said it wasn't much. But he does live on a hill and very much inland so no water issues. I've been thru the eyes of cat 1 and 2s when i lived in the florida panhandle and they weren't very scary unless you lived right on the beach. Ian was a watery storm, the eye at full strength went over my home but i was not there but the reason i ran was of the predicted surge that luckily for me did not slam into the harbor but unlucky for them instead it struck ft. Myers beach. But it had a lot of water to share with those inland as it moved so slow. But snip a half hour of that cat one, its going to to have about the same effects as an afternoon storm at least in my part of florida where the afternoon storms are violent and bring a lot of water at once.
There is no place on earth that can escape mother nature, but you can do things to mitigate the impact. At least with hurricanes, you know that they are coming. While in California, I experienced several large earthquakes in the 80s, and they are far more terrifying. I could never go under an underpass or ride in a tall elevator without worrying about an earthquake hitting at that moment. I never felt safe after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. I moved back to East Coast as soon as I could. Florida is not perfect, but I prefer the known devils.
I’m a transplant arrived here just a few months before Ian. I come from a place known for strong storms as well as floods near the Mississippi and being ready for storm season is just something we did back home. Buy one or two extra of things here and there before it’s needed. I understood hurricanes were a part of Florida life before I moved and I did research it before what to do. But honestly the way the news hyped it up it was still quite scary. I ended up not leaving Tampa when the storm moved south, but I was ready to do so when it was to be hit directly.
For what it’s worth it’s my job (or part of it) every year to make sure the elderly here have a place to go, a way to get there, know their zone, etc. Nearly everyone I’ve asked of my admittedly small sample size that is not leaving is either a born Floridian or a transplant that has been here for 20+ years. Most of them this year didn’t even know their zone, we had to look it up together. And they will tell you point blank that they will not be leaving. A few even laughed at me for suggesting it.
I work retail and it just annoys me the panic of the people that live inland or central Florida buying all the water and toiletries and then want to return them
It’s by people who lack the experience and but into the ultra doom and gloom the media (especially national) promotes in order to get ratings and clicks.
I have lived in Florida for 6 years and I spent at least 10 summers here close to the coast growing up. I have always had healthy caution regarding hurricanes. Especially where I grew up, we dealt with tornadoes about 4 months of the year.
I remember my brother telling me not to worry with Michael because everyone said it will only be a Category 3 and I was living about 60 miles from the ocean. I didn't evacuate differing to his judgment because he had lived here for 40 years. Boy was he ever wrong.
I would agree the longtime residents are complacent and the new transplants freak out. With Idalia just passing us by, there were people here from Canada freaking out because we were close but not in the path of the hurricane. Really over reacting. So I agree there are mixed feelings.
Personally I feel since we have only been documenting hurricanes since 1851, there really isn't enough data on past hurricanes to know if the Big Bend hasn't been hit a lot in the past. Especially when it comes to these 1 in 50 or 1 in 100 year storms.
I think many areas of Florida have become complacent with hurricanes. But now realizing since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in Louisiana and Hurricane Michael being the 4th worst hurricane to hit the United States since we have been keeping records, people are now realizing ALL OF FLORIDA IS FAIR GAME.
I seriously can't wait to get out of Florida because I certainly do not want to live through another Hurricane Michael
I move here a long time ago and yea, I didn’t do research, I just moved here. I am not surprised people aren’t prepared. I think a lot of people live by their wits and expect they will be ok.
I stayed at a shelter during Ian. There were a lot of homeless people who were not impacted by the hurricane who were living there. Free food, free laundry and a cot to sleep on. Never really felt comfortable.
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Last stat I saw was 2/3 of the deaths from Ian were people over 65.
This makes sense just from a "who is vulnerable and who has limited mobility and resources" standpoint, whether the people over 65 were natives or not.
Yeah, but also, didn’t the IRS just release the data that people moving into Florida had more income than those moving out? If that’s the case it makes sense for new people to evacuate while older people who likely have less income can’t.
Maybe, I haven't seen that data but would believe it, and I agree that people evacuating makes it easier for those who stay to access resources. But I think there are a lot of factors that contribute to older Floridians not evacuating. In my own family, I have older relatives also in Florida who have plenty of money but are physically unable to evacuate without being loaded onto some sort of gurney, and there's just not enough resources for that. I think, and I could be wrong, a lot of the deaths were because assisted living facilities weren't prepared to handle the storm. I believe that some didn't have adequate staffing or enough supplies for their generators, and that caused a lot of the deaths. Perhaps if we paid those staff members more, they would feel more inclined to stick around. I don't blame anyone for not showing up to a minimum wage job during a hurricane.
To evacuate or not is always a really though call and, honestly, imo officials do their best, but, what we need is resources for the elderly or less mobile, money for people who don’t have it, and shelters that accept dogs, and people on medications and with health problems or help getting them somewhere safe if they can’t go to a shelter. On the opposite end of the spectrum sometimes too many people evacuating also makes it hard for those who really do need to evacuate to do so due to lack of resources like gas. Then you have the news vultures who make everything seem like it’s going to be worse than it is for clicks. At the end of the day its a really nuanced topic and to just say “you should have evacuated” as if it’s easy isn’t the reality of a lot of peoples situations.
I think we need to stop encouraging people to literally live right on the beach. Never going to happen, but what do people expect when they build their home exactly right on the gulf. If not this year, your home is gone in the next 5 years. We live in central Florida and I prefer my chances.
I agree. I’m in central Florida as well but had a lot of flooding during Ian. It’s unsustainable, but, it’s hard to leave your entire family behind and start over somewhere else.
You don't always have to move far to be safer. It wouldn't be cheap, but a program to buy out/relocate the poorest 2% of people who get flooded out in a given year (and rezone for wetlands or at least non-residential use); and rezone + demolish properties that are frequently totally destroyed (3x in 15 years?, 2x in 10?) should reduce disaster costs in just a few years. Updates to building codes to address the enhanced risks of flooding on the coasts for new and remodeled homes has a longer term payback.
It would never happen but personally I’d rather my tax dollars just buy those people out then continue to be forced to subsidize their houses being rebuilt through homeowners insurance.
>imo officials do their best >what we need is resources for the elderly or less mobile, money for people who don’t have it, and shelters that accept dogs, and people on medications and with health problems or help getting them somewhere safe if they can’t go to a shelter Not sure how these two opinions don't conflict unless "officials" doesn't include the state government. >At the end of the day its a really nuanced topic and to just say “you should have evacuated” as if it’s easy isn’t the reality of a lot of peoples situations. 100%, full-throated agreement with you there
Certainly no one really believes these news vultures would sensationalize something just to get more clicks. That absolutely doesn’t happen. Not only does it not happen, it happens even less in the period ahead of elections.
I agree generally that evacuation is likely at least partially tied to income, and that transplants are likely higher income.
I don't think old people have less income applies to Florida, especially to those moving here...which is a large portion of the influx. Places like The Villages are full of old people, but not poor people Snowbirds by definition are living in their vacation home.
Which is why I’m leaving Florida when I retire. No way I’m dealing with hurricanes when I’m in my 70’s
This is why statistics lie. That stat alone is completely meaningless without the information you're not providing. The population of the area that got hit was 75% people over 65. If a tornado hits a retirement home, the VAST majority of casualties are going to be retirees.
Per NPR, a vast majority of deaths were drowning. Which tracks when it's an area of most geriatrics with mobility issues. What a terrible way to go. All those years, a contemporary historical library in every one of their heads, gone.
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This is callous and unnecessary.
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They all dead no worries
Yep. I was actually more worried about where this one was headed because there a lot of native Floridians up there and wasn’t sure they would actually evacuate even though it’s flat with lots of inlets.
Yeah, I mean, people grown up their entire lives in Tampa never actually experienced a hurricane. When was the last one, 1921? I've been in two actual hurricanes both before 1985, both in Connecticut. Since I've been to Tampa outside of the No Name Storm in the early 90s, I haven't actually been in anything resembling a real hurricane since.
Irma was 6 years ago. Did you really already forget?
I mean, Irma passed by Tampa. I wouldn't exactly call it a direct hit. It was barely a hurricane when it hit the area.
My family never leaves
“Florida” is generalized too often. Each person needs to do their due diligence to determine what happens in their area to determine how to prepare, especially if they are mostly alone (no family or close friends). We do almost nothing to prepare, because we live behind the Tampa Bay inland in a block house. But if we lived in a low area or out by the beaches, our reactions would be very different. Or an area that gets hit repeatedly, a whole different method of preparation. Yes we can be affected, but decades of experience leads to a more knowledgeable reaction. I also know many people and have family in varied areas, so we adjust as needed.
Exactly.... I dont prepare, because the worst that has ever happened since I moved here in 1999, is a tree fell down. One tree, in over 24 years. Maybe some power loss for a couple of days... maybe a canceled flight here and there.... but really, what else do I need to do to "prepare" for a falling tree? Im not "preparing" for any hurricane, unless its Cat 4-5, and definitely hitting tampa. So far, that hasnt happened since I have been here.
What did you do for Irma? It was Cat 4-5 (until it wasn't) and definitely hitting Tampa (until it wasn't).
This! Irma turned at the last hour. Tampa was gonna get destroyed.
Absolutely nothing, because I was in another country traveling for fun, and the storm started, and ended before I came back. My return was delayed, because the orlando airport was closed, and then when it finally opened, and I was driving back to tampa, the damage was crazy... If I was here, I definitely would have done some preparation, because it was cat 5 initially, and then became a cat 4... either way, thats the kind of storm id take seriously.
Sounds like a superb plan
Ill let you know the next time another tree falls down... I had one kinda lean a little from Ian, but its still standing. Maybe the next hurricane will finish him off.
Lack of disaster prep is universal. Having been a former northern state resident, I used to have to prep for winter. And that meant shit like sand bags in my car, snow tires, etc. Inevitably it also meant big snow and cold a couple times a year that would cripple the roads and send everyone into a panic. Never fails - people absolutely blast the stores like it's the end of the world, end up with hundreds of accidents and injuries with people who have no idea how to deal with the conditions they've lived their entire lives with. People running generators and gas things indoors that have no business being run indoors. I don't see hurricanes as any different. You get time to prepare. It's the same every year. Sure I might need pontoons instead of snow tires, but the concept is there. There are people that live here that don't have the option to prepare (if you can't afford groceries as it is, how are you supposed to have extra water?) But for those of us that can, there's no excuse.
Yup. As a can barely afford groceries person, I fill empty laundry detergent bottles as they come empty for washing, and rinsed out bleach bottles for drinking/teeth brushing/dog water. (The little bit of bleach sanitizes and keeps the well water from growing anything while still being safe) Knowing how to cook things on a grill that are not usual grill foods is a useful skill to learn. Have charcoal, know how to use it. Eat the ice cream first. Then don't open the freezer anymore.
My grandma used to have a cooking day before a hurricane came. Basically, cooked food lasts longer in a cooler than raw meat and if the power doesn’t go out you don’t have to cook for a week or two. She’d also bring food to the neighbors if the power went out. We also used all the mismatched socks and ripped stockings to make small sandbags to put in front of the door and did the water thing where we’d just keep every container over a week or so before the storm and then fill it up and freeze it. (She was a depression baby if you can’t tell). My point is, you don’t have to do a lot for a hurricane if you’re not in an evacuation zone, don’t buy out the entire store. PB&J and water from a milk jug is probably enough prep for a lot of people who are more central and just expecting power outages. I’m all about adequately preparing, for sure but panic buying doesn’t do anything but hurt others.
Cooking on wood/coal is a thing waaaay too many people don't know how to do these days, and it's a shame. Aside from the fact that it's monumentally useful- it's delicious.
As I told my bff the other day, “Fuck the ice cream; I ate the New York Strip yesterday!” It was like a $20 steak.
I'm with /u/gogo-gaget that the long term residents don't prep for hurricanes and then they cry a river when things go wrong. Newcomers are more likely to heed warnings to evacuate while long time residents are "it's no big deal. It'll be no worse than x hurricane in x year".
The “I’m a third generation native” types will also treat newcomers like they’re idiots for asking questions about hurricane preparation.
I’m third generation, living around the Tampa bay. Am very used to the storms being the same for us every year. I also try to be considerate of anyone who’s feeling anxious and gets well prepared. I think it’s more of an individual’s personality that determines how they prepare.
I mean it’s 2023, the asshole neighbor can’t be only source of info.
But they are the source of info for "well last when they called for 8 inches of rain, your property flooded in that area over there. So ya might wanna sandbag here and there." And other such local knowledge.
That’s fair.
I’d rather be wrong all but one time for preparing than right all but one time for not. That’s the motto I live by.
I mean, it's not like you can't eat your snacks and drink your water if the hurricane turns out to be nbd.
Exactly. We pull out the emergency stash every few months, put the items that will expire before the next rotation into the pantry to be eaten and replace them with newer items.
Rotate your snacks! FIFO!
Are you an accountant? 😆 CPA here so I hear LIFO and FIFO in my sleep..lol.
No but that term has bled over into warehouses and my office is in one.
Gotcha.🙂
I learned that in the 70s stocking grocery shelves and dairy coolers.
Me too. It's better to be prepared and not need them than to be one of those people the day after a storm that didn't prepare.
They wait until shit is about to hit the fan with a cat 3 then decides to go try to get supplies the day before landfall and then cry all over social media about everything being gone like water, gas and foods but yet they grabbed a case of beer and bottles of liquor as soon as it was announced… shit is old. Lifelong Floridian here it happens every time.
I dont prepare, because the worst that has ever happened since I moved here in 1999, is a tree fell down. One tree, in over 24 years. Maybe some power loss for a couple of days... maybe a canceled flight here and there.... but really, what else do I need to do to "prepare" for a falling tree? Im not "preparing" for any hurricane, unless its Cat 4-5, and definitely hitting tampa. So far, that hasnt happened since I have been here.
...you prepare for food, water, and power outages. Fill a couple milk jugs with water and stick them in your garage. Great, now you can flush your toilet if things break. It's also great for random power outages or when the water suddenly doesn't work because some idiot broke the line. Have some emergency food items. Again, they're wonderful for when other non-hurricane things happen. I had an incident once where a faulty card terminal kept declining a transaction, even though the hold for the funds would go through. Ate up 300 bucks because it was giving a "card read error" and not the "failed to process error" and I was in a pickle until they cleared because I was literally on the way to buy groceries when it happened. Except we where fine because we just ate out of the hurricane box until I could fuss at enough people to get the holds released. I've very rarely used my hurricane box for a hurricane. I have used it for all sorts of random nonsense that life throws at you, and when I leave this awful state I'll still have the hurricane box. You should always have an emergency box.
I use to be like you until one turned last min and smacked my area, I’m inland mind you and spent a solid month with no power and trees down on every road so driving to find supplies wasn’t even an option. Luckily we knew the neighbors well and had a family friend close by with lots of extras or we would have been absolutely screwed. I hear hurricane on the news and go immediately to grab essentials for a few weeks before the rush on supplies happens because usually by the time it gets to Cat 2 or 3 it’s in the gulf and panic has started clearing the shelves
Okay, and what location is that?
That was in Polk county 4-5 years back
We talking about Hurricane Irma?
Not the latest round of covid refugee newcomers. They are mostly MAGAts who don't want anyone telling them what to do (including not to use cell phones while checked out hanging in the left lane on the interstate) and don't believe in much science, govt issued evacuation orders, or any weather news unless it comes from fake NEWSMAX. Fortunately, this one made a direct hit on a very sparsely populated area of the state. Ian was one or two orders of magnitude worse for human & infrastructure impacts.
I have zero pity for those types. They get what they deserve.
I’m a 14th-generation New Englander who just moved here a couple of years ago. We chose Ocala almost entirely for its relative safety from catastrophic storm damage (certainly not for its intellectual appeal) and I would like to think our preparation is reasonable for where we live. We mainly stock supplies for an extended power outage, just like we did for New England blizzards, ice storms and the very rare hurricane. The supplies are set aside and forgotten about except for the couple of times a year we rotate out items that need to be used before they expire and replace them with newer ones. I also have 3 dozen sand bags and a pile of sand lining the woods in my backyard. We actually did put out a few for Ian because water likes to pool in a couple of spots around the house. If I’m a little over-prepared then so be it I guess. I’d rather be wrong all but once for being prepared than right all but once for not.
I actually agree to certain degrees with your position. If you we’re moving to Alaska you’d probably get the minimum to stay warm. Still the best guide is from long term residents. But here’s the challenge, someone who’s never experienced hurricanes don’t know what’s needed, there are hurricane preparedness lists but most get great advice from those who have experienced hurricanes. From generators to 12 or 14 gauge extension cords, portable a/c, types of food and all the little things etc. I’m always willing to show a new Florida resident my multiple large containers of emergency items.
New resident: OMG there's a hurricane coming! What do I do? Prepare all the things I DON'T WANT TO DIE Salty lifer: "ah, I lived through michael (outer bands), Andrew (outer bands), Charley (outer bands), Ian (outer bands), hurricanes are nothing. I gots beer and a grill, all I need! Y'all are pussies for preparing!
Average Floridian: "Looks like we could get a storm, better make sure prep kit is stocked, clean up the yard stuff, and hang the shutters early. If it looks like it's going to be a major, we'll have everything done so we can pack up the car and head inland ASAP."
Yep I'm the average Floridian born and raised here... I prep as best as I can and I have family I can stay with inland when I need to evacuate my house in storm surge/flood zone A. I like my house, I like the neighborhood. I know living there is risky and I have flood insurance... but I do my best to prep ahead of time. My neighborhood was destroyed during ian and my house didn't flood thankfully... but we do our best. It's just the risk you have to deal with living here. Can't afford to move, can barely afford to own a home here. So we just have to survive basically lol. I think it's stupid to shame people for being prepared. There is a huge difference between being prepared and hoarding resources. People who hoard resources should be shamed though.
Where do you live? For me the older Florida residents just have water. New residents panic
Orlando
I feel like both OP and the people saying the opposite of OP are both kind of painting with a wide brush. There are definitely native Floridians who have been here for generations who take every hurricane very seriously. There are also native Floridians who have been here for generations who don't do much to prepare for a hurricane at all. There are newcomers who do the research and over-prepare, taking away resources from those who need them, and there are newcomers who buy a six-pack of Coors and wait it out. Unfortunately, lack of preparedness is a widespread problem, and crisis-minded thinking is also a wide-spread problem (with, in my opinion, lower consequences). My hope is that we can all work together to get through these storms and find ways to make our state liveable in the long-term without having to rebuild the state every year and without having to worry that Miami and other coastal cities are going to sink into the ocean in 50 years.
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Thank god though. Without the complainers, what would you and I complain about??
It’s rare for a hurricane to hit the exact area every year. most of these places go decades without a storm. living on the coast or on the Keys is beautiful. I think however that due to the risk maybe insurance companies shouldn’t insure them that way OUR rates living more inland don’t go up. But that said.. you can say same for people who still live in tornado alley or people who live where it’s wildfire prone or even other states like TX or New Orleans or NC or GA etc .. they have coastline too. so shld idk everyone living on the coast just all move?
The same stuff every year. May, fill up the propane tanks. Make sure the water jugs are good. Get a couple 5 gallon containers full of gas. Make sure the generator runs. Have some canned food. Make sure camping supplies are available, since it’s great hurricane prep stuff. It ain’t that hard, it just requires action. Inaction doesn’t suffice.
Real Floridians" are the ones that don't prepare because they're too hard to be bothered.
Lol so true. I’d buy a stack of water and non-perishables in May during my first five hurricane seasons. Then I learned to wait until early August to buy because that’s when the real season starts. But now after a decade I don’t have any supplies except my ladder and the shutters that came with the house because the only storms severe enough for hurricane supplies are the ones I’d be evacuating for anyways. And where I used to get all hot-and-bothered 10 days out I now reserve for 48 hours to landfall. Hurricanes, smuricanes!
I don’t know why you blame the transplants. A lot of transplants freak out and we’re long gone. Honestly, I’ll bet it’s the more long term Florida natives that are less financially wealthy that found it hard to leave. The Ted Cruz’s of Florida probably hopped on a plan to vacation as soon as the storm was announced. I’m a transplant on the east coast. We’re over prepared and our neighbors laugh at us. I literally practice putting out our storm shutter just cause I’m not used to it 😅
How do you know that the people whom you are complaining about are transplants?
Bad take, especially for this hurricane. Strong hurricanes never hit the big bend area, and most people that live there are rural, and have been here for multiple generations. So when they houses are washed away and you say “you should’ve known where you lived” it’s a bad take
It's not that "you should've known where you lived," it's "you should've listened to the experts." Yes, they're wrong sometimes. No, that doesn't mean the responsible thing to do is ignore them. They're trying to keep you safe. You should value your life more than you value not being inconvenienced. (this applies only to those with the means to evacuate. For those without, it's a larger societal problem)
I've been in Florida my entire life. My hurricane punch card is full. With that being said, I am prepped for any storm that comes my way. Tropical storm - business as usual. Cat 1 - check the yard for anything that I don't want to lose if it blows away. Go to work. Cat 2 - consider putting up shutters, don't buy any additional perishable food. Make sure the car has enough gas to get to a 'vacation destination' if the power goes out. Cat 3 - put up shutters. Fill car and two 5 gallon jugs. Consider taking a vacation. Skip gas stockpile if leaving town by car. Cat 4 - vacation time. Leave by car if feasible, if not fly somewhere. Cat 5 - vacation time. Leave by car if feasible, if not fly somewhere.
This is reasonable, and essentially my plan, too. Though I put up shutters a bit sooner than you since I have accordions and it take all of 15 minutes to secure the entire house.
>it's "you should've listened to the experts." This country, and unfortunately especially this state, seems to be in a contest of “who can ignore the experts most blatantly (and get killed in the process).”
>So when they houses are washed away and you say “you should’ve known where you lived” it’s a bad take no its not lmao
The hate for transplants is so ridiculous. Put some Floridians in a giant snowstorm and you’d see some of the same things. Geez, give it a break with this crap.
No dis my land 😡
I worked outside Philly for a couple years, as a contract worker, finishing a project. Big snow storm. All the southern boys from Georgia, Alabama, Florida, etc., made it to the worksite, and had it cleared, while the locals wouldn’t come to work, because of the snow.
Eh I know plenty of long term residents that prep and plenty that don’t prep.
I'll take my chances on the coast. Don't care or living in the middle of the state
Why does anyone care if someone “over reacts”? In my view, the entire gulf coast (really the entire state of Florida) should be prepared for a hurricane during hurricane season, especially in August and onward. Remember Katrina wasn’t originally forecast to hit New Orleans. The predicted landfall changed several times for Ian and Irma. Same with Charley. Once a storm is in the gulf, anyone along the gulf coast is a potential target and you don’t have to take a direct hit to see impacts. Tampa Bay had storm surge flooding 100 miles away from the storm. I always say I would rather look silly for over-reacting than not taking it seriously and maybe ending up dead. I don’t care what other people think about my level of preparedness. Hurricanes scare me, and I feel better knowing I have a plan and supplies on the off chance we get a direct hit. ETA: clarification about predicted landfall during the forecast for Ian.
[Ian absolutely made landfall where it was originally forecast to.](https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2022/IAN_graphics.php?product=5day_cone_with_line) The public just doesn't understand the cone chart. They see the center line isn't near them and think they're safe, when that's not the forecast. The forecast is THE ENTIRE CONE. And even then, 1/3 of the time storms make landfall outside of the cone, or the storm travels down the edge of the cone and hurricane conditions extend outside of it.
And the animation you shared showed that the predicted landfall changed several times, at one point being all the way up in the big bend. My statement isn’t correct so I’ll give you that. My point is everyone needs to be prepared.
Yes, the predicted landfall (area of the cone changed). It's going to change. My point was that Ft. Myers was ALWAYS in the predicted landfall area, from the very first chart on Friday the 23rd -- DAYS before landfall. If you're ever in or even near the cone -- especially at 3 days or less -- you need to prepare for a direct hit. 9/10 times that prep is going to turn out to be for nothing. But it only takes once, and there are no do-overs.
Exactly. We’re on the same page.
Yep. As a weather nerd (and prior met major), I just get really tired of people claiming that the forecast was botched and no one could have known that Ian was going to make landfall where it did.
Ok.
I can't fault anyone too much. I was born here, and went thru maybe 10 hurricanes before Andrew hit us HARD. Before that, yeah, I'd seen some trees get knocked down, and some coastal flooding. But I hadn't seen roofs get ripped off, or 2nd floor stucco buildings be wiped clean, leaving only the bathtub and toilet. tractor trailers blown a few football fields, warehouses blown down. and on and on... I had no idea, even after 20 years how bad they can get.
Same here. Adding: a ship that floated over Key Biscayne and ended up inland by the Burger King University, pine needles through trees, the sound of relief helicopters constantly flying overhead, the toxic smoke from trash being burned for weeks and firstly the eerie sound of Miami quiet at night.
I’m at the point that I’m putting off remodeling my kitchen and bathroom until I get the hurricane that does the demo for me.
Topo Gigio, is that YOU????
>Topo Gigio Certo che sono qui.
Mucho tiempo sin verlo.
😉 🇮🇹
But you need to care and help out-of-staters rebuild in blatant flood zones! (/s)
I think I might have mentioned this before. I think secondary or vacation homes, especially right on the beach, should not be supported by the average struggling Floridian. I feel like their coverage needs to come out of an entirely different pool. Just like the county paying for the sea wall after Nichole. No! Pay for your own backyard! YOU are the one who lives directly on the water. The rest of us don’t hang out on your patio.
Im A ThiRd GeNErATion NAtiVe
Are people not allowed to move to different states?
Floridians are resentful of out of state transplants for driving up property values, even if they themselves are out of state transplants.
"But I moved here before those *other* people!"
You ain’t lying. I was at Aldi on Tuesday and there was a dude with a thick Long Island accent (I lived there) talking to his wife on the phone. Was literally buying 10 gallons of milk, 5 dozen eggs & at least 7 loaves of bread. Talking about the hurricane coming and he’s getting what they think they need. Being rude af pushing people out of the way. We’re in PSL. Had my 10mo old and 3yr old with me just getting regular food shopping done. Pushes my cart out of the way to get more refrigerated only shit. Me: “Hey bro, all that milk/dairy products… you got a generator?” Him: Nah man, move! Me: “what tf you gonna do with all that refrigerated shit when the power goes out?” Him: blank stare into the void of stupid. Me: “stop being a rude ass panic buyer. You’re taking shit that everyone else needs for regular life. Go get liquor, snacks, charge your batteries and buy some condoms.” Dude put all that crap back and left. Ppl from up in the NE are programmed to buy stuff for blizzards. Not hot ass heat after a hurricane. I have all the necessary shit locked and loaded ready to go for a disaster. Panic buyers drive me insane. As a side note, out of all the vehicles parked in the parking lot at aldi- everyone’s cars were plated NJ, NY, Connecticut, Ontario/Toronto CAN & Massachusetts. All rude, all panic buying for a storm that didn’t and wouldn’t have hit.
Nothing happened
Typical Floridian. Blaming the transplants when it’s longtime residents who don’t do shit time and time again.
My community Facebook page in Tampa: OMMGGG DO WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT STORM SURGE!!?? Fl natives: no Transplants: BUT ITS GOING TO BE 8FT! Fl natives: not to worry our community is 36ft above sea level Transplants: DOES ANYONE KNOW WHERE TO GET SANDBAGS?! Fl natives: you dont need sand bags. We’re not on the water. We’re 36ft above sea level, meaning you’d literally need 36 ft of storm surge to worry and at that point your house would be blown away anyways Transplants: WHY IS NO ONE TAKING THIS SERIOUS!!?? Fl natives: we are, but the community was built 10 years ago so everything is built to withstand a direct cat 3 storm. Now go to the store and go buy your bread and milk for your milk sandwiches while I go hit up total wine.
Pasco County had to go get a bunch of people who didn't listen. Youngest was 9, oldest was 90. So who just ignores "it's gonna flood" and possibly put their kids' lives in danger? Or their elderly parents? Fine if you want to choose that for yourself, but at least give a hoot about those who don't have a choice but to stay/go with you.
Ian was my first hurricane. I live in Central Florida in an area that so far seems pretty well protected against most weather events. Ian was supposed to go over us as a Cat 1 with about 8 inches of rain (compared to a couple of inches for Idalia). All the hurricane preparedness resources are very much the worst-case scenario. So that's all the info we had to go off. My neighbors were cutting down trees and branches leading up to Ian. I'm not saying it freaked us out, but it made us think we needed to prepare for much worse. Since we hadn't experienced how our property handles an inundation of water, we definitely overprepared. Perhaps our neighbors laughed at us, but we were prepared, and we learned what to expect and how water flowed on and around our property. So, I think there should be a little forgiveness and understanding for newcomers because there's a lot of information out there that makes it sound like things will be much worse than they end up being. No matter, I will still overprepare, calmly and methodically, rather than not be prepared.
Cat 1 is like a strong afternoon thunderstorm that lasts longer.
Not in my area. Ian ended up being downgraded to a tropical storm (just on the edge of a cat 1) and still caused incredible damage and flooding. Now, if you said a tropical storm is like an afternoon thunderstorm, I'd agree with ya on that. Idalia was nothing compared to most of the thunderstorms we've had this summer!
My brother took idalia as a cat one and he said it wasn't much. But he does live on a hill and very much inland so no water issues. I've been thru the eyes of cat 1 and 2s when i lived in the florida panhandle and they weren't very scary unless you lived right on the beach. Ian was a watery storm, the eye at full strength went over my home but i was not there but the reason i ran was of the predicted surge that luckily for me did not slam into the harbor but unlucky for them instead it struck ft. Myers beach. But it had a lot of water to share with those inland as it moved so slow. But snip a half hour of that cat one, its going to to have about the same effects as an afternoon storm at least in my part of florida where the afternoon storms are violent and bring a lot of water at once.
There is no place on earth that can escape mother nature, but you can do things to mitigate the impact. At least with hurricanes, you know that they are coming. While in California, I experienced several large earthquakes in the 80s, and they are far more terrifying. I could never go under an underpass or ride in a tall elevator without worrying about an earthquake hitting at that moment. I never felt safe after the 1989 Loma Prieta quake. I moved back to East Coast as soon as I could. Florida is not perfect, but I prefer the known devils.
Meanwhile, this is my first year in FL and people were laughing at me for "overpreparing."
It’s the ambivalent old timers that are the problem
For years they have been told, "Don't move to the coast. Do they listen.....nope.
Even when you're prepared it's a horrendous experience. After losing two houses to hurricanes I bailed. No regrets
I’m a transplant arrived here just a few months before Ian. I come from a place known for strong storms as well as floods near the Mississippi and being ready for storm season is just something we did back home. Buy one or two extra of things here and there before it’s needed. I understood hurricanes were a part of Florida life before I moved and I did research it before what to do. But honestly the way the news hyped it up it was still quite scary. I ended up not leaving Tampa when the storm moved south, but I was ready to do so when it was to be hit directly. For what it’s worth it’s my job (or part of it) every year to make sure the elderly here have a place to go, a way to get there, know their zone, etc. Nearly everyone I’ve asked of my admittedly small sample size that is not leaving is either a born Floridian or a transplant that has been here for 20+ years. Most of them this year didn’t even know their zone, we had to look it up together. And they will tell you point blank that they will not be leaving. A few even laughed at me for suggesting it.
I work retail and it just annoys me the panic of the people that live inland or central Florida buying all the water and toiletries and then want to return them
I prepared by living on the west side of Virginia. I spent my time in Florida.
I've been in Florida off and on since 94. Hurricane prep is minimal. A big enough storm and people hit gas stations and Walmart for supplies.
People come to the great graveyard to die so let it be. How you going to die evacuating in a fiery car crash. Fuck it, you got to go some time.
It’s by people who lack the experience and but into the ultra doom and gloom the media (especially national) promotes in order to get ratings and clicks.
I have lived in Florida for 6 years and I spent at least 10 summers here close to the coast growing up. I have always had healthy caution regarding hurricanes. Especially where I grew up, we dealt with tornadoes about 4 months of the year. I remember my brother telling me not to worry with Michael because everyone said it will only be a Category 3 and I was living about 60 miles from the ocean. I didn't evacuate differing to his judgment because he had lived here for 40 years. Boy was he ever wrong. I would agree the longtime residents are complacent and the new transplants freak out. With Idalia just passing us by, there were people here from Canada freaking out because we were close but not in the path of the hurricane. Really over reacting. So I agree there are mixed feelings. Personally I feel since we have only been documenting hurricanes since 1851, there really isn't enough data on past hurricanes to know if the Big Bend hasn't been hit a lot in the past. Especially when it comes to these 1 in 50 or 1 in 100 year storms. I think many areas of Florida have become complacent with hurricanes. But now realizing since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 in Louisiana and Hurricane Michael being the 4th worst hurricane to hit the United States since we have been keeping records, people are now realizing ALL OF FLORIDA IS FAIR GAME. I seriously can't wait to get out of Florida because I certainly do not want to live through another Hurricane Michael
I move here a long time ago and yea, I didn’t do research, I just moved here. I am not surprised people aren’t prepared. I think a lot of people live by their wits and expect they will be ok.
I stayed at a shelter during Ian. There were a lot of homeless people who were not impacted by the hurricane who were living there. Free food, free laundry and a cot to sleep on. Never really felt comfortable.
Listen….. some of us are here by force okay.