OT: Another storm gonna whack FL
- Thread starter MtNittany
- Start date
I’d rather be any of those things instead of an old, decrepit man obsessed with a dead football coach.
I'm in Wesley Chapel right now; climate refuge. It looks like my house in Tampa is one of maybe 100 to still have power. Roof is a different question, but it looks like the lights are on at least.
Thank you baby Jesus.
Thank you baby Jesus.
Both of our homes fared well. Never lost power at either and only temporarily lost internet. Way better than Ian when we were on the northern eyewall.
Center of the eye went over our Sarasota house and northern part of the eye went over our poinciana property. Didn’t lose any screens in the lanai’s or pool cage. Tree damage in Sarasota but nothing else. No flooding either. We were very fortunate. Ian was actually worse. Only bad part was all the tornado warnings in central FL where I was riding out the storm.
Center of the eye went over our Sarasota house and northern part of the eye went over our poinciana property. Didn’t lose any screens in the lanai’s or pool cage. Tree damage in Sarasota but nothing else. No flooding either. We were very fortunate. Ian was actually worse. Only bad part was all the tornado warnings in central FL where I was riding out the storm.
Interestingly tropicana field was supposed to be a shelter and staging area. I bet Helene weakened the roof and Milton finished the job.
I always assumed it was an inflatable bubble kept in the air by a few Shop Vacs (shout out to Williamsport there)
Ouch. Amazing what a few miles north or south will do. I swear I remember the mall on the beach at Singer Island look like that after a storm, but don't remember which one.
My friend might be able to get back to his house on the barrier island Tierra Verde off St Pete. He was told tomorrow but now being told maybe later today. Neighbors who rode it out said roads on the island are impassable and many homes have significant damage. Luckily his house is 16 ft off the ground on cement stilts and a cement house. It was his condition to build there that the house had to be on stilts and all cement. All his neighbors are ground level and had their homes flooded with Helene and now this... His home is one of the only ones that didn't have damage from Helene.
Why I appreciate living in a Burg and Divosta concrete block (w/ concrete floors, ceilings, roofs) especially a block from the water in either direction.
Yep.... I am built to the strictest building codes with cement and cinderblocks. Most of the damage from these storms are all wood homes. Cedar Key showed 3 wood homes that were just a pile of splinters after Helene and right next to them 4 new homes build to strict codes right on the water looked literally brand new and untouched by the storm.
I self insure - have for years. Well partially. My HOA has to rebuild the building (2 story quad), I would have to do drywall, appliances, etc. I estimate I'm at around $70k in savings by just saying no by now.
You “self-insure?” Meaning that any repairs to storm damage are paid out of pocket? You must have confidence in your house’s stability.
Very much so. I said partially, meaning the HOA (which I have paid into for 30 years) has a blanket insurance policy for all the buildings exterior, fence and plumbing. The rest is left to the homeowners. When new homeowners, you are forced to insure your "belongings". Once the house is paid off (in FL anyway), you do what you want.
The disparity arose back around 2004 (w/ all the storms here). Because I live between the Intracoastal and the ocean, they wanted like $7K/year. It isn't that much now, but still. Too much.
For context Jim, it was a $200K townhouse back in 2004. Probably $550K now.
Every other big estate on Palm Beach or Jup Island is probably self-insured. That's why the argument that Floridians and their beach front properties are the reason their property insurancein Iowa goes up is not quite right.
Yup my neighbor builds a lot of estate homes on the beach and he says just that. Many of those people can afford to pay to have a new home built and don't need insurance.
Plus they're smart enough to know when they're getting gouged. Rush always talked about dropping the property insurance on his Palm Beach estate. He would say the math doesn't add up.
Who covers the roof and structure? I'm familiar with those Burg & DiVosta quad unit buildings, they are condos, I would assume that the HOA covers those as you have three attached neighbors. So when you say "self-insured," what does that mean? How much do you pay to your HOA?
B&D's unique construction, at least when I lived there, was all reinforced concrete including the walls, no block walls. They used special forms that allowed for pouring the first-floor walls, second-floor walls, and roof in only one pour.
I'd call them town homes, not condos as there's no one above or below you. The roof is on the HOA. My HOA dues have quadrupled over the years but are still under $10k/year. We do get occasional assessments as well though. Nothing huge. A few grand every few years.
We've re-done the two balconies twice now in 20 or so years. Eastern exposure. Rusted rebar in the concrete.
Any issues with the new rules that have been put in place since the condo collapse?
Even if I'd reported that stolen Van Gogh from a keg party I hosted back in 02, Allstate would have just cancelled my policy anyway. 
Boy, riding out a single storm like this, much less two in three weeks, that’s mega stressful. I’ve had a bear punch his way into my tent but never was I more petrified than I was in a storm in Hilton Head, in a tent. Glad everyone is safe!
The bear would be scarier...
Luckily we've got some really smart people (NHC) telling us days in advance what the likely path and intensity will be. While they occasionally get it wrong, they are usually right. It allows us to make informed decisions, and when we choose to ride the storm out, we do so with the knowledge that our preparations, based on their guidance will usually keep us safe.
Don't get me wrong, it is stressful. You sit there with the house shaking wondering "what if they got this one wrong?". But barring unpredictable micro bursts or tornadoes, if they tell me I'm getting Category 1 winds, I usually do.
But bears? Man, they don't follow a written path!
I'm back home. There's a home to come back to and NFL on the TV. I get to sleep in my bed tonight. Blessed.
My back yard and pool and screen are a different story.
My back yard and pool and screen are a different story.
Oh, I wasn’t really worried about the bear. I knew I could outrun my wife.
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