cars and hurricanes (Sarasota, Doral, Anna Maria: insurance, work, house)

[diddiyo]

hi

i've only been living in miami for a little more than a year now, so i have zero experience with hurricanes.
since my car is slowly going down the drain i might have to buy another car some time this year (although i hope it'll make it into next year). i do not have a garage.

my roommates, who have been living here for many years, told me not to worry about hurricanes too much since i could park my car on the FIU campus parking lot (for example, i live in Doral) where not too much can happen to the car.

my colleagues at work told me pretty much the same. "as long as you don't live by the sea i wouldn't worry too much about hurricanes screwing up your car."

but i'm still not really convinced and would like some input from you guys

thanks in advance!

[doggiebus]

Well I wish we could say nothing will happen to your car. I have heard of people parking their cars in Parking garages. Haven't done it myself, but sounds like a safe bet. We have a garage, but can't fit both cars (we put one car in the garage as the other doesn't fit). So the other car just sits outside. We park it on a side of the house where it is protected by one side by the house, no big trees on that side of the house either. We have done ok doing this, but we really haven't had a bad hurricane either (nothing higher than a Cat2).

I went through a Cat 5 as a teenager, and we left one car outside parked against the garage and it was fine in that storm. But if the storm had come from a different direction, it might of had some damage. So what I am trying to say is no one can tell you, that nothing will happen to your new car. I bought a car after Andrew hit, the car was left outside during the cat 5, nothing was wrong with it except the paint. Little pebbles hit it all over, so I had it repainted and it was fine.

Go get that new car, but also go and get some good insurance not the cheapest insurance, you want to be covered if something does happen. And if you are really worried you can always leave town before the storm in the new car so it doesn't get hit.

[Lilybeans]

Unless a tree falls on your car, or something flies through the glass, cars are pretty safe. About the only thing I've seen happen is they get plastered with leaves. After a hurricane, it looks like winter here-all the leaves get blown off the trees.

[Chelito23]

FIU cracks down on people parking there before storms. If you could, try one of their garages. The surface lots FLOOD in hurricanes and tropical storms.

I agree that a parking garage is your best bet.

[Ladywithafan]

Had to jump in here...besides a tree falling on your car, you might also want to get a map of the flood plane for the area you live in, because once the storm is over, depending on that flood plane, you may have to drive through deep water to get to wherever you're headed next....and don't be surprised if what appears to be an area of wide puddle turns into a 4ft deep pool...and you have water up to your rear view mirror....this happens where ever there is low land ....you can't really tell unless you have that map or you've experienced it.

I have on Anna Maria & downtown Sarasota behind the new Publix on Coconut...we drove down through there last summer, during a July rainstorm ( not anything like a hurricane)...well, all of a sudden, we were up to the rear view mirror in water with no warning...I saw a car on the opposite side of the road, abandoned with water up to the top of the door & told my friend to turn around, he didn't said, don't worry & wosh, there it was & I drive an SUV!

Just be prepared and be aware of your surroundings!

[mejones53]

Following Wilma I remember seeing a lot of cars with broken windows and body damage which looke like something fell on them. My son's car was hit by a relatively small branch and he had about a two month wait before being able to get into the body shop.
Our garage door also had a nice ding on it. My take is that in kind of hurricane related storm all that stuff flying around is bound to hit some cars.

Should that stop you from buying a car? No. Sh#t happens. Get your car.

[tallrick]

Even home garages are not safe, I saw several cars in garages after Andrew, damaged when the garage door blew in or the roof collapsed. It's pure luck whether you get damage or not. The sausage tree destroyed my dad's van during Andrew, and my current car had a mango tree fall on it. Just keep away from trees or roof tiles.