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Laughing out loud, here. For sure, my life wouldn't be exciting enough for you. You clearly need a challenge.
I've lived in WI for 72 years.
In the past 50 years, I've never experienced:
Drought
Wildfire
Hurricane
Tornado - although they do occur in rural WI areas and wide-open spaces
Loss of Electricity for 10-14 days - most was once for 6 hours about 15 yrs. ago.
Loss of running water
Snakes in a pond in my front yard
Loss of trash collection
Bears eating from the garbage buildup, although raccoons from nearby park often pay nocturnal visits to our backyard trash - they can chew through and climb up and open anything
Gas stations with no gas
We also don't get terrible ice and snowstorms experienced in the NE resulting in loss of power for weeks - although we do get cold and snow - none of it causing a standstill for more than 24 hours at any one time - once or twice a year, tops. Right now about -3 outside. Loss of utilities is nonexistent - so far - where I live.
Worst we ever had was a lot of rain about five years ago - basement flooded w 4 ft of water, FEMA paid $3k to fix damage. Flood due to overconstruction in the suburbs north of us which ruined topography and water drainage. New storm tunnels have since been built. Neighbors two houses north on a different sewer line in homes much older than mine - no flooding whatsoever.
Completely baffled by people whose lives have been totally destroyed because of bad weather and continue to rebuild in these areas.
To each his own.
What happened in the 22 years before the last 50 ?
FWIW - we've been in Florida for 40+ years (about half in south Florida - half in north Florida).
We've had drought and wildfires (in 1998-99). The county to the south of us was totally evacuated as a result of fires in 1998:
People move here from elsewhere - and don't understand fire risks at all. This happens in other parts of the country too. My aunt/uncle who lived in San Diego County were ordered evacuated at least a couple of times as a result of fires. No fun winding up in the football stadium at 3 am when you're 80+ and your husband has Alzheimer's.
We've had hurricanes/tropical storms (most were minor where we lived but Andrew wasn't).
A couple of tiny tornadoes associated with thunderstorm fronts (they're not anything like what you see in other parts of the country).
Loss of power/water/trash collection/just about every amenity you can think of for 2 months+ after Andrew (we relocated to a hotel 50 miles north of home during that time). Friends to the south of us were decimated for much longer periods of time.
No snakes in ponds (but some snakes in trees after heavy rains).
No bears. But deer and other critters. We keep our trash cans in the garage except on trash mornings and the racoons are content to feed at the bottom of bird feeders (took us 5+ years to figure out how to keep them off the bird feeders - I think raccoons are smarter than a lot of people).
No ice storms or similar. No snow either. Inland here they're supposed to be getting sleet tonight - first time since 1989 IIRC (we do get below freezing temps in the winter - but they're usually not combined with precipitation). Ice storms (common in a lot of the SE) can be a real killer in terms of losing power. It's bad enough losing power when it's warm out - awful when it's cold. Where my late inlaws lived in NC - they had winter ice storm power outages at least once every couple of years or so.
No flooding except during Andrew as a result of our condo roof being torn up. Our basements never get flooded because we don't have basements .
Overall - not bad. But I tell people all the time that windstorms and flooding are real risks here. And that - unless they can afford to self-insure - good insurance is expensive. Especially the "insurance frills" like relocation coverage if your property has to undergo extensive repairs and you can't live in it for a while. There is no way I would live today - or would have ever lived in a place for more than 24 hours or so without power/water/etc. Perhaps people might have called me "spoiled" 25 years ago. Today I'm a senior and can use my age as an excuse . Also - there is no insurance that covers the costs of evacuating before a storm - which is often mandatory and almost always prudent.
FWIW - if FEMA stopped subsidizing lousy/any construction in flood prone areas (which are as often in inland places near rivers as coastal places near the ocean) through federal flood insurance - there would be a lot less of it. FEMA is starting to cut back on the subsidies now - and people (including many politicians) are screaming bloody murder. And I don't believe in state/taxpayer subsidized windstorm insurance programs either. Robyn
People move here from elsewhere - and don't understand fire risks at all. This happens in other parts of the country too. My aunt/uncle who lived in San Diego County were ordered evacuated at least a couple of times as a result of fires. No fun winding up in the football stadium at 3 am when you're 80+ and your husband has Alzheimer's.
We've had hurricanes/tropical storms (most were minor where we lived but Andrew wasn't).
A couple of tiny tornadoes associated with thunderstorm fronts (they're not anything like what you see in other parts of the country).
Loss of power/water/trash collection/just about every amenity you can think of for 2 months+ after Andrew (we relocated to a hotel 50 miles north of home during that time). Friends to the south of us were decimated for much longer periods of time.
No snakes in ponds (but some snakes in trees after heavy rains).
No bears. But deer and other critters. We keep our trash cans in the garage except on trash mornings and the racoons are content to feed at the bottom of bird feeders (took us 5+ years to figure out how to keep them off the bird feeders - I think raccoons are smarter than a lot of people).
No ice storms or similar. No snow either. Inland here they're supposed to be getting sleet tonight - first time since 1989 IIRC (we do get below freezing temps in the winter - but they're usually not combined with precipitation). Ice storms (common in a lot of the SE) can be a real killer in terms of losing power. It's bad enough losing power when it's warm out - awful when it's cold. Where my late inlaws lived in NC - they had winter ice storm power outages at least once every couple of years or so.
No flooding except during Andrew as a result of our condo roof being torn up. Our basements never get flooded because we don't have basements .
Overall - not bad. But I tell people all the time that windstorms and flooding are real risks here. And that - unless they can afford to self-insure - good insurance is expensive. Especially the "insurance frills" like relocation coverage if your property has to undergo extensive repairs and you can't live in it for a while. There is no way I would live today - or would have ever lived in a place for more than 24 hours or so without power/water/etc. Perhaps people might have called me "spoiled" 25 years ago. Today I'm a senior and can use my age as an excuse . Also - there is no insurance that covers the costs of evacuating before a storm - which is often mandatory and almost always prudent.
FWIW - if FEMA stopped subsidizing lousy/any construction in flood prone areas (which are as often in inland places near rivers as coastal places near the ocean) through federal flood insurance - there would be a lot less of it. FEMA is starting to cut back on the subsidies now - and people (including many politicians) are screaming bloody murder. And I don't believe in state/taxpayer subsidized windstorm insurance programs either. Robyn
My son purchased a townhouse in Jacksonville Beach. He was advised that he didn't need to purchase flood insurance because the property is not in a flood zone. Thus, he did not purchase it. HE LIVES EAST of A1A. I just don't get it.
Wilma, in 2005, was it? ...did hit this park and some had damage but only a very few were substantial enough to disrupt their living...mostly things like carports and lanais and loose things being blown around..
Wilma was in 2005. But the fact that it inflicted minor damage where you live is more a factor of where your location is relative to where the brunt of the storm hit than anything else. A lot of people don't understand that hurricanes - especially the most intense ones - tend to have fairly narrow paths of great destruction (think of a figure skater doing a spin - the faster the spin - the closer arms are drawn to the body). I am sure people in Florida can run into people in Broward County today who say that Hurricane Andrew wasn't a big deal - because Andrew didn't pack much of a punch in Broward County. It would be like my saying that Charley/Frances/Jeanne weren't big deals (we were affected by them - but only had minor league problems compared with those they inflicted where they made landfall). I don't think any person's odds of being hit by a major storm in Florida are very high. Still - one can never rule the possibility either. Robyn
My son purchased a townhouse in Jacksonville Beach. He was advised that he didn't need to purchase flood insurance because the property is not in a flood zone. Thus, he did not purchase it. HE LIVES EAST of A1A. I just don't get it.
Whoever gave him that advice is a moron. I live about 5 miles down the road in PVB. East of A1A you're less than a mile to the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Perhaps 2 miles to the ICW to the west. We all live on the same pretty much totally flat barrier island just a few feet above sea level. And - for people who don't understand barrier islands - when we have storms - the water comes up from both sides. Plus - JAX Beach is notorious for bad/antiquated drainage and flooding even during bad rain periods (damage as a result of sewer backup and other drainage issues is normally covered by a rider to a regular HOA policy - not a FEMA flood policy - but it depends on exactly what happens - it's advisable to have both coverages).
FWIW - we pay about $475/year for maximum FEMA flood coverage (building and contents). Doubt the premium would be much different in JAX Beach. And your son would be an idiot not to buy the coverage (some real estate brokers will say anything to make a sale!). Robyn
P.S. Even if his mortgage company doesn't require flood insurance - well it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have it. We haven't had a mortgage for decades - but have always had flood insurance.
What happened in the 22 years before the last 50 ?
I was a "kid."
When I was a kid we had -10 routinely for a couple of straight weeks (or so it seemed) every winter, tons of snow, never lost power that I can recall. Do remember the snowstorm of 1947- four-five feet of snow in our backyard - right up to the roof our playhouse. Still have pictures of me, my cousins and aunt sitting on the roof of that playhouse. Snowbanks taller than I was at the time.
Quote:
January 28-30, 1947. 18.0 inches.
Arguably the worst snowstorm that ever struck Milwaukee. The three-day snowfall total from records was 18 inches, but this amount is likely to be far below the actual amount that fell, due to the considerable blowing and drifting. During the height of the storm the winds were northeast at 25 to 45 mph and visibilities were near zero in the moderate to heavy snow and blowing snow. Huge drifts, as high as 15 feet, brought all traffic to a standstill and not until the 31st was partial train and streetcar service restored. All stores, factories, offices, and schools were closed from two to four days with many people stranded in cars, buses, trains, railroad depots, and hotel lobbies. The snowstorm was perhaps the longest, worst, and most costliest in Milwaukee history.
I remember "tunnel" my dad and uncle shoveled across the road - so we could get to our neighbors. Our winters of today are nothing like those I grew up with and lived with until the 90's or thereabouts. Still didn't have hurricane, fire, tornado - and certainly not floods. Flooding is a new wrinkle w/climate change and topography.
Whoever gave him that advice is a moron. I live about 5 miles down the road in PVB. East of A1A you're less than a mile to the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Perhaps 2 miles to the ICW to the west. We all live on the same pretty much totally flat barrier island just a few feet above sea level. And - for people who don't understand barrier islands - when we have storms - the water comes up from both sides. Plus - JAX Beach is notorious for bad/antiquated drainage and flooding even during bad rain periods (damage as a result of sewer backup and other drainage issues is normally covered by a rider to a regular HOA policy - not a FEMA flood policy - but it depends on exactly what happens - it's advisable to have both coverages).
FWIW - we pay about $475/year for maximum FEMA flood coverage (building and contents). Doubt the premium would be much different in JAX Beach. And your son would be an idiot not to buy the coverage (some real estate brokers will say anything to make a sale!). Robyn
P.S. Even if his mortgage company doesn't require flood insurance - well it doesn't mean it doesn't make sense to have it. We haven't had a mortgage for decades - but have always had flood insurance.
Yes, I thought it was dumb too, but I didn't find out until a few months ago. I'll pass on the info, thanks.
Absolutely a factor in my decision to relocate there. The Cleveland Clinic is doing research in a rare illness I have. They are supposed to have some of the most knowledgeable doctors in the country on the subject. And having a couple of good friends and close to relatives in nearby Toronto and Chicago is another factor.
You should look into senior complexes in Lakewood, OH, which is adjacent to Cleveland. Lakewood is very compact and very walkable. The city has tons of senior services.
To be honest, if the taxes were NOT so high,I would retire to Lakewood as we loved the area and the great neighborhoods.
BTW, Lakewood Hospital is affiliated with the Cleveland Clinic and is a good hospital. And there is great public transportation.
I don't think any person's odds of being hit by a major storm in Florida are very high. Still - one can never rule the possibility either. Robyn
Of course this is true but when considering where to live, few places are exempt from possibilities of getting whacked by Mother Nature.
As for here in Naples, I was assured that there is so much 'money' in this this town that hurricanes aren't allowed
Few places are safe from man-made disasters either.
You can say that again! Some threads from City-Data come to mind.
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. Also - there is no insurance that covers the costs of evacuating before a storm - which is often mandatory and almost always prudent.
I just don't get it.
