Hurricanes - worth it? (Jacksonville, Clearwater: hotels, house, neighborhood)

[tackup3]

For those living in Jacksonville....do the benefits of living there make dealing with Hurricanes worth it?

If you could do it all over, would you move there again?

[bale002]

Originally Posted by tackup3

For those living in Jacksonville....do the benefits of living there make dealing with Hurricanes worth it?

If you could do it all over, would you move there again?

More people died in the recent earthquake in one region of Mexico in a few seconds than in the entire Caribbean basin and SE US over a period of 10 days or so.

Experienced Floridians know how to prepare for hurricanes. True, among those at high risk of storm surge, a few refuse to evacuate and they have their reasons. True, some die as a result of foolish behavior and freak accidents that are derivatives of the hurricane, not a direct cause. True, some suffer property damage, and in some isolated cases catastrophic, but nothing that can't be rebuilt and better.

The biggest problem for the vast majority of people is suffering one day to a few weeks without electricity, which mostly means no air-conditioning, and, recently, possibly no cell phone and internet service.

And those problems can be solved with more expansive and better underground or otherwise smarter networks.

If sea levels rise, we will build on stilts, build more canals, and travel locally by vaporetto.

We lost a lot of agricultural produce, but we can wait till next season, Bandini.

You gotta make a last stand somewhere, and, for many, Jacksonville and the rest of Florida are worth it, since 1819 and counting. Ask Andrew, Jackson.

[Ivan Putski]

Originally Posted by tackup3

For those living in Jacksonville....do the benefits of living there make dealing with Hurricanes worth it?

If you could do it all over, would you move there again?

We've been here for 2 years and although I struggled to adjust somewhat in my 1st year, I would definitely do it again. I've been through Sandy in NJ (lost power for 11 days) so dealing with Matthew/Irma where we only lost power for 24 hours wasn't so bad. Sure evacuating is a pain and you're on an emotional roller coaster while you wait for the storm to arrive/pass but it's the price we pay to live close to the ocean and enjoy the beach 8 months out of the year.

We went back and forth at least 10 times regarding our decision to evacuate. We booked 2 hotels, cancelled both at the last minute since we "thought" we'd be in the path of the hurricane. We had to keep hitting refresh on a hotel website when finally a room popped up... We would have stayed if it was just my wife and me but we have a 3 year old and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to him.

Now had we been hit like Key West/Naples etc., I may have a completely different response...

[kyle19125]

As a Florida native who had managed to miss the major storms like Andrew and Charley while living out of state, it wasn't until now that I had experienced a storm and aftermath like Irma provided. Quite frankly I hope to never experience anything quite like it again in terms of the anxiety of waiting for it to arrive, the unknown of what your house/neighborhood will look like after it stops raging around you for 12 hours in total darkness, and the third world conditions many are left with minus electricity/hot water and basic provisions for a few days in many instances. A perpetually warm climate isn't worth it to me anymore and quite frankly given the stressful elements of life in general of late would rather be somewhere minus the possibility of catastrophic weather events that are most likely going to amplify, if one has any kind of belief system in global warming's effects as we move forward. I for one am looking to move to someplace like the mountains in NC/SC/VA which aren't prone to the climate anxiety we face here.

[Florida2014]

Originally Posted by tackup3

For those living in Jacksonville....do the benefits of living there make dealing with Hurricanes worth it?

If you could do it all over, would you move there again?

The short answer: absolutely. I've lived in areas that don't have hurricanes and they have their own issues, namely the occasional tornado, snowstorms, months and months of cold and dreary weather, high cost of living, etc. If the worst that happens to us is a category 1 hurricane that does no real significant damage then I'm good. I know others who live in different areas (San Marco, beaches, etc.) may feel differently.

[843904]

Originally Posted by tackup3

For those living in Jacksonville....do the benefits of living there make dealing with Hurricanes worth it?

If you could do it all over, would you move there again?

Really?

If you have any doubts in your mind whatsoever, do NOT move here. Why bother living with the anxiety & fear?

Every place has it's "issues". Jax is fortunate as overall, we don't get a lot of hurricanes. The past two years have been anomalies. To be enjoying bright sunny days in the winter while poor saps up north struggle with the cold & damp, grey weather, oh yeah, it's worth it.

[Camaro5]

When I took early retirement last December at 62 1/2 we wanted to relocate to a warmer climate. Florida was on our list and Jacksonville was a consideration, as was the Clearwater area where my wife's mom lives. Ultimately we chose Henderson, NV over Florida, mostly because of the humidity, but hurricanes were a factor in that decision.

Of course, there were other reasons, but for as hot and dry as Southern Nevada can be in the summer it is relatively benign when it comes to major weather events. We're also not really beach goers, nor do we boat or fish. If we were, the decision may have been different, but hurricanes were one of the reasons we didn't want to move there.

[Thundarr457]

We moved to Jax last year. The day after we bought our house Matthew hit, but we were not living there yet and the damage was the responsibility of the previous owners. The roof was damaged and replaced (we kicked in some money to pay for a new architectural grade job). There was minor tree damage as well. Irma trashed a bunch of trees and fortunately none fell on our house, it could have just as easily been a disaster. Coming from Buffalo with our many snowstorms and cold weather this is more stressful because you don't have to evacuate for a snowstorm and the worst that can happen is being stuck in your house for awhile. Here you face the possibility your house will fall on you or flood. Do I regret moving here, absolutely not. Its so nice the rest of the time. Buffalo was so depressing especially in the winter with the grey skies and freezing temperatures. In term of tree damage this does not compare with the October Surprise of October 12, 2006. I had no power for 3 weeks and froze in my house with no heat, no hot water, no lights. I would come home from work (in a city 30 miles away that was not affected) to the drone of generators (I never bought one and none were available). There were at least 10 times the branches and leaves that we are moving here plus its not 20 degrees out.

[Turbogyrl]

Thank you positive posters.

We haven't closed on our house yet... I've been up and down and all around...but we are under contract and cleared to close in a few weeks AND can't find any other place that we can agree on, so Florida it is.

I've heard many people say one hurricane every few years is easier than snow and cold every year...

Time will tell.

[Capricorngrl1177]

I'm moving there from New York next week, and I'm not letting what happened with Irma decrease my excitement.

It's par for the course. The west coast gets earthquakes, the midwest gets tornadoes and the southern east coast gets hurricanes. (Sometimes NE too. I know a lot of people who lost power for weeks after Sandy.) I'd rather deal with a hurricane than shovel snow.