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Those hotels were booked solid by the time the storm turned right, putting Fort Meyers and those areas under threat. I tried to get a hotel room as far as 60 miles away before Sandy and there was none to be had. Many of the hotels also raise prices during times like this, not everyone can afford $400 or $500 a night accommodations.
Yes, you have to book ahead before you know where the storm is going to go and then cancel if the storm changes course and there is no need to evacuate.
If you miss the boat and don't have a room booked, there are always rest stops. Not a great solution but better than risking your life and staying during a Cat 4.
When I was reading about Florida flood insurance costs, I was surprised to see they were 1/3 what I pay in NJ. I think it said the average was about $600 a year.
It depends on the part of Florida. Inland would be less expensive than coastal.
Those hotels were booked solid by the time the storm turned right, putting Fort Meyers and those areas under threat. I tried to get a hotel room as far as 60 miles away before Sandy and there was none to be had. Many of the hotels also raise prices during times like this, not everyone can afford $400 or $500 a night accommodations.
We left the day before and ended up in Augusta, GA in a pet friendly hotel 10 hours away. Rooms were booked all the way to Atlanta and beyond.
When I was reading about Florida flood insurance costs, I was surprised to see they were 1/3 what I pay in NJ. I think it said the average was about $600 a year.
We are < two miles from the Gulf in flood zone X, the 500 year storm designation. They are calling this a 500 year flood. Our FEMA flood insurance is over $700, it was $400 10 years ago. Mortgage companies don’t require flood insurance in Zone X, it’s an option. We have no mortgage but carry flood insurance.
Flood insurance for homes on the water are astronomical and many go bare (no insurance) playing the odds.
Yikes, that sounds crazy. Did you try to find something on the East coast, like maybe in Daytona?
There was nothing available at that late date and with all the wobbles and uncertainty I wanted far away. Not that far though.
We stayed during Irma in 2017 and our FL born neighbor across the street decided to go to her sister’s outside of Orlando. We lost power for 7 hours overnight. Irma blew through the sister’s place taking down trees and power lines. They had no power for over 24 hours.
The neighbors stayed for Ian and their power hadn’t been restored yet. Areas around Orlando have had serious flooding with the torrential rainfall as Ian went by.
Hurricanes have plenty of warning but still have unpredictability in those final hours.
There was nothing available at that late date and with all the wobbles and uncertainty I wanted far away. Not that far though.
We stayed during Irma in 2017 and our FL born neighbor across the street decided to go to her sister’s outside of Orlando. We lost power for 7 hours overnight. Irma blew through the sister’s place taking down trees and power lines. They had no power for over 24 hours.
The neighbors stayed for Ian and their power hadn’t been restored yet. Areas around Orlando have had serious flooding with the torrential rainfall as Ian went by.
Hurricanes have plenty of warning but still have unpredictability in those final hours.
Understood. I remember once evacuating from a hurricane in the Outerbanks. We drove to Williamsburg, Va and the dang thing followed us. There was a ton of rain and the parking lot of our hotel was flooding. We came very close to having our first floor room flooded. But it was nothing like the flooding and damage that happened in OBX.
There was nothing available at that late date and with all the wobbles and uncertainty I wanted far away. Not that far though.
We stayed during Irma in 2017 and our FL born neighbor across the street decided to go to her sister’s outside of Orlando. We lost power for 7 hours overnight. Irma blew through the sister’s place taking down trees and power lines. They had no power for over 24 hours.
The neighbors stayed for Ian and their power hadn’t been restored yet. Areas around Orlando have had serious flooding with the torrential rainfall as Ian went by.
Hurricanes have plenty of warning but still have unpredictability in those final hours.
Amazingly, Orlando still has rising water in some places.
All the water has not yet found its level. People, who had no flooding while it was raining and the storm was raging are now having water come into their homes.
Same with major rivers like the St. Johns. Not all have crested and some people who had no flooding now are seeing water come into homes.
Most of the people they show they interviewed cited staying with their pets. I think it needs to be emphasized it's safer for your pets for you to leave early with them (getting them out of harms way). If you can't get people to care about themselves maybe at least you could get them to want to save their pets. All shelters need to make allowances for pets also.
Agreed.
In my county, this was the first time I noticed that all the shelters allowed pets, so I guess officials are starting to realize if they want people to evacuate they have to provide space for the critters also.
In the past, it was only half the shelters and they filled up first if they reached capacity.
I saw one poor guy and dog in SW FL who stayed. He was holding a 120 lb german shepard above his head as waters came in. Poor dog went under a couple of times as the owner lost his grip or his strength. Dog looked still dazed.
There was nothing available at that late date and with all the wobbles and uncertainty I wanted far away. Not that far though.
We stayed during Irma in 2017 and our FL born neighbor across the street decided to go to her sister’s outside of Orlando. We lost power for 7 hours overnight. Irma blew through the sister’s place taking down trees and power lines. They had no power for over 24 hours.
The neighbors stayed for Ian and their power hadn’t been restored yet. Areas around Orlando have had serious flooding with the torrential rainfall as Ian went by.
Hurricanes have plenty of warning but still have unpredictability in those final hours.
That happened to me once. Evacuated the coast and went 50 miles inland to my niece's. It missed the coast but inland areas were hit hard with downed trees, etc. It's hard to predict exactly where it will effect most even a day before. I laid awake all night with my niece's crying twin infants in the next room for nothing, lol.
Then of course next day I was dying to get home and just get some rest. But even though the coast was missed, they still had the main highway to the shore points closed the next day, for hours and hours, with blockade in front of the entrance south. I ended up getting on north and making illegal U-turn. No debris. no down lines, nothing at all on the roads down there and there was absolutely no reason to still have it closed. Things like that make people reluctant to evacuate next time.
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