satellite steve
(Weather Hobbyist)
Wed Oct 26 2005 12:54 AM
Re: latest TWO

Much as Fl May have preparation for storms in order -- there still is a lot to be improved
Some examples

With Frances & Jeanne our power was out for about 6 days each and there has been no concerted effort to get the power companies to improve infrastructure to make it more storm proof. If poles blow over, new ones go up and they raise our rates instead of working with more underground lines etc. In fact when they ran low on cash Florida Power discontinued their tree trimming program to keep branches away from lines.

Gasoline shortages are universal particularly when evacuation orders are sent out and when Port Everglades closes no fuel can get in for the majority of the state -- when the power is out , the last thing you want to hear is no fuel for the generator

Shelters have also had problems here -- though not on the scale of Superdome. These have included roofs blowing off flooding and inadequate supplies

Finally and I think most importantly despite changes in the building codes we are still building like crazy in the highest risk areas. Waterfront condos are nice but as we saw in Miami even Cat 2-3 storms have signif higher winds a few stories up. Look at the experience of those in Pensacola where thousands of homes are on flat sandy barrier islands that washed over with Dennis and Ivan. And there are plenty of homes going up in low lying flood zones everywhere -- we may not be below sea level, but even 5-6 feet of surge with rain on top puts homes underwater. So from a government standpoint some rethinking needs to be done about how to manage these issues and how to pay the escalating bills if we don't.



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