And it is those who experienced just the "effects" who become complacent. They just "think" they've been through a major storm...
I can't agree with this more.
that was a huge problem after Frances and Jeanne hit here back to back in 2004. Even though some areas only experienced minimal conditions, they thought they had experienced the fullest force of them. And then when Wilma came along and gave some of these same people her fullest affects, they were floored
It makes people think they are experts. Trouble is that Wilma was sort of a quick slap, vs a life changing experience.
It seems that many people assign the maximum strength of the storm to what they experienced, regardless of where they were in relation to the storm and what they actually experienced.
Another thing about Wilma is that it came through SE FL as a CAT 2 not a CAT 3.
Most folks saw sustained CAT 1, maybe some sustained CAT 2, even at the eyewall in Coral Springs/Parkland/West Boca saw just a few minutes of CAT1 winds.
The direct result of that storm - an inconvenient loss of power for a number of days, maybe a couple weeks if you lived in certain areas. Standing in long gas lines was also experienced by all, but likely not required. Some, maybe even most, of the folks stood in gas lines for generator gas, or for something to do. Not because they really needed gas. Oh and driving while there are no streetlights.
I shudder to think what would happen even with a CAT 3 storm here. Most homes near the eyewall would have the roof removed. If she comes in parallel to the coast at a decent clip, right down Port Everglades/595, that would take out the port, thus removing fuel for a number of weeks from most of the southern half of FL, the airport, which likely would stay down for a couple weeks, potentially damage a major arterial roadway, all boatbuilding and refit facilities (I work in the yacht world, NONE of these boatyards are ready for a storm), and would remove the roofs and perhaps some external walls from possibly 10,000 homes. The disaster would be epic, leaving some 50,000 people homeless.
Nobody (with a few exceptions) really takes these things as seriously as they should, the gubmint knows how to continue thank god (the EOC is built like a tank), but most people seriously expect the government to come in and distribute food and water and ice afterwards.
Note to Broward residents. Expect no ice deliveries anymore. There may be water, but ice is a no-go. At least that was the word at the EOC a few months back.
This right here should be enough to make people lose any thought that the government can and will help you out after a disaster. Folks really need to prepare:
After Hurricane Ike many residents applied to FEMA for loans and FEMA trailers. Many residents were forced to wait several weeks until their trailers arrived. Some waited for up to two months living in hotels, homes of relatives several miles away, or in their homes with no power or running water. Many residents were very angry at the response that FEMA gave to the problem. Responsible people who had prepared by buying insurance were declined any aid at all, even if need was proven, while people who had not prepared, who had bought no or inadequate insurance, were offered help. Some residents who needed a trailer had almost finished repairing their homes by the time their trailers arrived. Residents in Bridge City were outraged that FEMA had not given their homes inspections so that they could apply for loans and trailers. In an effort to help Bridge City, people in Port Neches, Nederland, and residents of Bridge City whose homes had not been damaged offered their services to the people of Bridge City in an effort to speed up the rebuilding of Bridge City
I discovered it's a little bit difficult to start one from scratch on the heels of an interstate move. I've got the most important stuff, and hopefully I'll have everything good to go before things really get heated up.
