Why didn't Floridians prepare for Wilma.

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Hurricane Victims Selling Meals on eBay?
Saturday, October 29, 2005

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The government is looking into whether eBay (search) sellers in Gulf Coast states are trying to profit from military foodstuffs handed out for free following hurricanes Katrina (search), Rita and Wilma.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173915,00.html

[Lindaloo]

Believe it or not, kids have even figured out a way to make bombs out of them. There were 4 kids arrested in Alabama for it.

[Molly Bloomberg]

dont know??? maybe some were poor....or maybe some were just plain ignorant!!! yea i did see alot of people on the news saying "we werent expecting this"..........my god......i guess some people just dont understand the strength of hurricanes??????

Why do you assume people did not prepare? Because the governor here criticized the residents to deflect blame? This assumption just makes me burn.
We prepared as much as we could prepare. We can't prepare for a tree falling on our roof. Or the shutters blowing off, or the awning being blown off and shot into the house.
Our inglorious governor, by the way, TOLD Florida residents to NOT buy gas. He said there was 'plenty of gas'. Did it not occur to him there would be now power to pump the gas?
Now who is not prepared?????

Oh this makes me just furious. We are looking at $7,000 deductible (no choice with state wind insurance) and disruption of our lives, and some yahoo is criticising Flroridians for not preparing?

Wow.

[Molly Bloomberg]

After watching the news lately about people having to stand in line for food, water, and gas only one day after Wilma hit, it makes me wonder why didn't they prepare for Wilma. They had some four or five days warning that she was coming. And after seeing what happened last year and earlier this year, I cannot believe that these people were dumb enough to not prepare and then whine about the government not bailing them out of their own stupidity. sorry for the rant.

I should have quoted this one. What makes you assume people did not prepare? Please read my post above. This assumption just burns me up. DO you live here? Did you have damage? Boarding up/shutters does NOT help when a huge tree falls through your roof.

Getting ice and water and gassing up does NOT help when power outages are prolonged and the gas stations have no electricity to pump gas. Our governor told Floridians on the news before the hurricane NOT to get gas - said there would be "plenty of gas". I guess it didn't occur to him that there would not be power to pump the gas. When he got on the radio & tv and criticized Floridians for not preparing I wanted to strangle him.
Why didn't the city prepare better for having gas stations and fuel centers with generators? Why was there only one distribution center for a city of over 75,000 people?

As someone else mentioned, ice lasts only so long. We tried to get more ice BEFORE the hurricane and the local groceries did NOT HAVE any!
We finally bought a generator, after all our food spoiled. Many people cannot afford generators. Oh, and before you judge all those in "Overtown" as drug addicts who won't get a job, maybe you all should go talk to some of those people. Some of them are poor because they don't have the opportunities some of US have had.

It is not Floridians who did not prepare. I am still furious at these kind of comments. These comments are ignorant, and "DUMB" , NOT us.

[Jagno]

I'm with Lindaloo on this one folks. I keep a one year supply of 99% of our necessities from food to deodorant. During Rita I lost it all. Not enough planning on my part because had I thought ahead I would have had an 18 wheeler to take it with me when I evacuated. I did take my 30 gallon portable fuel tank and generator with me as well as 8 cases of water. Try eating on that when you get home. I did find a Texas Road House sign wedged in my back door. Gosh, one of their steaks would be good right now...........................they are located 10 miles from my house.

[Deb321]

Well I personally was prepared here on the east coast. Shutters went up days before Wilma made landfall. I did everything I was supposed to do. I always have my hurricane box of supplies on had and plenty of canned items and water. But, when you have no power for days you have to have ice, just to have some thing cold to drink. This time thank goodness I didn't stay to endure the power outage. My husband works in JAX and has an apartment there so Tuesday afternoon I left for the week. I just couldn't go through the aftermath again. Last year was bad enough and I just couldn't do it again. Thank goodness I hope I won't be here next season. House is for sale and I will be in JAX with husband as soon as we sell it if we ever do. Trying to sell a house during hurricane season is not a good idea.

[olddude]

Much of what has been said in these posts is true, both about people who didn't prep as well as those who did. While I only got cable back yesterday the majority of complaints I have heard have originated in the urban areas. Here in the Keys, it is well known that only a small fraction of the residents evacuated. Those that stayed were prepared and being as this is more rural area there truly was a "neighbor helping neighbor" scene. At least half of the people in my neighborhood on Big Pine have generators as well as stored fuel. I still have other folks food in my freezer.
Seemingly a higher percentage of urban folks don't stock up ahead of time. I could be for many reasons, limited storage space, the store is right at the corner, whatever. Possibly with the large number of people, those without just rate higher media coverage. Hell, after the storm, those Keys residents that came back from evac. said," it was as though the Keys dropped off the face of the earth " in terms of media coverage.
My hats off to the prepared urban dweller, it's a way of life down here.

[artist]

fianlly have power and phone today! Yay!


Molly Bloomberg - here on the east coast many did not prepare! I had to beg my neighbor s to put up their shutters and take it seriously and some still did not. On a street of 40 houses only half maybe put up shutters.
They got lucky a tree branch did not come through a window they only had trees land on their cars! Many in the lines the day after Wilma hit amazed me here ( less than 24 hours from Wilma's departure)- one even said he needed ice for his grandma's diabetic medication to stay cold - less than 24 hours after the storm hit??? If she needed it cold they should have bought ice before hand and kept in the freezer! Here in Palm Beach county many did not take Wilma seriously and it made me sick. Screaming and hollering the government was too slow when Gov. Bush even advised everyone to get a weeks worth - not 3 days - before Wilma hit. True many can't afford a whole weeks worth of food and water, maybe, but I think anyone could find the money for a bag of ice and enough water for 24 hours! Gov. Bush telling us not to hoard gas means (in my opinion) not to go hog wild and buy 50 extra gallons as many have done in the past - I don't think he ver meant not to have a couple of days worth for your generator available. True - who would have guessed that only 2 stations in all Palm Beach county (what I heard) had generators to pump their gas??? Seems doing business with such a hot commodity one would think they would be prepared for such a n event to get ahead of the competition. And never beofre has the power infrastructure been damaged as it was with Wilma as well.

[RoadRenegade]

All the comments were true, and we should vote out Bush. He promised there would be enough fuel, how to pump it is another story. Idiot! To be quite honest, the state needs to step up and require gas stations to have back up generators. This is Florida, and it is not when, but how bad a storm will hit. We are all faced with an increase in tropical activity for the next 20 years or more. We were all lucky enough to aquire generators last year, and having FEMA pay for them was like christmas. I am not one of the many who decided to sell the generators after hurricane season ended. How stupid can people get? A FREE generator, and sell it? All of you have valid commets, I stock up on supply food every year starting in Feb. I used to have people make fun of me, watching the satilites, stocking up, but last year everyone wanted to know what to do. Calling me, of all people, you know the overdo guy! I am glad though, of the people standing in lines one day after. Maybe next time they will know that FEMA is slow and they will be ready!

[Vandora]

To be quite honest, the state needs to step up and require gas stations to have back up generators.

Miami-Dade May Require Generators At Gas Stations

I agree, though. I don't understand why this hasn't been done before. Of course enough fuel isn't a problem as much as GETTING it out. That's a no-brainer!

[Lindaloo]

Does anyone have any proof that the Governor actually advised people they did not have to buy gasoline?

[StormWatcher2]

Good point Lindaloo. I did not hear the Governor say not to buy gasoline. The Governor said that there was a 10 day supply of fuel and therefore there was no need for panic purchases of gasoline.

Stocking up gasoline as a matter of prudent preparation is not panic buying.

As far as the gas stations not having electricity after the storm, I do not understand what part of that is a mystery.

Yes, it would be nice if they all had generators for their pumps, but they don't. Home Depot, WalMart, Lowes, the local hardware stores, all sell gas cans. If you are going to need extra fuel after the storm, full gas cans are great insurance.

[Lindaloo]

Now that makes more sense. Some gas stations (that were not destroyed here) did have generators to pump gas after Katrina. The gas station owners have to buy their own generators.

It is a no brainer to buy gasoline, propane etc. before any hurricane. Common sense should prevail.

[CentralFlGal]

Some folks did not prepare, and that is the point of this thread. After the storm, my husband's Home Depot store was fielding many calls from Floridians affected by Wilma looking for generators. I'll repeat - AFTER the storm. One guy from Miami left his house at 3am and was chasing the gopher all the way to our area at 4pm just to pick up a generator.

For those who did prepare, kudos to you. For others making fun of Central Floridians preparing the week before the storm - my point in another thread of having our needs already taken care of to let our affected neighbors get theirs has been proven. A family from West Palm (I think) stayed at my friends' beach resort, then rented a UHaul and purchased a generator, 15 containers of gasoline, non-perishable items, and a bunch of bags of ice. They didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was.

It reminded me of that movie with Brendan Frasier where he was raised in a nuclear fall-out shelter and had to come up to replenish their supplies (with a rental truck). At least they had a chuckle with that one

They also got to meet Katrina evacuees who have no home to return to...

[x-y-no]

Does anyone have any proof that the Governor actually advised people they did not have to buy gasoline?

I don't have any proof, but my recollection is that he was asking us not to "hoard" gasoline - that there was plenty of supply so there shouldn't be a problem after the storm.

I remember clearly thinking at the time that this assesment was making the assumption that the stations would have power in short order.

[Lindaloo]

And I can bet he meant that there would not be a shortage on gasoline like we saw here after Katrina. And also like they saw after Ivan. It was ridiculous.

[x-y-no]

I should have quoted this one. What makes you assume people did not prepare? Please read my post above. This assumption just burns me up. DO you live here? Did you have damage? Boarding up/shutters does NOT help when a huge tree falls through your roof.

Getting ice and water and gassing up does NOT help when power outages are prolonged and the gas stations have no electricity to pump gas. Our governor told Floridians on the news before the hurricane NOT to get gas - said there would be "plenty of gas". I guess it didn't occur to him that there would not be power to pump the gas. When he got on the radio & tv and criticized Floridians for not preparing I wanted to strangle him.
Why didn't the city prepare better for having gas stations and fuel centers with generators? Why was there only one distribution center for a city of over 75,000 people?

Well, I do live here, and I did have damage (though not as bad as yours) and I think there is some legitimacy to the original post.

Apparently, there were literally people who didn't have one day of supplies (water and food) to get along on - and that's just ridiculous. I've had a lot of hard times in my life - times when I was a step or two away from winding up on the street - and I have never gone through a hurricane season where I didn't put aside a minimum three days supply in a box along with lantern, cookstove, fuel, first aid, etc, entirely separate from my day-to-day groceries. Most years, that's been a 7 day supply.

To me, that's just basic sense.

[StormWatcher2]

The word that was used was "hoard". I think that the underlying message was that the Florida State Government was not going to allow a repeat of what happened with the fuel shortage after Katrina. They had a stockpile.

It was absolutely crazy in the Jackson area for 2 or 3 weeks after Katrina. Police departments ran out of fuel and could not respond to 911 calls. The few stations that had power, and were open, usually did not have fuel. There were lines for miles at any station that did have gas (they ran out before everyone could get fuel) Many people were pushing their cars to the pumps. Car rammings were occurring over who was next in line. Many people were threatened with guns over a spot in a gas line. People were camping overnight at the pumps of closed gas stations and lined up down the road because of rumors that a gas tanker was coming the next day.

I felt blessed that I had the forethought to stock up before the storm. It really wasn't rocket science though.

[Lindaloo]

A major truck stop in Moss Point, MS had to open for emergency vehicles only. We needed fuel for generators and could not get it here. So, we had to go to Mobile, AL.

Chevron/Texaco here in Pascagoula had major damage but they fired up the plant (burning off excess waste). I know they were doing this because the entire eastern sky was orange. It was a great thing to see.

[x-y-no]

And I can bet he meant that there would not be a shortage on gasoline like we saw here after Katrina. And also like they saw after Ivan. It was ridiculous.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I took it.

I don't have any serious criticisms of how either the State or FEMA have handled Wilma. It's been pretty good, IMHO.