Severe Weather

[Ghost Econ]

Not as horrendous as wildfires, but it's currently 97 degrees at 7 PM with 70% humidity. My dog keeps looking at me wondering why we're not going for a evening walk.

[miami_fan]

It's early but a system is brewing near the Yucatán Peninsula heading through the Gulf of Mexico. Not a big build up but the Gulf's record temps could be an issue.

[miami_fan]

And now we have a possible CAT 3 going to hit on sometime Wednesday morning. That has been an old school hurricane buildup like it used to be prior to all the tracking that has given us 2-3 weeks or more of advanced notice. We got the first official advisory for the tropical depression at 5pm on Saturday.

Of course, there is mayhem in the stores.

[GrantDawg]

My boss was heading down to vacation in St. George tomorrow. He prepaid, and it doesn't look like he is getting his money back.

[Lathum]

Wife is in Florida for work, but on the east coast and looks to be OK. I am watching the Weather channel and they seem to have a bit of an ominous tone. Not sure if its dramatics or if this thing is going to cause some real issues.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Wife is in Florida for work, but on the east coast and looks to be OK. I am watching the Weather channel and they seem to have a bit of an ominous tone. Not sure if its dramatics or if this thing is going to cause some real issues.

The biggest concern was the Panhandle area can't handle another big one right now and the southwest part of the state can't handle another big one right now. The latest projection has it rolling through Ceder Key which got hit by Tropical Storm Eta a few years ago.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

The biggest concern was the Panhandle area can't handle another big one right now and the southwest part of the state can't handle another big one right now. The latest projection has it rolling through Ceder Key which got hit by Tropical Storm Eta a few years ago.

Been watching. She is in West Palm so well enough away. I just hope she doesn't have trouble getting home Thursday.

[GrantDawg]

No storm of this strength has ever hit the Apalachee Bay area. They are warning this could be very, very bad.

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[Flasch186]

A HUGE problem is the home owners insurance situation in the state is already in shambles so this will be a major problem for homeowners and those looking to buy a home in the near future


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[GrantDawg]

Still hasn't made landfall, and has intensified to a Cat 4. Just a monster coming in.

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[Edward64]

Not going to complain about the overcast skies and light rain north of Atlanta. Hope FloraBama doesn't get washed away (again).

It was projected to make landfall later Wednesday morning as a Category 4 storm with winds of at least 130 mph in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula.

[Ghost Econ]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Still hasn't made landfall, and has intensified to a Cat 4. Just a monster coming in.

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Probably because the water is a billion degrees this year

[GrantDawg]

It dropped down to Cat 3 again just as it is about to hit. Looking at near 16 foot storm surge. It is flooding all the way down to Clearwater.

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[Thomkal]

Stay safe everyone in its path (including me eventually)

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Flasch186

A HUGE problem is the home owners insurance situation in the state is already in shambles so this will be a major problem for homeowners and those looking to buy a home in the near future


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The Florida legislature was supposed to address this but ran out of time because they were busy attacking Disney and drag queens. Elections have consequences.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

It dropped down to Cat 3 again just as it is about to hit. Looking at near 16 foot storm surge. It is flooding all the way down to Clearwater.

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Some of the pictures out of Clearwater are amazing. According to reports, we did not get abnormal wind in this area. So the pictures of massive flooding without trees, boats, other debris blocking the roads belies what is the norm. Normally, fire rescue crews can't get to burning homes because of debris in the road. Currently, they can't get their due to flooding.

[miami_fan]

Dola, high tide will arrive in this area will be anywhere from between 11:30-1:00pm so it may get worse before it gets better.

[Ksyrup]

Originally Posted by Lathum

The Florida legislature was supposed to address this but ran out of time because they were busy attacking Disney and drag queens. Elections have consequences.

They've been trying to address this since Andrew 31 years ago and haven't come up with a long-term solution. I was at the DOI in the aftermath of the law and reg changes that were put in place to stop companies from pulling out and the creation of what is now Citizens Property Insurance. It's always been a mess. But it was fun as a young attorney writing briefs to the federal court explaining why forcing an insurer to continue insuring homes is not a violation of the 13th Amendment.

[cuervo72]

Long term solution is probably to move elsewhere until we can get the carbon out of the atmosphere.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Long term solution is probably to move elsewhere until we can get the carbon out of the atmosphere.

If it were just Mother Nature and climate change that would be one thing. Unfortunately it is not.

Why Is Homeowners Insurance In Florida Such A Disaster? – Forbes Advisor

Six of the top 15 metropolitan areas at risk for storm surge in the U.S.—Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, Bradenton, Fort Myers and Naples—are all located in the eye of “storm surge,” wind-driven water strong enough to drive homes right off their foundations, according to CoreLogic, which rates potential property damage nationwide.

After the massive losses from the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes, insurance companies such as State Farm—the nation’s largest home insurer—notified Florida officials it was scaling back operations and it would stop offering property insurance to residents. Other major insurers followed suit.

This makes sense.

Due to insurance policy rules that allow Florida policyholders up to three years to make a claim, it took more than a year for what insurers call the “loss creep” to start catching up.

Florida homeowners insurance rate increase filings with the state’s insurance department started pouring in last fall and regulators couldn’t deny them. Florida insurers saw a profit of almost $800 million in 2014 dwindle to a net loss of $340 million in 2019, according to Citizens CEO Barry Gilway.

I have told the stories of the majority of houses in my development getting new roofs and of a neighbor getting a new roof due to a "wind storm" 6+ months prior.

Florida’s current and unconventional insurance structure is based on “reinsurance,” which protects insurers from major catastrophe losses like hurricanes. Its property insurers—many of which came into existence after the 2004-2005 calamities—don’t possess a lot of capital to pay claims the way major insurers that have left, or trimmed down coverage, can.

Instead, these insurers rely on private capital like hedge funds that put up billions of dollars, gambling that hurricanes won’t happen so often that they’ll lose money. But if they do, they’ll raise their rates. And reinsurers in Florida are predicting they’ll be raising their rates 25% to 45%, according to Artemis.

Capitalism. Not a judgement, just a fact.

One of these laws is the “assignment of benefits,” or AOB. This law allows a homeowner with any kind of ordinary property claim—like a leaky air conditioner on the roof that damaged the house while the occupants were away—to turn the insurance claim over to a contractor instead of negotiating a settlement with the insurer. Here’s more about AOB from Citizens Property Insurance.

Not surprisingly, the cost of these claims almost tripled in South Florida as contractors took the ball and ran with it, according to the Florida Consumer Protection Coalition.

I have heard the cost of roofs of similar houses in my development range from $14,000 to $31,000

And what’s even worse for insurers is another state law known as “one way attorney fees.” Its intention is to shield policyholders from legal bills if they want to sue insurers for failure to pay or lowball claims. But coupled with AOB, it’s become a bonanza for both contractors and lawyers, according to spokesperson Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute in Florida, which represents property insurers.

Contractors can file massive insurance claims lawsuits, since they won’t be on the hook for any legal costs, and lawyers can continuously add to their fees until the insurer settles. Even if the insurance company wins in court, the legal fees can wind up costing more than the win was worth. Friedlander said that a tort reform package failed in the 2020 legislature.

Thanks for protecting policyholders?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Cheery reading for a likely future FL resident.

(I was aware already, it's just depressing a.f.)

[miami_fan]

And I can't forget to dish out the insurance companies' share of the blame.


Florida regulators warned of insurance company manipulations years ago

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Cheery reading for a likely future FL resident.

(I was aware already, it's just depressing a.f.)

Nice.

I thought you weren't ever going to move though?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Nice.

I thought you weren't ever going to move though?

I don't know how much longer I can take being here is kinda the problem. And, honestly, not sure there's much sense in me being this far from the kid

[Edward64]

Yup I get it. Do you know whereabouts?

[albionmoonlight]

Mrs. A's mom moved up here a while ago soon after her husband passed. And zero regrets on her part.

And you're doing Will a favor. As you get older, he'll like being close to you to help (and I know you've talked about not wanting to be a burden, but watching Mrs. A, you won't be. He's going to worry about you anyway, so giving him a way to help will be better for him than having him worry from afar).

[Ksyrup]

If only my parents had listened to this advice (which we had given them multiple times) before a couple months ago...

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Yup I get it. Do you know whereabouts?

I mean, it's all still hypothetical at the moment. Earliest likely exit from here, if everything went right/according to working plans, would be late summer 2024.

But IF everything else (in his life) goes according to plan then almost certainly south Florida. Whether that's Miami proper (more likely tbh) or the broader Miami-area would come down to what I found, where I found it, when I found it.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

And you're doing Will a favor. As you get older, he'll like being close to you to help (and I know you've talked about not wanting to be a burden, but watching Mrs. A, you won't be. He's going to worry about you anyway, so giving him a way to help will be better for him than having him worry from afar).

As a son whose mother currently live 20 minutes away and a father who lives 5 hours away, I enthusiastically prefer the parent living 20 minute away option.

[GrantDawg]

Just watched an interesting Tik Tok that listed the deadliest tornadoes in each state. The fact that many states deadliest storms only had zero or one death was interesting. But the state that had the deadliest storm was not who I expected. Illinois had a tornado (actually the same tornado hit Missouri and Indiana as well) that killed 613 (695 total) in 1925. 234 in the town of Murphysboro alone.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Down from 1000 to 400 unaccounted for. Horrendous, some people should be fired at the very least.

385 still unaccounted for ...

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-lah...s-maui-hawaii/

The number of people on the official list of those missing from the Maui wildfire stood at 385 on Friday, nearly unchanged from a week earlier.

In a news release, the Maui Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation said 245 people on the list of 388 made public the previous week were located and removed. However, a nearly equal number of new names were added.

Somewhere on another thread, I made a comment about how awful it must be for those people that have to recover remains like in the Titanic submersible mess. I can't imagine what those folks are going through in Maui.

[Edward64]

Not weather related but severe flooding because of a busted dam, so figure its close enough.

Pretty horrible situation in Libya.

Libya floods: death toll passes 5,100. Follow the latest | AP News

Ossama Ali, a spokesman for an ambulance center in eastern Libya, said at least 5,100 deaths were recorded in Derna, along with around 100 others elsewhere in eastern Libya. More than 7,000 people in the city were injured.

A spokesman for the eastern Libyan interior ministry put the death tally in Derna at more than 5,300, according to the state-run news agency.

The number of deaths was likely to increase since teams are still collecting bodies, Ali said. At least 9,000 people are missing, but that number could drop as communications are restored.

[GrantDawg]

How about some good weather in this thread? Today was sensational. Humidity was light. The temp only got to the low 80's. Worked my butt off all day outside and barely broke a sweat. Just a littler cooler and we would hit perfection. Fall is the best time of year.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Edward64

385 still unaccounted for ...

Somewhere on another thread, I made a comment about how awful it must be for those people that have to recover remains like in the Titanic submersible mess. I can't imagine what those folks are going through in Maui.

List of Maui unaccounted for has been greatly reduced.

Number of people still missing after apocalypic fires ripped through Maui falls to 12 - with at least 97 killed by blaze | Daily Mail Online

The number of uncounted individuals in the Maui wildfire disaster is down to 12, according to the name list announced by Maui Police Department Friday.

The department released its sixth credible list of names, indicating that 12 people are still missing, down from 22 last week.

The task of identifying victims in the horrific blaze continues, following the tragic loss of at least 97 lives in August.

[Edward64]

I like the Rock. I know there's his awful Black Adam movie and feud with Vin Diesel but don't think he's done anything egregious (?). His apology is pretty good, no equivocation.

FWIW, I personally don't think this foopah was that bad (he and Oprah put up $5M each) but yeah, I'd maybe reach out to all my circle of rich friends first before asking the regular person.

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson addresses Maui fund backlash: 'I get it and I completely understand' | CNN

“When we first launched the fund, there was some backlash,” Johnson said in a video posted to his Instagram page on Sunday, adding, “I get it and I completely understand, and I could’ve been better. And next time I will be better.”

Johnson went on to say that he understands “money ain’t falling out of the sky, and it’s not growing on trees, and there’s a lot of people out there who’s living paycheck to paycheck. And I get it, and I know what that’s like.”

“The last thing you want to hear when you are living from paycheck to paycheck is someone asking you for money, especially when the person asking you for money already has a lot of money,” he said.

In August, Johnson and Winfrey first announced they created the People’s Fund of Maui via a video posted to their Instagram pages, saying they each contributed $5 million to get the campaign started.

There are now 10 still unaccounted for. Official death toll is 98.

On Friday the Maui Police Department posted the seventh list of the names of individuals who have been reported unaccounted for or missing — there are 10 total — following the Lahaina wildfire disaster Aug. 8.
:
Total estimated fatalities are now 98, 93 people have been indented and the families notified, and one person has been ID’d but the family has not been located or notified.

[flere-imsaho]

Egregious is correct, but it's faux pas. This post brought to you by my mother being a professional copy editor when I was a kid.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by flere-imsaho

... my mother being a professional copy editor when I was a kid.

I can only imagine what all professional copy editors think of the stuff churned out nowadays.

[flere-imsaho]

Not a lot, I'll tell you that much.

[JeeberD]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I can only imagine what all professional copy editors think of the stuff churned out nowadays.

My brother was a copy editor in his younger days, and he's constantly making corrections (in the comments) to headlines that his old paper posts on Facebook.

[Ksyrup]

This is insane. "Superfog" created by fog and marsh fires caused accidents totaling over 150 cars in Louisiana. At least 7 dead. You can see in two separate videos there must have been multiple sites along the interstate, and I'm assuming the dead were in the burnt out sections. Just horrible.

WATCH: Hundreds of cars pile-up today in dense “super fog” on I-55, west of New Oreans

Dense fog and smoke from two marsh fires combined early Monday to create a "superfog" that blanketed I-55, causing a half-mile of deadly, chain-reaction crashes that shut down the highway in… pic.twitter.com/AbGPxudFry

— �� Tess T. Eccles-Brown, PhD (@TTEcclesBrown) October 24, 2023

Once the #superfog cleared the extent of the #pileup on I-55 west of New Orleans could be captured by air ...

The extent of the damage is massive, with car fires and cars off the bridge. Sadly, we are hearing of fatalities as a result of the pileup. pic.twitter.com/hJOT5VtzRV

— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) October 23, 2023

[Thomkal]

whoa

[GrantDawg]

One of the strongest wind gusts ever recorded happened during Hurricane Otis' landfall in Acapulco. 205+ mph. More than 274,000 homes were damaged or destroyed.

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[Ksyrup]

It's nearly 80 degrees here today, already broke the record high for this date and it's not even 2pm yet, and on November 8th, I'm wearing shorts and sandals to my eye appointment this afternoon. Crazy.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

It's nearly 80 degrees here today, already broke the record high for this date and it's not even 2pm yet, and on November 8th, I'm wearing shorts and sandals to my eye appointment this afternoon. Crazy.

It is 80 degrees here. I just got home and raked up the back yard to lay about 600 feet of straw and seed. We have rain coming Friday through the weekend with temperature drops. I wanted get something down to prevent too much erosion from the exposed dirt. Found I still need about 200-400 more feet.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, we have a little rain in the forecast and then we'll be in the 50s this weekend, right around normal (mid-50s around this time of year).

[Ksyrup]

We have one tree in the backyard that has not only not dropped a single leaf, but it hasn't even started turning colors. Everything else has turned and dropped 3/4s (or maybe it's 2/3!) of their leaves.

It's been insanely warm here for the past 3-4 days. Last evening, that tree was fully green. This morning it is 50% orange/red. Nature is amazing.

[Edward64]

Video of the TN tornado passing (really close) in front of a car. Don't think I would have continued filming.

See tornado cross highway in Tennessee | CNN

[Ghost Econ]

They're expecting about 4 inches of rain tomorrow so theyre doing "e-learning" for my daughter's school.

[JPhillips]

Looking at 2-3 inches here, which on top of the nine inches of snow we got yesterday should lead to a lot of flooding.

[Thomkal]

Originally Posted by Ghost Econ

They're expecting about 4 inches of rain tomorrow so theyre doing "e-learning" for my daughter's school.

yeah 50 mph gusts tomorrow here in myrtle, possible tornado, rain. glad i had my dental appt today and not tomorrow.