"HEMI-Powered" wrote in message
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wizofwas added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...


"HEMI-Powered" wrote in message
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wizofwas added these comments in the current discussion du jour ...

[snip]

I love it here. With the price of gas the way it is, I can get
to anywhere I want by bicycle with no problems. In fact, I
haven't driven a car since Christmas. St. Pete is getting real
"biker" friendly more and more each year with new bicycle paths
being added to the streets every year and even putting up bicycle
racks in more areas.

I'm not quite fond enough to move to Florida, but I do like it. I
don't much like the cost of living nor them dang himmicanes that
Kingfisher prefers I not mention. I think he views them as the "H"
word. grin

Miami area and south, and the panhandle are the worse places to
live in Fla. if you worry about the Herricanes (or Himicanes,
depending on the gender of the cane :-)). And the safest place is
in the Jacksonville area. But at least we get ample warning when
they are coming now. I've been here over 15 years now and have only
had close calls with them. But you are right, it's not if you're
going to get hit by one, just when.

Louisiana and Missippippi got the same warning for Katrina, at least a
couple of days before landfall, but the damage, destruction, and loss
of life was vastly different for a variety of reasons, but principly
from what I know due to much of New Orleans being below the wind surge
flood level behind levees that failed and 100 or so miles east wasn't,
plus the Mayor of NO and the Gov. of Louisiana sat on their collective
duffs and so did FEMA. Now, Florida has none of these problems, AFAIK,
you'd obviously be a better judge of this than me, but if ANY coastal
area or even 100 miles or more inland is going to get a direct hit by a
100 year wind, rain, and flood there just plain ain't no time to flee,
nor any place to go anyway. So, because farming, ranching,
manufacturing, and many, many industries are very profitable in
hurricane belts and people all must live someplace, I imagine they just
play the probabilities.

If you think for one minute that given a 24 hour notice that anybody
can't drive out of a hurricanes path, then you are dead wrong. I'd
say a 12 hour notice, but then you'd have a ton of traffic to deal with
and might not be able to get out of the way. And yes, we watch the
hurricanes forming off of Africa and keep watching them all summer
and fall till they die. We really don't know what they are going to do
or go. New Orleans was/is a disaster just wating to happen. The
lazy idiots there just wanted the Fed to bail them out and do every-
thing for them. They didn't want to take responsiblity for saving
themselves. And yes that includes the Mayor and the Governer.
Remember tht it IS the governments job to inform you when and
where a hurricane is going to hit. It is NOT the governments job
to save your sorry ass if you decide to stay.

I remember seeing a 15 or so high pole along the Grand Strand near
Myrtle beach, wondered what it was and pulled over to see. Perched on
top was a sign that read "100 year flood level". 15 feet above the
road? Don't think anyone is gonna drive out from there!

If you wait till the storm hits, you're right, but who said that you can't
leave before the storm hits?

I know of no place on earth, certainly not wherever the earthquake hit
in China, where weather and geological disasters aren't a threat to
life and property, it is just a risk we must bear.

Just depends on what you want to put up with. I'd much rather
deal with the hurricanes here than the tornadoes up there.
I still remember the damage done to Flint in the 50's and
Saginaw/Bay City in the 60's by tornadoes. And they strike
without warning.

wizofwas