My brother is with the power utility company from the Midwest and he is currently in Fort Myers helping out with restoring electricity there. He said that the place looks like a war zone. The Sanibel causeway and Pine Island Bridge have to be rebuilt and it will take a long time.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Has anyone seen a map that shows where the flooding or storm surge hit? We just bought a house in Naples, would be nice to know if it's still there. Or if we now need scuba gear.

Lol scuba gear. What you really need is an industrial size pack of shovels. Your house right now is now doubt layered in a foul smelling cake of raw sewage. Poop from floor to ceiling. A putrid pea soup of filth festering in the very lovely humid Dog days of Sept in Fla. too bad DeSantis sent all of that cheap labor to MV he’s going to need all if the manpower he can get.

Floods are nasty, nasty business.

I was clearly joking about the scuba, but thanks. Good thing it was a tear down.

You are actually lucky, it’ll be torn down at no cost to you most likely. Congrats, you won the hurricane lottery!

Better than that. The insurance will pay for it to be torn down and at least part of the replacement cost (of the original structure). The downside is that it will be next to impossible to get a contractor for quite a while. The contractors are going to be busy helping people repair the roofs on existing homes, etc.

Hurricanes are God’s urban renewal plan. All of those older manufactured homes that got washed away will be replaced by new homes built to code (and elevated). Costs will go up, as well. The people who can’t afford that will be priced out of the area.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder if people will just cut and say I've had enough, and if there is opportunity there for others to buy?

Some of those folks who relocated from other parts of the country may decide they're not cut out for the stress associated with hurricane season and bail. Some folks who bought might not have the money or patience to rebuild. There were houses still unrepaired from Irma (2017). Even for those with money, the labor shortage will mean it takes even longer and costs even more than it did last time. I would honestly expect to see some buying opportunities here. We're still awaiting info on the home of a family member on one of the barrier islands, but if it's a total or very significant loss, we might make the decision just to sell the land.

Home prices in these regions are absolutely subsidized by the balance of the country. Uncle Sam is the only provider of flood insurance, without which no one could get a mortgage.

I wonder if people will just cut and say I've had enough, and if there is opportunity there for others to buy?