This will get lost in the GD thread. I just have a hard time and need to rant over this Ian bullshit

[leighbythesea2]

123. Have lived there 2x

In the Keys first. My SO made his living diving every day. We had a boat & a small business based out of the house. got a serious education from him about the oceans unintentional, but very real, ability to kill you at any time. many of my neighbors worked on the water. grew up boating on Lake Michigan, which is also not to be trifled with, so I took it to heart. And there were still so many times that circumstances looked like, or did, turn in an instant.
It’s incredibly beautiful on the water, awe inspiring,
magnified by the power.

We went thru Georges. The locals had stayed so many times, (bc no direct hits in forever) they were not the most evacuation-inclined bunch. Our landlords across the street were in their late 60s, and had been the 1st house on the island in the 1960s. I remember looking at an aerial view picture of their place from then, and it was pure white sand, no trees, or other houses. They stayed.

We prepped my employers place, our rental house, our boat and business, alone, then missed our chance out, as US 1, being 2 lanes—well we should’ve left.
Cat 2, eye wall the whole time. I vowed never again to stay. It’s all the stuff we are seeing, just not cat 4 level. 6 weeks later we had a tropical storm. Months of exhaustion.

I still love Florida. moved there again to Ft Myers in 2014, just off the Caloosahatche river. So have watched Ian with keen interest and horror.
read an article at CNN about how the population explosion of FL had made it a bigger and bigger bullseye. Yes, bigger storms and climate change, but also so many people & so much development. It was a thought provoking article, like your post.
I feel like living in FL is like hang-gliding or such. You’ve got this thing you can hold onto, and navigate, and WITH SKILL—-it’ll can be exhilarating! But don’t be a dummy and just grab on & think you can have a go of it. Training is required.