Posted on 08/17/2004 7:48:28 AM PDT by cogitator
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Florida after Hurricane Charley
This article has links to fairly high-resolution JPEGs of Punta Gorda and Charlotte Harbor. However, these are not the highest-resolution that IKONOS is capable of delivering.
I know I'm taking an unpopular stand here, but I gotta speak my mind on this.
All I've seen is some damage to a few trailer parks and shoddy strip-mall stores. How does this equal $10 billion of taxpayer money? Aren't these people insured like the rest of us are forced to be?
This is what happens to mobile homes in storms...they get destroyed!
That said, right now people that don't have homes need food and water and shelter, and the government has to step in and provide that until the insurance companies can get checks to the unfortunate victims so they can move into temporary digs, whatever they may be. And the government has to clean the roads, fix the water supply, fix the damaged infrastructure (like all the fire stations that got damaged), etc. So there is a substantial cost to government, too.
There were lots of other things destroyed besides mobile homes. They just make for better news photos.
It's estimated that 80% of the property of Punta Gorda was destroyed.
That includes fire stations, police stations, businesses, etc.
With the cost of land and the escalating insurance cost I think 15 Billion is rather low.
That $15 billion number being thrown around is "insured losses". Real numbers will be greater, ex. most flood damage won't be covered.
" How does this equal $10 billion of taxpayer money"
It doesn't. The initial property damage estimates came from assessors on insured losses.
It was also clear from that many double-wides survived the hurricane amazingly. Presumably those were either lucky or built to more exacting later building standards.
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