Note: The present $9-10 billion Wilma damage estimate being used by the media does not include flood or boat damage. This makes more sense why the number is so low for the level of reported/viewed damage.
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Boats Hit Hard By Wilma storm
Hundreds of boats in Miami-Dade and Broward counties waterways were sunk and beached by Hurricane Wilma.
Hurricane Wilma sank, crunched and beached hundreds of boats in Miami-Dade and Broward waterways, according to initial on-water surveys Thursday by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and marine industry professionals. ''Some of them are saying it's on a par with Hurricane Andrew,'' FWC spokesman Jorge Pino said. ``It's been devastating.'' Sunken boats and remnants of boats block some canals and marinas in Miami-Dade, and pose hazards to navigation in Biscayne Bay. The Broward portion of the Intracoastal Waterway is clear, according to FWC officer Robert Kuester, but three navigational day markers are missing and residential canals along the ICW are dotted with sunken craft.
"Wilma's probably one of the worst hurricanes that we've ever experienced with the boats," Capt. Casey Hunt of Pompano Beach said on Monday. "There were ropes snapping and pilings ripping out of the dock like toothpicks. People would try to tie their boats during the storm with whatever rope they could find. Some tied their boats to trees, and then the trees came out of the ground. It's just been a nightmare."
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The 46th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will go on -- one week later, because of Hurricane Wilma. The boat show will now open on Thursday, Nov. 3. The show will run through Sunday, Nov. 6. "After extensive meetings with city and county officials, we have resumed set up for a complete in-water and on-land display," said Kaye Pearson, president of Yachting Promotions, Inc., producers of the show. "We understand how important this annual event is for marine industry businesses large and small, not just here in South Florida but also nationally and internationally, and we felt it was vital to do everything in our power to make it happen." Pearson said that the city is making excellent progress in its recovery from the hurricane and should be ready to welcome visitors to the show next week.
The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will feature hundreds of millions of dollars worth of boats, yachts, super-yachts, electronics, engines and marine accessories.
Oh [insert expletive of your choice], it's official -- the tracking map at Weather Underground now reads "Tropical Storm Beta" -- looks like it will stay in Central America, though.
I would parenthetically point out that Pompano Beach has not had a serious hurricane in many years.