I'm tired of paying for disasters... Moral Hazard.....

[Larry Bud]

While I hope everybody is well after the pounding Florida took again, I have to wonder why we put up with the Federal Government paying for natural disasters that occur year after year. If you can't afford the proper insurance for the disasters that hit your area, MOVE.

We all know Florida and the Carolinas get hammered by hurricanes, California has earthquates and forest fires, Oklahoma has tornados, and those who live in a flood plane of a river get floods, and those who live at the base of a volcano get covered in lava, yet tax payers are forced to reimburse those people who CONTINUE to rebuild in the exact same spot time after time, knowing those places will get hit again in the future. Frankly, I'm tired of it.

[Greg]

THe flaw in your argument is that there is no place that is totally safe from natural disasters and the folks who think they are safe are more likely NOT to have any insurance for it. I agree there should be places where folks would have to accept their losses (river bottoms and barrier islands) if they rebuild but you can't paint this with too wide a brush.

[timeOday]

I did a little websearching after the last Florida disaster, and couldn't determine what it is the federal govt. pays out. They do pay for short-term humanitarian relief, but I don't think they pay to rebuild houses and businesses. We hear these huge damage estimates (say, $15BN); I think most of that is covered by Floridians through their insurance premiums.

I would certainly be interested in more clarification on the whole issue though.

[LFR]

I'm tired of paying the price for frivilous lawsuits because some people are just too stupid to use common sense...or because they don't want to take responsibility for their actions and are looking to have someone pay for their stupidity.

[Greg]

All of these "billions' are not really a loss. It is more like a public works project that dumps a lot of money back into the economy. Cleaning up and rebuilding is one job you can't ship offshore!

[Ron]

Larry is correct in part, and the part he is correct in is the important part because it's the publicly unrecognized one. Fed disaster relief catches a lot of votes for the politicians involved all the way up the chain(and avoids vote losses if they were to speak sanely like Larry). The politics of disaster keeps the incorrect economic incentives in place. That's really no different than the way we fund public education however, in that the baby makers aren't 100% responsible for the costs, so they make too many babies. Come to think of it, I'd be surprised if the average person would incur 50% of the educ. costs if they had another child. The burden of disaster costs and its influence on location decisions might be angelic by public educ. standards.

[Bill]

*My* elected "representatives" don't listen to a word I have to say about anything (like my request that they stop sending billions of *our* dollars to foreign governments, etc.)...

I suppose you could try contacting *your* elected representatives, but don't expect any action unless you are a large corporation which donates a lot of money to their re-election campaigns, etc...

Sorry, but they have possession of your check book and they will write any checks on your account they darn well please.

[Jim Yanik]

timeOday wrote in news:QKqdnc2Bc5z-UaDcRVn- [e-mail]:

The insurance deductibles are now a percentage of your home's appraised value.Premiums were increased,too. I also believe that in some areas(beachfront),only repairs are allowed,not construction of new replacement homes.IIRC,some of the homes in the Midwest floods several years ago were in this category.

But much of the Florida damages are NOT from proximity to beachfronts,but inland homes.

Also,I believe only low interest,favorable term LOANS are offered,not free money;no giveaways.

[Jim Yanik]

Ron wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Or immigrate illegally.Immigrant birthrates are far above citizen's BR's. The same is happening in medical care.

[Jim Yanik]

"Bill" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Because they have a CAREER as "representatives",instead of a temporary job. (no Term Limits)

[Rich]

If it sounds to good to be true it usually is!

Buyer beware!

[Childfree Scott]

I always wondered why they build such flimsy houses in hurricane prone areas. I'm reasonably sure that something like my vintage 1950 brick rowhome would hold up quite well in a hurricane. Would need to add sturdy shudders for hurricane but other then that it should be OK.

[BinaryBillTheSailor]

How is your roof fastened to the ground? How is your house attached to the foundation. You are probably not nearly as prepared as you think.

BB

[Steve B.]

Excluding the mobile homes the houses down here are very well built. If you haven't been through a hurricane you just can't imagine the forces that have to be dealt with. What I see mostly down here are roofs being ripped off the houses. What happens is that the structure gets breeched through a window or the wind pulling up a piece of wood somewhere or by flying debris. Once the wind has a way in its pretty much all over from there... The pull of the wind outside and the push on the wind from the inside will make short work of the best roof structures.

Hurricane Francis was only a tropical storm by the time it got to me but it was still amazing. The wind would hit the gable vents and set up a vibration that you could feel in the floor. Went to the beach and could not open the car doors that were facing in to the wind.

Steve B.

[TURTLE]

This is Turtle.

Larry , Before Flood insurance came along , the Federal government was repairing and replacing homes for nothing after hurricans and it became too much cost to take. So the Federal Government came up with Flood insurance and stop paying for home repairs for nothing. The money taken up for flood insurance will take care of all the losses due to flooding or weather damage. I live in Louisiana and I have flood insurance on my home because it could flood if the right conditions would happen. I have paid $400.00 a year for flood insurance and in 20 years of paying it. i have never collected a Penny. I have paid in close to $120,000.00 in priemium and with interest added for them holding that money and not fixing my home at all. I estimate that money would have growed to about $750,000.00 with 25 years of interest. So how may houses can they replace with 3/4 of a million Dollars off of turtle alone in the Fla. Hurricane Flooding. I would say i paid for 7 Homes alone off me and I guess i should be pissed too but hey My chance at a New home might just be around the corner.

Also Larry if you don't have flood insurance the Federal government will not fix nothing on your home. the Red Cross will help you some with appliances & Clean up but the home replacement is not happening. Now the Federal Government will loan you money to replace your home with at about a 3% interest rate but if you don't pay the cost of the loan. They come get your home and land and call it waiste land or just own it for ever. Also if you borrow money from a bank and you live where it floods. the bank requires you to have Flood insurance or they don't loan you any money to build anything. Also as the Government loan of 3% your required to have flood insurance in youir note.

Larry things are not happening as you thing here.

TURTLE

[JerryMouse]

I don't think so. New construction (< 10 years) in Florida mandates roof-anchoring construction.

[RSMEINER]

If that was actually done.

Randy

[zxcvbob]

I think hurricane straps have been manditory for years on the gulf and southern atlantic coasts, but the builders didn't use them and the inspectors just winked. I have seen pictures from Florida where all the houses were flattened by a hurricane, except for one house that survived with only a few shingles missing. The house that survived was actually built to code by the homeowner.

Bob

[Jim Yanik]

scott [e-mail] (Childfree Scott) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I suspect a hurricane would rip the roof right off your house. Current specs in Florida require metal straps to anchor the trusses to the walls.

[Jim Yanik]

[e-mail] (RSMEINER) wrote in news: [e-mail]:

It's supposed to be a key item checked by the inspectors. (I said "supposed",folks)