UHND.com - Notre Dame Football, Basketball, & Recruiting

This will be the 3rd hurricane (Ian, Helene and now Milton) to hit us in SW Florida in the last three years and no one is bailing. People continue to move to Florida for the weather, not run away from it. Ask TampaIrish what driving I-75 is like these days with all the new residents up and down the Gulf Coast. You are way more likely to die on that highway than in a hurricane. Florida is much more likely to become unaffordable before it becomes unlivable.

These storms are weeding out the crappy buildings that were built before Florida's new building codes were adopted in 2002. Driving through Fort Myers and Estero after Ian, you could see the difference. The newer homes were structurally fine. Sure, shingles and lanai screens needed to be replaced but the homes withstood the wind and water. It was all the old product that got destroyed. If you own an old wood frame house or trailer, at grade, close to the beach you know it's just a matter of time before it's going to get wiped out. All you need to do is look at your insurance premium to know that. Loss of property is inevitable, but with each storm and rebuild, property damage will get less and less as newer stronger product replaces the older buildings.

People just need to follow instructions and get the heck away from the coast for a few days to let nature do its thing. Loss of life does not have to be inevitable.