National Hurricane Survival Initiative

Saving Lives & Minimizing Damage -- Is your community prepared?

Cost Shouldn’t Influence Evacuation Decision

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Authored by: Alok Jha, CEO of Assured Risk Cover

To leave or to stay? That’s the penetrating question families often face as a hurricane roars ever closer. The decision is based on a number of variables, including:

  • “Is an evacuation order in place?”
  • “Will we be safe in the house?”
  • “Is there enough food and water to last a week to 10 days?”
  • “Is there backup power?”
  • “If we evacuate do we have money to pay for gas, food and lodging?”

Human behavior is a funny thing, because even after carefully considering all of these variables, one’s decision often hinges not on hard data, but on one’s gut. Going with the rest of the crowd is often the default. (“What are Pete and Marge going to do?”) Peer pressure is a powerful force in a crisis (though not as powerful as 110 mph winds).

The New York Times recently reported on the experiences of individuals who evacuated during Hurricane Michael, and a common theme was the cost of evacuation.[1]

Sierra Cardenas of Panama City Beach said hers was a life or death decision. “I have a 2-year-old daughter and I could not take a chance with our lives.” Cardenas expected to be away from home for a prolonged period, and at the time she was interviewed her gas, food and motel bills were already nearing $500, which she put on a credit card.

Kelly Gerig of Panama City had spent nearly $800. Vanessa Feigel had spent $500 for food, lodging and gas – which was coming out of the family’s savings. Even though the military paid Jody Walton’s evacuation expenses, she wasn’t sure how she could afford her Homeowner’s deductible.

Most Homeowners policies don’t cover evacuation expenses so residents have to dig deep into their pockets or put everything on a credit card. In a survey conducted this summer by National Hurricane Survival Initiative and FAIR Foundation, nearly one-fourth (23%) said at one time or another in their life they’ve stayed put during a hurricane because of the cost of evacuation.

One-fifth of the survey respondents said they paid between $300 and $500 to evacuate from Hurricane Irma, while 40% spent $500 or more.

The first few days (and weeks) after a hurricane can be paralyzing. While it’s difficult to be prepared physically and emotionally to face what may come, it’s now easier than ever to be prepared financially for those first 24 to 72 hours. A new type of insurance called StormPeace pays immediately after a hurricane and the funds can be used for expenses not covered by a Homeowners policy as well as the deductible.

In fact, some Florida residents who can’t afford Homeowners insurance have relied on StormPeace and its low premiums to get back of their feet; $1.25 a day can buy up to $10,000 worth of coverage. StormPeace is parametric insurance, which means the payout is based on preset parameters: the strength of the hurricane and its distance from the insured’s address. There’s no claims process and unlike traditional insurance all claims from Michael have been settled, most of them within 24 hours.

Reacting to the Times article one reader wrote, “This is a sobering reminder of how many people in this country are just a few hundred dollars away from real financial hardship.”

Parametric insurance like StormPeace is a product that’s long overdue. It helps people get back on their feet faster without having to exhaust their savings or max out a credit card. So the next time evacuation orders are posted the decision to stay or go will be easy.

 

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/reader-center/evacuation-hurricane-michael.html

Put the Still-Suffering Panhandle Hurricane Victims at the Top of Your Christmas List

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will-weatherford-allan-bense

Among all the charities appealing to your spirit of giving this holiday season, you might want to consider putting the Panhandle homeless and still-hurting victims of Hurricane Michael at the top of the list.

Today is the last day of a hurricane season that saved its worst for last, and if ever there was a right time to remember the tens of thousands of souls in Northwest Florida most of us will never see, folks trying their hardest to pick up the pieces and rebuild their lives, their communities, their livelihood — the time is now.

I hope we didn’t forget about them. Certainly the intense 2018 midterm elections created the perfect distraction.

Luckily, two former state House speakers, Will Weatherford and Allan Bense, wouldn’t let us forget. As you probably already know, on Nov. 1 they launched a new initiative, “Rebuild 850” — “850” for the area code of the damaged region — to keep the continuing needs of Panhandle communities “front and center.” Bense himself, Weatherford’s father-in-law, gave $25,000 to kick the effort off.

To assure the venture’s success, Weatherford and Bense partnered with former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, Volunteer Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Chamber Foundation, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Association of Counties, United Way of Florida, the American Red Cross, the Florida Press Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the FAIR Foundation, Get Ready, Florida!, the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida Society of Association Executives, United Way of the Big Bend, and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

The idea is to cut through the red tape, address storm victims’ needs immediately, don’t make them wait any longer than they have to for state and federal government involvement.

“It’s natural after a disaster for immediate help and donations to flow and then ebb, as other news dominates the headlines,” Bense said at the launch. “But North Florida’s recovery will go on for months and even years, and we must keep the focus on helping so many communities through their ongoing needs.”

Weatherford put it in perspective. “Once you see how people in these communities have been forced to live and how they are struggling, you can’t help but be moved,” he said. “We need to continue to tell their stories and keep long-term North Florida recovery in the public eye.”

Let me tell you what I saw in Panama City and Mexico Beach one weekend only days before the election. It was a weekend of contrasts for me.

While candidates were at their peak spending millions of dollars to attack each other, I saw some streets still lined with thick stacks of refuse.

I saw splintered home framing, soggy tangles of insulation, home appliances and tree limbs meshed into one another, still awaiting collection and disposal.

I saw homes — the ones that weren’t flattened — missing roofs, dormers, balconies, whole walls. Street after street, there was a rancid, musty smell. I was reliving Katrina and I wept to see the survivors, clinging as my neighbors in Mississippi once did to hope, each other and a few tiny bits of nostalgia.

Many who returned since the storm are living in campers, tents or are bunking with neighbors, and even now relying on portable toilets and boxed ready-to-eat meals provided by FEMA, the Red Cross or other volunteers. The schedule for the return of utilities such as electricity, gas and Internet service were being measured in months, not days or weeks, at least when I visited. Many roads are still blocked across the area, so badly damaged are they. Commercial services in places are minimal to none.

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Hurricane Andrew nearly three decades ago devastated Homestead, a Miami suburb. Miami attracts bright lights and cameras and international media. The Panhandle, not really. The people most hurt by Hurricane Michael are not wealthy — in fact, some are barely sustainably solvent. The roof over their heads and each other are all they have.

Everywhere I saw volunteers. Linemen in buckets repairing power lines, church groups with jackhammers and chain saws. All kinds of groups bringing in food and water and infant supplies. People really were helping people. I met some of the 400 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel who had volunteered to assist residents with debris removal and route clearance, temporary emergency power, temporary roofing and technical monitoring for FEMA’s temporary housing mission.

But I fear, as it did on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005, the help will all trickle to an end in a few weeks, when volunteers and workmen return to their lives elsewhere.

This is what makes me appreciate the mission of Rebuild 850. And why I’m giving it a plug to be your charity of choice this season of giving.

The Rebuild 850 campaign has plenty of Christmas spirit, helping it pick up more partners, including the Tallahassee Democrat. Partners of the initiative are calling on individuals, businesses and organizations to donate toys and money by the thousands to brighten the holiday for the families still in need.

Toy donations will be collected at the Tallahassee Democrat from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Dec. 6. The “Fill-A-Truck” toy and funds drive is also sponsored by AMWAT Moving Warehousing & Storage, Prime South Properties, Tallahassee Board of Realtors, Sachs Media Group, Rogers, Gunter, Vaughn Insurance, Junior League of Tallahassee and the Democrat.

“This toy drive is a great opportunity for individuals, businesses, and organizations to step up and help our neighbors find some joy this holiday season,” Bense told the Democrat.

Don’t forget the Panhandle. It’s not fixed and all better. Not even close. If you’re able, remember the resilient residents who live there with something tangible this Christmas. Log onto their website and you’ll see how to donate.

Source: http://sunshinestatenews.com/story/put-still-suffering-panhandle-hurricane-victims-top-your-christmas-list

Gwen Graham Joins REBUILD 850 Leadership to Boost Panhandle Recovery

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Former U.S. Rep. Gwen Graham, whose Congressional district included many of the Northwest Florida counties and towns most devastated by Hurricane Michael, has joined the leadership team of the REBUILD 850 initiative. Graham will serve as co-chair of the effort, along with former Florida House Speakers Allan Bense and Will Weatherford.

“The people of North Florida have always been proudly self-reliant, but in the unprecedented aftermath of Hurricane Michael, they need all of Florida to pull together on their behalf,” Graham said. “REBUILD 850 will play an important role in rebuilding our communities and helping the families hit hardest by the storm, which is why I am proud to join this vital initiative and to serve with Speakers Bense and Weatherford.”

Bense said Graham’s deep history in the region and leadership skills will add valuable perspective as the affected communities work to recover and rebuild.

“Gwen’s caring leadership and deep connections to the region are why we asked her to co-chair REBUILD 850,” Bense said. “It doesn’t matter what part of Florida you call home – we’re all in this together, and all Floridians must pull together to help our neighbors in need.”

Added Weatherford: “Hurricane Michael didn’t care about the political affiliation of the people whose lives it impacted, and recovery must also rise above any divisions. There is nothing more important than helping our communities get back on their feet.”

REBUILD 850 unites the resources and efforts of Volunteer Florida, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the Florida Chamber Foundation, the Florida League of Cities, the Florida Association of Counties, United Way of Florida, the American Red Cross, the Florida Press Association, the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, the FAIR Foundation, “Get Ready, Florida!”, the Florida School Boards Association, the Florida Society of Association Executives, United Way of the Big Bend, and the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce.

REBUILD 850’s objectives urge people to donate, volunteer, visit and invest in the affected region. The mission is to help residents of areas devastated by the power of Michael while promoting commerce in communities – ranging from Panama City Beach to Pensacola – that escaped the worst of the storm’s wrath and remain open for business.

Donations to REBUILD 850 will be administered by Volunteer Florida’s Florida Disaster Fund. The Florida Disaster Fund is the state’s private fund established to assist communities following disasters. The funds are distributed to approved organizations that are serving affected individuals throughout both disaster response and long-term recovery. During response, these organizations and volunteers are assisting with tree removal and debris cleanup, tarp installation, mucking out and gutting of homes, and food distribution. Long-term recovery includes rebuilding homes, businesses, and communities while offering financial guidance and planning services.

Individuals can donate or volunteer to help REBUILD 850 by going to www.rebuild850.org

‘REBUILD 850’: Former Speakers Will Weatherford, Allan Bense spearhead North Florida recovery project

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Communities affected by Hurricane Michael will in part rely on the goodwill of others to bounce back to normalcy.

And that’s why a coalition of influential names and organizations is making sure that the current and impending issues facing the Big Bend and Panhandle counties affected most by the powerful Category 4 storm remain in the fore.

During a public conference on Thursday at Tallahassee-based Sachs Media Group, members of the newly formed REBUILD 850 Initiative unveiled their plan to enlist private businesses, citizens and philanthropists to the aid of the 12 Florida counties that suffered extensive setbacks when the storm swept through North Florida on Oct. 10.

The cooperative, a brainchild of former Republican Florida House Speakers Will Weatherfordand Allan Bense, challenges other entities and people to “donate, volunteer, visit and invest” in the affected region.

“We can’t wait for the politics to work itself out,” Weatherford said. “There is enough need today that people need to act. We can’t wait for the politicians — who we have respect for and I was one of — (but) we can’t wait for the Legislature. I think the business community needs to step up and help out the folks that are suffering.”

In just a short time, Bense and Weatherford with the aid of Sachs Media corralled together a group of organizations each diverse in their own mission, equipping the effort with representatives who will leverage their interests and skills in order to accomplish the multi-pronged goal.

Volunteer Florida, for example, administers the Florida Disaster Fund, to which the proceeds of the Initiative will funnel. Other partners in 850 REBUILD include the Florida Chamber and Florida Chamber Foundation; the Florida League of Cities; the Florida Association of Counties; the Florida Association of District School Superintendents; United Way of Florida; the American Red Cross; Get Ready, Florida! and FAIR Foundation; and the Florida Press Association.

Also on tap is Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, which is undertaking an $8.9 million campaign to combat perceptions that all of Florida has been impacted by Michael and by red-tide outbreaks in Southeast and Southwest Florida. Also expected to play a role is Triumph Gulf Coast, which was set up by the state Legislature to direct settlement money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster into regional-economic development projects in eight Northwest Florida counties.

The group’s launch comes during the heat of the 2018 midterm election. But that’s intentional.

With people focused on Tuesday’s elections and the hurricane not causing a crisis outside the Panhandle, Weatherford said attention even in Florida has already started to shift away from the impacts of the Oct. 10 storm.

Awareness of Michael’s lasting effects, according to Bense, is dependent on the news cycle. But when “other news dominates the headlines,” things like donations can “ebb.”

“As time ticks away and the election gets closer, I think we might be falling off of people’s radar screen in terms of needs,” Bense, who kicked off the fundraising component of the initiative with a $25,000 contribution, said.

“This effort, REBUILD 850, is about making sure the Panhandle is not forgotten,” added Weatherford, who’s married to Bense’s daughter Courtney.

Weatherford commended Gov. Rick Scott — who had for a period suspended his campaign for the U.S. Senate to focus on relief — for his post-Michael efforts.

Still, “we can’t just rely on government to solve this problem,” Weatherford said.

Businesses and citizens “have to step up to bring the relief,” added Weatherford, adding that after Election Day, politicians too can and should chip in their leftover campaign funds.

“We’re encouraging them as an act of leadership to step out, take those leftover campaign funds [and] donate them to this effort,” said Weatherford.

Both federal and state agencies aren’t going to ease recovery efforts, said Bense, who put up $25,000 to get the project rolling.

“But we need to make sure the leaders, businesses and individuals throughout Florida help us because we’re hurting right now,” he said.

To help get the word out, former Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator CraigFugate will host a televised special encouraging Floridians to contribute the effort.

Ron Sachs, founder and CEO of Sachs Media Group, said he expects to place the half-hour program on a network station in every one of Florida’s 10 media markets between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

With respect to legislative concerns, the consensus among the coalition — which recruited Tallahassee Democratic state lawmakers Sen. Bill Montford and Rep. Loranne Ausley — is that it may be too early to tell what’s needed.

That sentiment is affirmed by others in the Legislature as well. Incoming legislative leaders, Republican Sen. Bill Galvano and Rep. Jose Oliva, have indicated that they’re ready to launch a special session to address the effects of Michael, if needed. But the damage still is unfolding, so bringing lawmakers back to Tallahassee might be premature.

Bense, whose tenure as Speaker overlapped the famed 2004-2005 hurricane seasons, said he expects similar problems to face the Legislature when it does reconvene in March for the 2019 Session.

Asked whether he thinks lawmakers should fund the Hurricane Housing Recovery Program (HHRP), an optional affordable housing carve out that can be funded when Floridians are displaced by hurricanes, Bense responded affirmatively.

“My instincts tell me leadership will take that up from a funding perspective,” Bense said. “I sure hope so.”

In the 2018 Legislative Session, legislative leaders opted not to fund HHRP citing a budget shortfall created by the $400 million school safety bill passed after the Feb. 14 Parkland school shooting.

Bense also said he hopes the Legislature will continue to fund the Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund, a “hard decision” that faced lawmakers in the 2006 Legislative Session following the 2005 Hurricane Wilma.

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The News Service of Florida contributed to this post.

Source: http://floridapolitics.com/archives/279800-rebuild-850-former-speakers-will-weatherford-allan-bense-spearhead-north-florida-recovery-project

The Price of Fleeing Hurricane Michael: ‘We Are Going to Be Financially Devastated’

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When Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday afternoon in Mexico Beach, Fla., as a Category 4 storm, residents of the Florida Panhandle’s most vulnerable areas had had only 48 hours’ notice to flee.

A single mother in Florida decided not to go after her employer told her that if she left, she would not be paid. A family that did evacuate found its bill rising to at least $750 on hotels, food and other costs, and it does not know when it will finally be able to go home.

As the storm bore down on the region, a person who commented on one of our Hurricane Michael articles said we needed to report more on the hardships that can come with evacuating from a hurricane zone.

So we did some research and asked readers to tell us about their experiences evacuating from Hurricane Michael. For some, cost was a paramount issue. For others it was minor. Below are some of their responses, which have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.

If you have faced the decision whether to evacuate from a storm, please use the comments to tell us what you decided and how it worked out.

The first mandatory evacuation orders were issued at 10 a.m. Monday, after forecasters at the National Hurricane Center warned that the storm was strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico.

Cost: Almost $500, including $270 for three nights in a hotel

I made the decision to leave my home in Panama City Beach around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening. I have a 2-year-old daughter and I could not take a chance with our lives. I knew that when I left it would be days or even weeks before we could make it back home, and even then what would I be coming back to? I will be trying to get back to my home in the next day or two because I cannot afford to continue staying in a hotel.

So far my costs associated with evacuation are nearing $500. My hotel costs are approximately $270 for three nights at a hotel and the rest is from gas, food and supplies. I am using credit cards to finance these costs. I have some cash but do not want to spend it because I know I may need it when I return home.

— Sierra Cardenas, Panama City Beach, Fla.

The governors of three states — Alabama, Florida and Georgia — declared states of emergency, and 375,000 residents in those areas were under mandatory evacuation orders. But sometimes people flee a storm only to find themselves in its eye.

Cost: $200 on hotels, $250 car insurance deductible

I left my home in Walton County, one block from the Gulf, to go stay in a hotel in Callaway, Fla., where a friend, an E.R. doctor, had evacuated and invited me to stay.

The hotel was solidly built and not in an evacuation zone or flood plain, so I thought it would be safer than my older beach home. Unfortunately, Callaway was hit hard and I spent hours on Wednesday hiding in the bathroom with my cats while the siding and roof blew off the hotel.

It was a scary feeling — the building shaking and hearing the wind.

Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, the hotel staff informed everyone they had to evacuate the hotel because of the damage!

I frantically packed the car and got my three cats and thought I would try to head home since I’d heard my home was in good shape. I made it home safe with my fur babies and am so thankful for that.

Money wasn’t an issue in my situation. I am very lucky to have minimal expenses and people offering to assist.

I paid around $100 for a hotel in Montgomery, Ala., that I didn’t end up using and left a few items — including a large cat scratcher and precious bottled water — in the hotel when I evacuated, so maybe another $100.

Geico will repair my car, which was trashed by falling debris, but I have a $250 deductible. I’ll use savings or credit cards or friends and family for my relatively minimal expenses.

— Antoinette Simonetti, Walton County, Fla.

In a survey of 1,000 Floridians that was released by the National Hurricane Survival Initiative in September, 60 percent said that evacuating from Hurricane Irma last year cost them more than $300, with 40 percent saying their costs totaled more than $500.

Cost: $750 to $800 on hotels, food, diesel and supplies

My boyfriend and I had moved from Oregon (3,200 miles away) and had arrived six days before the storm.

Tuesday morning we awoke to being told that we must evacuate immediately — we were in Zone C — so we packed up our enclosed trailer with what we brought with us, our two dogs, and drove to Pensacola! WELCOME TO FLORIDA!!!

We have spent so far — on hotels, food, diesel and supplies — between $750 and $800 and we are not able to go back yet due to not being able to contact the Realtor, which is closed and dealing with its own damages and losses. Plus there’s no power and no hotels with vacancies.

— Kelley Gerig, Panama City, Fla.

Cost: $500 for three days of lodging, food and gas

We are a military family and my husband is currently deployed, and I am six months pregnant. Members of our squadron were instrumental in preparing the house, and my mother-in-law helped pack up the pets and necessary things to evacuate. Traffic getting out of town and into Birmingham added three hours to our trip. All in all, we were very fortunate.

This is the first storm for which we have ever evacuated. For lodging, food, and gas, from Tuesday to Thursday, we spent around $500. This will come from the amount of our income that we normally save each month.

— Vanessa Feigel, Niceville, Fla.

One in five people who responded to the National Hurricane Survival Initiative survey said they would not flee a Category 3 or 4 storm forecast to hit within 10 miles of their homes.

Cost: N/A

Cost was a factor, not in the sense of being able to get out, but being told by my job that if I chose to leave I wouldn’t be paid. As a single mother that’s a big threat, especially if it didn’t turn out to be bad and we couldn’t get back. That was lost work hours, and being behind on bills already, it wasn’t an option.

— Kelly Cuff, Florida

Cost: About $1,000

Early Wednesday morning the wind was howling terribly and we decided to grab what we could and our dogs and raced out of town to safety.

We have a little cash and some room on credit cards, but if we don’t get our regular paychecks we will be in big trouble. My bank is local to Panama City and the entire system is down, not allowing access to funds online to transfer to another institution.

— Danielle Gracey, Panama City, Fla.

At least 13 people have died from the storm, including an 11-year-old girl in southwest Georgia and seven people in Virginia. The property damage is extensive and devastating.

Cost: Military covering some

We left on Monday after my husband was told to leave the area by the Air Force base. We are staying with his dad and stepmom with all of our animals.

We are blessed that we have them and we were lucky that the military is paying for our gas and food. But we are going to be financially devastated with all other expenses since we didn’t have much time and just grabbed enough stuff for a week.

We are terrified of how our house is. It’s our first to own and we put so much time, love, money and sweat into doing remodeling, and it’s probably either gone or pretty much unlivable. And then there’s the insurance deductible to get it fixed. I’m not sure how we will be able to come up with that. We will probably be homeless.

— Jody Walton, Lynn Haven, Fla.

Cost: Not indicated

We decided at the last minute to evacuate for Michael on Monday night. I taught classes all day at Florida State University and got home around 7 p.m. I rushed to throw things in a bag and we were on the road by 8:30 heading to my sister-in-law’s house in Orlando. My husband had packed up our son’s things during the day and secured our house. We arrived by midnight.

Costs are always high for evacuating. Two years ago we evacuated for Hermine and spent four nights in a hotel. Last year we bought a lot of supplies to stay during Irma. These have been put on credit cards, which is not good. It is expensive to evacuate or prepare well to stay during these storms. The psychological toll is high, too; it is tough to “go back to normal” after things like this.

— Kristin Dowell, Tallahassee, Fla.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/13/reader-center/evacuation-hurricane-michael.html