Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Big Dog's Boom Boom Room -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Bearcatbob who wrote (165866)	3/20/2012 4:50:01 PM
From: profile_14	1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 206191

The damage is not so much structural but what you alluded to, such as in mold, but in wood warpage on crown moldings, etc., due to the change in humidity changes inside the house. Mold costs do add up though if you're unlucky... Talk about numbers adding up fast. Also, with a family, if you don't bolt 4 days before a potential landfall, you are staying because everything is sold out and the highways are impossible. I stayed for a few storms (last one was Wilma in late 2005) and drove away for a few others, notably Frances and Jeanne (Sept. 2004 for both of them). Instead of driving North, as virtually everyone did, I drove SW to Naples. The storm curved upwards and chased everyone on the highway. It took people 20 hours to reach the state line which is 4.5 hours away under normal driving conditions. Imagine running out of gas, having to use restrooms, and weathering (pun intended) a hurricane while sitting in your car on I-95... Each time a hurricane comes by and I have to vacate my family of 5 to a hotel for 4-5 days or so it costs a bunch, especially since hotels and airfares are never discounted. I purchased and installed a generator, soup to nuts, for about $8k. It will pay for itself in peace of mind, mitigated damage to the house interior, and provide a safe and comfortable place to stay. The generator itself was a 20 KW generator. My electricity draw is as low as it is because I have everything that I can on natural gas, so I am basically using it to run 2 4-ton AC units and appliances, etc. When I bought it a year ago, the price was $4100, today it is nearly $4900. Five years ago I could not afford one because demand was so high after the recent storms. It paid to wait. When Wilma hit in 2005 I was building my home, renting an older home. I was getting up at 4:30 a.m. to drive to a gas station to get my ration of gasoline to power a tiny gasoline generator I purchased at Lowes so that I could run by fridge. The lines were over an hour long. It did not run more than 8 hours before running out of fuel. I had to turn it off for 4-5 hours, run it for a few, do the same again. It was not fun for the family, not safe, and we all felt very vulnerable and helpless. As the head of the family, I did not feel good at all and vowed that I would not let myself be in the same predicament again to the extent reasonably possible. We were without phones for 3 days, power for 5, cooking on my camping stove top and grilling. Cold showers were the status quo. No fun. Talk about feeling you were back in the dark ages. It was a good time to contemplate a lot of things. As far as cars go, I drive about 10k miles per year. Not much. I don't really need a new car or natural gas for it, even though the thought is enticing. It is hard to justify right now.