kitten

Where are you living? Your life has been suddenly turned upside down.
I cannot imagine.
You must apply to FEMA to get help 1-800-462-7585.
(www.fema.gov).. YOU are eligible if you are out of work as a result of the
disaster.

Glad you are safe. Can we do anything?

kitten

ps... My heart goes out to all that suffered.

...... in all our years looking at waterfront why are there so many
mobile homes along the water?



QUOTE ["It was such a great view, and the first time I had lived right on the water, I felt like I was being paid to be on vacation]

jayboat: Are there any mobile homes built after Hurricane Andrew that surrvived??

Ange

Kitten, not everyone knows, but FEMA is a LOAN. I discovered that after tornado 2. I didn't have renters insurance and also discovered that I could claim all losses on my taxes.

Iggy

All I can say is WOW!
I know you lost pretty much everything, but I'm glad you're ok. You're lucky to be alive.
I hope you've found a place to live. I hope all goes well with your insurance and you can rebuild.

We were slammed pretty good in Kissimmee by Charley too.
I say "we" but I mean all the residents and property owners. Somehow my house came out without so much as a scratch while my next door neighbor lost her second floor roof right down to the rafters. Ceilings have since caved in, all their clothing is contaminated by insulation. Insurance adjuster told them to move out before the insulation causes health problems. He found high moisture content in the lower walls and the entire house may have to be stripped of all sheet rock and rebuilt.
I feel so bad for my neighbor. She lost her husband early this year, he was only 49, their dog had to be put down cause old age and now this.

Be well.

Iggy

I was listening to some people on the radio and they were talking about the high deductable most homeowners are facing.
I was shocked to find that new policies are written with deductables that are 2 to 5% of the homes value. With a 5% deductable on a 250k home you'd have to cough up 12,500.
Can you imagine??!!
Even at 2% it's still 5k!

I never knew this till now. I don't know how they get away with it.
Fortunately my neighbor and I both have $500 deductable on a total replacement type policy.
Jayboat, I hope you don't have that high deductable.
Everyone else, go take a look at your policy ASAP! Be sure you can afford to rebuild if it ever becomes necessary.

Ms PatriYacht

Jay, I watched the coverage of the storms here in MI & felt sorry for everyone's losses but now there is a face to the storm. I am so sorry for what you went through. I hope you come back and post more often, please let us know your address and what line of work you are in, there are a ton of members in FL and they have a wide net work, you never what might happen. Best wishes, Donna

jayboat

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. You folks are unbelievable. So many encouraging PM's and people I dont even know sending me money. It reaffirms my faith in people, at least from those here who understand boatlove...

I've rented a room in Ft Myers and plan to stay here for a month or so. I'm in the sign business and specialize in boat graphics- I've lettered more than a thousand boats in my life and hope to do a thousand more here in south fla. There is a huge need for signs in the area, but the place is so devastated it is a month away from needing any real work. People are still concerned with their windows and roofs and inventory to worry about anything else. It hurts me to go back there right now- the wound is still bleeding. Something good will come from it- "out of adversity, comes opportunity" has become my mantra of the month. What else ya gonna do put push on?

As a few of you have mentioned, the important thing is that I am still around to tell the story. In retrospect, it probably wasnt my brightest move to jump into the belly of the beast, but in the high anxiety of the moment, it seemed like my only option. For those of you that have asked, I did manage to save my clothes. The fact that I was there and was able to get things dried out immediately made a big difference in the final tally of what went to the curb and what stayed. All in all, a terrible experience that I am still dealing with all day, everyday. Wouldnt wish it on anyone.

If there is anyone in the area with some scuba gear, I could use a little help looking for the engine cover for the boat. The canal is only 10ft deep and based on wind direction I have about a 30 or 40 area that I know that sucker is hiding in. The flat deck hatches- fish boxes and gas tank covers can probably be refabricated, but that doghouse would be impossible to match. If anyone can help, please PM me.

Thanks again you guys. Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
Jay

ps- attached is the bedroom closet- makes you wonder what was flying thru the air to make a hole like that...

Wasabe

Wow. Amazing. I have tears in my eyes. I wish the best for you and your loved ones. OSO is here for you. Lets us know if there's anything we can do.

Downtown42

You will recover. Glad you did not get hurt.

MegaByte*3

Jay:

Thanks for capturing your experience in "print" for us. The television pictures really do not do justice to the devastation.

My marina made it through relatively unscathed. Especially in comparison to Gator Creek and Pinelands Marina. I lost the roof off my offices and the restaurant. Insurance adjusters figure six months to repair. However, the storage barn made it through with only a scratch.

There is still work in the area. In spite of the tragic losses, people are gearing up for business. As an example, I need banners and signs made up for the fall boat shows.

Although it sounds like a platitude, it really is only stuff that can be replaced. I'm glad your OK to write about your experience.