Hurricane Ian Changes Plans for Snowbirds and Year Rounders
Category: Real Estate Listings
October 4, 2022 — The loss of human life and billions of dollars in property damage from last week’s Hurricane is tragic. The storm also brought concerns for snowbirds – will their rentals still be available, or were their homes seriously damaged? Folks have been calling their friends and scouring the news for reports about what was damaged, and trying to estimate how soon life can return to normal. In many cases, they have not been able to get answers. Thousands will probably find that their plans for spending part of the winter in southeastern climes might have just floated away. This article reports on some of the affected areas, and what your possible reactions might be. Mainly, we would like to hear what you know – was your home or snowbird rental damaged, have your plans changed, or is all well? Plus, what kind of coping strategies can you put in place if your winter plans have been upended? Please add your thoughts in the Comments section at end. We should add that problems for snowbirds are definitely first world problems. We feel for all of the full time residents who have lost their homes or who have been forced to find temporary shelter. There are many accredited charities such as the Red Cross that would appreciate our support.
First priority – lives
Obviously the first priority right now is the preservation of life. Folks who ignored (or couldn’t follow) evacuation orders need to be rescued or supplied. Plans for repairing infrastructure like bridges, roads, and utilities need to be completed and executed. Some things might take considerable time. Unessential people will be kept out of damaged areas so this work can be completed. And until that happens, many people will not even know if, and how extensively, their properties have been damaged.
It is a pretty sure thing that the southwest coast of Florida near Fort Myers will not be open for business and snowbirds anytime soon. Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Captiva, and Pine Island have been devastated. It is unlikely that snowbirds who planned on going there this winter will have a place to go to, but if they do, life will be very different. Neighboring towns like Port Charlotte, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Cape Coral, Gasparilla, and Marco Island have all experienced severe flooding, with many homes damaged. There was severe flooding in Northport and St. Cloud. So far, at least 90 people in Florida lost their lives from the storm.
We have heard that communities just inland such as Mediterra in Naples, and Pelican Sound in Estero, have experienced damage to some of their facilities, but by and large most will be open soon. Active communities nearer the coast, adjacent to a river, or in low-lying areas might have much more serious problems.
Elsewhere in Florida and up
Portions of Orlando and Central Florida were hit hard, particularly low-lying areas and those near rivers and coasts. New Smyrna Beach on Florida’s east coast is a good example; there is still widespread flooding and electricity outages. Even the Jacksonville area in Florida’s north had what the Governor called a 500 year flood. Millions of people lost power, and many municipalities are under “Boil Water” directives. Many hospitals are running on generators and might not have municipal water. Golf courses all over the state were flooded, and some may have experienced severe damage. It is feared that some piers on Florida’s East Coast were seriously damaged. Cars all over the Sunshine State were ruined by flooding, and we all know how scarce cars were – before Ian. The Florida Keys and the Miami area had some minor damage but nothing like further west and north in the State.
And on to Virginia
The path of the storm up through the Carolinas to Virginia has brought flooding and wind damage to many other communities. The power is out and many areas near a body of water are experiencing flooding. All of these problems could continue for days as flooded rivers deal with rain and storm surges.
What to do?
There are of course ways to try to find out if your home or rental has been damaged. Your Home Owners Association has probably issued updates, or you might have a neighbor or caretaker who could tell you. In areas with near total devastation and where only rescue workers are welcome, it might be more difficult. Perhaps your insurance company or even FEMA could tell you. But going down to visit an area that has no power, safe water, or flooded roads is generally a very bad idea. You will not only be in the way, but life will be hard.
If you find out a home you own has been damaged, the first step is to contact your insurance company. Homes that have been flooded, lost a roof, or had extensive wind damage need to be protected. Even unaffected homes that go too long with power for AC can grow mold quickly. If you have a property manager or caretaker, they can help you too.
For rentals, the situation is different. You might be able to bow out of your contract, particularly if the home is damaged or unusable. Perhaps you hadn’t signed the final papers, or made the deposit – in those cases you have some leverage. We are sure some people will have trouble retrieving deposits. If you know your rental is not going to be available, or the area is so decimated you don’t want to stay there, you might want to change locations – to an area that was not damaged. We expect those areas will experience higher than normal demand.
So what do you know about your Snowbird plans?
It is impossible for us to know the specifics about all the areas of the country were affected by Ian. So we are hoping that we can hear from you – please use the Comments section below to share what happened in your town or active community. Are you sticking with your current plans, or are you moving on to Plan B? Above all, we hope you are safe. We can always change where we spend the winter, if we are alive to make the change!
Comments on "Hurricane Ian Changes Plans for Snowbirds and Year Rounders"
John Brady says:
I have a friend who had all but signed a snowbird rental for next February in Naples. Fortunately he hadn't signed the contract or provided a deposit yet. He is waiting to find out if the property is unaffected and the neighborhood intact before going ahead with it. Lucky.
Jerome Wilson says:
We rent for three months at Saralkes in Sarasota, our rental is okay, but many homes lost their carports, and some had roof damage. I don't believe there was any flooding. We still plan on going in January for three months. Jerome
Clyde says:
We own a condo in Palm Beach County and are snowbirds from Connecticut. Fortunately, southeast Florida had only minor effects from Ian, but one 55+ community in Delray Beach experienced a small tornado from a feeder band that rendered a number of condos unlivable until they can be repaired. Our condo was thankfully undamaged with only a few hours without electricity and we were not in Florida.
We will return shortly after Thanksgiving to stay 5-6 months. Ian has influenced us not to be in Florida during hurricane season, generally June through October, with August and September the most likely months for hurricanes. When snowbirding is no longer practical for us, we will almost certainly not move to our condo in Florida permanently. A catastrophic hurricane like Ian or Andrew can hit anywhere in Florida or along the Gulf Coast and significant parts of the Atlantic seaboard. We feel it’s just too much of a risk and produces too much anxiety during hurricane season, especially with predictions that hurricanes are likely to be stronger and more frequent due to climate change.
If people do decide to, or must, live in hurricane territory, some considerations are urged. Don’t live close enough to the coast or a body of water where hurricane surge might occur. This is usually within 1-3 miles of the beach or coast. Don’t live in a flood plain of any kind; if in a condo, live on the second floor or higher. Make sure all windows and doors in your home/condo have hurricane impact windows to withstand sustained winds of 150-170 mph, and/or easy-to-access hurricane shutters. In addition, roofs must be in good shape, often meaning they need to be replaced every 10-15 years or whenever your insurance company requires. Winter weather in Florida is a paradise in most places. You don’t have to live in locations with the most hurricane damage susceptibility to enjoy it, but no location in Florida is safe from at least SOME hurricane damage if you’re hit by one. That goes for a good deal of the Gulf coast and Atlantic Seaboard as well.
Roberta says:
Snowbirds can always come to Arizona this season. We have no weather issues at all out here. Just sun, sun and more sun.
BillyBogey says:
Good "Head's Up" Clyde & Brenda. Thanks. Know I75 & Yes; Marathon has run thru upstairs. Did Laff about that thought. However, do like Florida around PB County.
However, Arizona has piqued interest but do need to know more about & where should I Winter?? As do play golf but not 24/7 as wish to be active & have some Fun!!
Think out on a "Day Pass"!!
Thanks Sports Fans.
Pat R says:
Arizona had terrible monsoons this year including winds and huge hail,which I thought I had escaped in the Midwest. 3 hailstorm in Tucson arrea resulted in 15,000 insurance claim.
Roberta says:
BillyBogey
We live in Tucson. Plenty to do here. Lots of golf, perfect weather all the time. Hiking, biking, gorgeous scenery. Great for road trips to a variety of unusual sights! Never boring here! Also, Green Valley is nice if you don't want to be in Tucson. Bisbee is nice as well. Hope that helps a bit.
John Brady says:
The death toll from HurrIcane Ian in Florida is approaching 100. Reports from the AP say that many of those are coming from drownings and most are people over age 50. Note to self: If authorities tell me to evacuate - do it! Meanwhile, many full time residents of some communities have lost their homes and have nowhere to go. This is very tragic, but am glad that people and organizations are stepping up to help.
Larry says:
My golf community in Pawleys Island, SC, is eight miles north of where Ian made a second landfall. With 85 mph winds and gusts to 100, it was nothing like Ft. Myers, but still the after-effects showed the power of a “mere” Category 1 hurricane. Our golf course edge is a mere 3/4 mile from the ocean, across an expanse of marshland, and it was strewn with large pieces of wood from docks and even one complete dock — with 14 foot boat still attached! In this case it was all about the storm surge of up to 8 feet. Our condo is another 1/4 mile inland, and we saw no flooding and just a few tree branches down. But after seeing what storm surge can do, I echo what others have written here: If officials say evacuate, evacuate.
BillyBogey says:
Thanks Roberta. Appreciated. Presently live in Edmonton & am in Toronto often. So I15 or I75 are both great Roads to go South. As mentioned like WPB Area & have thought about Tucson/Green Valley areas as am somewhat a Baseball Fan. That's a bit of an understatement !!
Anyway; Thank You for follow-up.
It's "Day Pass Time"; Sports Fans!!
Larry says:
Nine years ago, I wrote at my blog site, GolfCommunityReviews.com, an article about hurricane threats along the Eastern Seaboard and around the Gulf of Mexico. The article was based largely on a book written more than a decade ago by a couple of hurricane experts who included an appendix with a list of cities and the odds of major hurricanes making landfall in those cities. I don't have the book with me as I write this but my recollection is that the chances of a major hurricane landing in one particular coastal city every 100 years were between 2% and 12%. But NOAA -- the U.S. National and Atmospheric Administration -- which monitors hurricanes and other weather issues, sees higher chances of hurricanes along the coast. They measure in terms of "return period"; that is, how often (in years) a particular coastal location can expect any type of hurricane and how often they can expect a major hurricane (Category 3 or higher). You will find relevant maps at NOAA's web site; I was unable to copy the link here but go to NOAA's main site and search for following: "what-are-chances-hurricane-will-hit-my-home." You will find that places like Savannah and Jacksonville are relatively safe in terms of storms, but southeast Florida and the entire coast of North Carolina are considerably more vulnerable. Although NOAA's map for major hurricanes doesn't overlay city names, the areas near where Ft. Myers should be show return periods of between 18 and 27 years. The Outer Banks of North Carolina show a return period of 16 years. Fascinating stuff. My own take is that if retirees do their research properly, they can find places on the coast that are relatively safe. But rising sea levels, and what appear to be a greater frequency of significant hurricanes in recent years, will put some beautiful but high-priced beachfront properties under water in years to come.
Stewart B. says:
Each winter we rent a beautiful home on a canal just off the river in Cape Coral for a week, then move to a rented condo on the beach on Fort Myers Beach where we stay an additional month, returning home to Lexington, Kentucky the second week of March.
At the canal home in the Cape we had a 26 foot boat and our days that week were spent on the boat busing favorite island beaches, Cayo Costa being our very favorite, being largely uninhabited and only a handful of others who come that far by boat, anchored far enough apart that we usually had a half mile to a mile of beautiful white sand beach covered with so many shells it’s difficult to walk barefoot. And the water, wow, the most beautiful turquoise with deep blue skies above.
It was paradise for us and something we talk about constantly when back home, looking forward to January so we can be back where we leave all of life’s problems and it’s fast pace behind for five weeks.
Then along comes Ian.
Seeing the unbelievable and total destruction of Fort Myers Beach and knowing what residents there have gone through is absolutely heartbreaking. When I saw live video shot from a helicopter while watching a local Fort Myers TV station on the internet and it zoomed in on Seaside Resort and our condo building with it’s roof gone and the top floor destroyed along with everything around it, I just sank back in disbelief at the devistation. I haven’t seen anything like it since Hurricane Andrew or Camille before that where so many homes and businesses and docks were torn to shreds.
We don’t know the extent of damage to the Cape Coral home yet, but damage I’ve seen of the nearby Cape Coral Yacht Club says the property took a hard hit.
We have a couple thousand dollars down as deposits and a week before Ian hit I had booked our first class non refundable flights to and from and I haven’t bothered calling Delta yet to see what if any options we might have.
I know the property owners have their hands full so I’ll give it a month before I make contact with them to see what they have in mind regarding deposits that I’m not terribly concerned about. I know they’ll do what they can to be fair as best they can.
But I feel for what they’re going through and we’d of course like the funds returned or applied to when conditions allow us to return when and if some resemblance of normal coastal life returns in a year or two or three…
Meanwhile, we’ve begun the search for somewhere south to go, but so much of coastal Florida suffered damage, there’s not a lot to choose from that wasn’t already booked by folks like us but who’s winter escape from the cold wasn’t wiped out by that damned Ian that made a direct hit on a beautiful area of south Florida we loved that still had a good bit of the old Florida we prefer to everywhere else that looks like everywhere else.
Roberta says:
One thing I want to add about Arizona. We do have water issues here but not from too much water but not enough water. The west is suffering terribly from the drought and climate change. It would not effect you if you were just visiting and staying at an AirBnB but I would not suggest buying anything here. Right now there is still water coming out of the faucet, filling the pools and watering the golf course but who knows how much longer we will have those luxuries. In 2018 we bought our place here but we are moving back east this spring.. I have missed rain and clouds so much. It is true that we have monsoons here in summer but it is a mere drop in the bucket. Retirement now is so different from that of our parents and grandparents in so many ways but I think as far as wintering somewhere it is becoming harder and harder to find someplace safe and affordable. Get out the shovels......
Andrea says:
After reading Stewart's interesting and sad post I won't complain that our rental in a condominium community suffered wind damage with trees down and a good bit of the landscaping taken out, but that was all. We don't go to FL until January so it should be okay by then. I am sorry Stewart what you are going through and wish you the best this winter. Since we have put down our deposit we will go to Fl this winter, but are now considering becoming reverse snowbirds and staying put for the winter and during the summer renting a place on a lake. Not sure we want to worry every year about another Ian, but it is something to think about the next few months when we will be forced to make a decision
John Brady says:
We are hearing from more and more people who are cancelling their winter plans to head south. Some are glad they are only renters, not property owners. The prospect of living in a place that has been devastated is just not that appealing.
Sharon L Alexander says:
Stewart, I hope you contact Delta soon to find out your options. Waiting might not be in your favor. So sorry about your loss. I understand from what I saw on TV, some areas will take years to recover. So sorry for them.
Sharon
terri says:
We live in the suburbs of Phoenix, Peoria, Arizona. We have had a few monsoons but nothing damaging. Many of the areas in the central area of Arizona are isolated storms. Lots of snowbirds coming from Canada, and the mid west. Come on over. I too love the beach. So sad to see it happen but I do have to say, we looked at South Carolina for 5 years and then had to opt out. Every time we went there they either had flooding from hurricanes or just really bad storms. Since we were planning to live full time we just had to go west.