By Ray Cardello for January 10, 2025, Season 30 / Post 6

We have sad moments every year when a section of our country suffers the pain of a tragedy that takes property and, sometimes, unfortunately, innocent lives. Today, we will not discuss the senseless shootings and bombings but focus on something more widespread that impacts thousands, even millions of people. The last few months have seen far too many of these disasters, and we will see sections of our country reeling for years to recover, and some regions and people never will.

In the span of ten days in the fall of 2024, two major hurricanes hit the Gulf Coast of Florida and traveled up the eastern seaboard, spreading devastation as far north as Virginia. Hurricanes are unpredictable, and Florida had gone through a period of 7 years without a hurricane hitting Sunshine State soil. The streak ended in 2024. Hurricanes Helene and Milton reached Category 5 status and a similar track, hitting Florida between Tampa/St. Pete and Sarasota. Beaches, buildings, and some people proved no match for the wind, rain, and surf. For forty years, my partner, Sharon, has owned a condo on Sunset Beach, which is part of Treasure Island between St. Petersburg and the Gulf of Mexico. In four decades, she had never experienced a hurricane firsthand until Helene. During and after the storm, she saw the horrific damage done to homes we had walked by so many times and restaurants where we had shared meals that no longer existed. They stood for years and came down in minutes. A large red X marked the buildings FEMA had designated as too damaged to repair. These buildings would be razed and hopefully replaced. The devastation in Georgia and the Carolinas was even worse. These states rarely see CAT 4 or 5 hurricanes, and they see entire cities and towns destroyed by this duo of storms. Billions of dollars of damages were left in their wake. These storms were natural, and man could only observe and wait to evaluate the aftermath.

We cannot say the same about the massive fire we watch destroy parts of California. As I wrote yesterday, regardless of the cause of the first wildfire and the historic winds spreading the flames, poor planning, mismanagement, and lack of preparedness allowed the damage’s scope to spread. The blame for this tragedy, including the loss of lives and thousands of buildings, falls at the feet of the public officials who are entrusted to ensure a tragedy like this never happens.

Eyes have already turned to the many insurance companies that will review the damages and write checks so people can begin to rebuild their lives. Unfortunately, we have already witnessed unscrupulous activity, such as coaxing homeowners to accept a percentage of the damage so that insurance companies can quickly get a check into the homeowner’s hands. These companies are not looking out for the best interest of their clients but to minimize their exposure. Insurance companies are in the numbers game. Minimize risk and exposure, minimize payouts for claims, and maximize premiums and profits. If the bean counters see an area or group of people that present too much risk, then you will see an exodus of insurance companies writing policies. California and Florida are two such marked states, and insurance providers had been pulling out before these storms and fires. You will see the pace of that exodus pick up. Companies that stay will increase premiums and deductibles, making policies catastrophic coverage too expensive for most to afford. This will seriously hinder the real estate market, which is not the insurance company’s concern. Their concern is profits. Insurance rates for everyone will increase to mitigate the costs of these tragedies and losses.

It is easy to villainize the insurance companies, and there is a good reason for that, but more importantly, it is to point the finger at the people who are put in office to take care of their citizens and fail miserably. Many of these are the same folks who showed their true colors during COVID-19, yet they are still here. This cycle of lifetime appointments must end. When elected officials fail us, they must be replaced. Hopefully, the memories of these events will be punctuated with the lessons learned. The final chapters of the saga should be the letters of termination and resignation of every political official who contributed to the destruction with their poor performance.