EXPATS IN FLORIDA BRACE FOR STORM
Some question decision to live in U.S. state
Ingolf Askevold is a former biologist who lives in Tallahassee, Fla., after moving from British Columbia 29 years ago. He dealt with Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Hurricane Michael last year and faces Hurricane Dorian this week.
“Where do I want to spend the rest of my life? I don’t want to spend it in a hurricane alleyway,” says Askevold, 63. “I have the option to say, ‘I’m just going to move back home.’”
The National Hurricane Center predicted life-threatening storm surges and dangerous winds along the east coast of Florida. Hurricane Dorian, a Category 4 storm as of Monday afternoon, triggered evacuation orders in several Floridian cities, while the American Red Cross reported more than 2,600 people sought refuge in 60 evacuation shelters Sunday night.
As the storm thrashed the Bahamas on its uncertain path to the U.S., governors in South Carolina and Georgia ordered evacuations and airlines waived fees and penalties for travellers cancelling and rescheduling their plans.
Florida receives more visitors from Canada than any other country, hosting 3.5 million Canadians per year, according to the state’s tourism corporation, and some of these people have permanently moved. While some expats say the quality of life compensates for the weather threats, others are questioning their choice of place to live.
“I foresee the possibility that insurance companies are going to stop underwriting property in Florida,” says Askevold, who was visiting North Carolina when he learned about the storm and is waiting there for the storm to pass. He originally planned to stay in Florida for another 20 or 30 years, but his timeline has shortened.
“I’m discovering in conversation, more and more people are giving thought to this, and some people are taking action, have sold their property or moved away from the coast.”
Lidia Nash, a resident of New Smyrna Beach, Fl., moved from Toronto to Florida 15 years ago and does not consider moving back. She says the joy of life in Florida outweighs the inconvenience and physical danger of storms, even though she doesn’t have medical insurance.
“My Canadian friends said, ‘Oh my gosh, why do you live there? You’ve got hurricanes.’ My answer to that is, when you have a hurricane, you have at least seven to 10 days (notice),” says Nash. “Each time it takes me a couple of days to pack up and go, but it’s worth it because the rest of my year, my quality of life is so much better than it ever was up in Canada.”
Responding to an evacuation order in her city, Nash drove inland with a friend, bringing supplies including a water filtration system, lentils, mung beans, fish and a portable grill. She brought her valuables with her for fear of looting, and she says many of her neighbours put their patio furniture in their swimming pools to prevent it from blowing away.
“I wish at this point, this late in the game, that I had have boarded up my house, but it’s too late,” says Nash. “When there’s a hurricane, it seems like it’s okay. You get a little bit of wind, and you get a lot of sun … and then all of a sudden, before you know it, the weather gets bad, and then it gets atrocious.”
The New Smyrna Beach Fire Dept. is calling in extra staff and preparing for fires caused by fallen power lines and injuries caused by debris, says Shane Hallman, a local firefighter and paramedic. He says the city’s utilities department is offering sand at a garage where people can fill their own sandbags.
Nash plans to stay at a hotel in Orlando, and if conditions worsen, she expects she will drive further west to stay with friends in Fort Myers. But even Canadians who have stayed in Canada are not immune to the hurricane, she notes. Based on a forecast from the Canadian Hurricane Centre on Monday afternoon, the storm is tracking in the direction of Halifax.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, BEFORE YOU KNOW IT, THE WEATHER GETS BAD, AND THEN IT GETS ATROCIOUS.