Hurricane Ian — the Next Big Challenge

It is already a challenge in that people who did evacuate went elsewhere. Some went inland to motels and hotels. Others drove to be with family if they are in the region. And then, there are those who chose to remain in their homes that have been rendered uninhabitable and now need a place to stay.

Not an uncommon situation following a major disaster like a hurricane. Given that experience, there are those in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and at the state level who likely started working on this challenge immediately while others were concentrated on search and rescue.

While FEMA trailers have been “sworn off” in the past, many times these are the quickest and best solution for temporary housing. When I say “temporary,” I’m talking months and in some cases years.

Some people, after the mortgage is paid, might not have maintained insurance on their homes. If they did not have basic homeowners insurance, it is most likely they also did not have flood insurance that is backed by the federal government. Those who lost everything are likely left with nothing to use to rebuild.

The other aspect of this disaster is that gentrification can come to those areas that had trailers and manufactured homes on the beach. Land will be bought up by developers and these people will need to move to other areas of the state or nation.