# Apparently, Floridians Didn't Learn Their Lesson Last Year **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 17, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168 "2005-05-17T00:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/1 "2005-05-17T00:36:56Z")
[An even worse hurricane season projected for this year.](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7872376/) > [@](#): > > With tens of thousands of victims from last season’s record hurricane damage still homeless, residents along the East and Gulf Coasts were warned Monday to expect another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season, with three to five major hurricanes predicted between June 1 and Nov. 30. > > In its 2005 forecast, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 12 to 15 tropical storms between June 1 and Nov. 30, with seven to nine of those becoming hurricanes. > > “Three to five could become major hurricanes,” NOAA Director Conrad Lautenbacher said in a statement released with the forecast. Major storms are those packing winds in excess of 111 mph. > > “Forecaster confidence that this will be an active hurricane season is very high,” he added. Let’s hope their wrong. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/2 "2005-05-17T00:44:05Z")
Yet another reason why I want to leave South Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/3 "2005-05-17T00:54:21Z")
**Apparently, Floridians Didn’t Learn Their Lesson Last Year** Oh, were we all supposed to have learned a lesson and moved out of the state? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/4 "2005-05-17T00:58:50Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > **Apparently, Floridians Didn’t Learn Their Lesson Last Year** > > Oh, were we all supposed to have learned a lesson and moved out of the state? Didja miss the gag on _The Daily Show_ about last year’s hurricane season being God’s way of warning you guys to not foul up the election again? BTW, I’d be more than happy to swap places with any Floridian. ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/5 "2005-05-17T01:05:35Z")
I heard on the radio a few days ago that many Floridians aren’t concerned about the upcoming hurricane season, despite what we went through last year. I thought maybe that’s what you meant about not learning our lesson, **Tuckerfan** (even though I didn’t see that in the article). Incidentally, I have no plans to leave the state – I just want to move about 250 miles north! ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/6 "2005-05-17T06:51:23Z")
Meh. I’ll take a hurricane over blizzards, ice storms, flash floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, frozen streets, mountain driving, and the possibility of getting stuck in my car and freezing to death any day. We have sufficient warning of approaching hurricanes to prepare, and they aren’t usually so bad. Anyway, if they aren’t direct hits, they bring a lot of much-needed rain and cooler weather to the area, and most of our homes can easily withstand 100 mile an hour winds. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/7 "2005-05-17T11:38:12Z")
Note to Florida residents: If you don’t have (semi-) permanent storm shutters (and you should), but your plywood _NOW_. As in no later than this weekend. Thank you. Brian ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/8 "2005-05-17T13:04:06Z")
My bonus mother-in-law lives in a concrete block house in Lakeland. It was built in 1953. In those 52 years, not once has it sustained any type of hurricane damage; not even in the great big one in '60 and last year during Charlie. I wouldn’t hesitate to spend a hurricane there. It’s also just a block or two from the shopping center in Edward Scissorhands. Very Florida. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/9 "2005-05-17T13:37:34Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > My bonus mother-in-law lives in a concrete block house in Lakeland. It was built in 1953. In those 52 years, not once has it sustained any type of hurricane damage; not even in the great big one in '60 and last year during Charlie. I wouldn’t hesitate to spend a hurricane there. > > It’s also just a block or two from the shopping center in Edward Scissorhands. Very Florida. Now you’ve jinxed her. And I hear you were in Lakeland last week and didn’t even say hello. Hmmpf! ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/10 "2005-05-17T13:38:52Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Now you’ve jinxed her. And I hear you were in Lakeland last week and didn’t even say hello. Hmmpf! We had about 38 seconds that wasn’t filled with family we hadn’t yet met. And that was filled with sleeping. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/11 "2005-05-17T18:57:36Z")
Apparently a _lot_ of the Wicked Witch’s relatives are coming to visit… :eek: (Kidding. 🙂 Be safe, all of you.) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/12 "2005-05-17T19:07:42Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > **Apparently, Floridians Didn’t Learn Their Lesson Last Year** > > Oh, were we all supposed to have learned a lesson and moved out of the state? Yup. Haven’t you been reading your Carl Hiaasen? ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/13 "2005-05-17T19:36:49Z")
**Tuckerfan** , you are aware that Floridians have a good thing going, right? There’s a federal insurance program that pays the bills whenever beachside residences are damaged by hurricane. Thus, those folks in Florida don’t pay the bills when their houses get swept away; we do. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/14 "2005-05-17T20:06:47Z")
**Tuckerfan** , without knowing that you were quoting _The Daily Show_, which some of us, suprisingly, don’t watch, your title came off as rather rude. It sounds as if you are calling Floridians stupid for remaining Floridians through another hurricane season. There are many other reasons to call Floridians stupid 😃 _← See smiley indicating joke; often necessary when communicating via written word_ ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/15 "2005-05-17T22:53:13Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > **Tuckerfan** , without knowing that you were quoting _The Daily Show_, which some of us, suprisingly, don’t watch, your title came off as rather rude. It sounds as if you are calling Floridians stupid for remaining Floridians through another hurricane season. There are many other reasons to call Floridians stupid 😃 _← See smiley indicating joke; often necessary when communicating via written word_ You mean like [this guy?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=315242)😃 ---
**Author:** ![ladybug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/46a35a/32.png) [@ladybug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladybug)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/16 "2005-05-18T00:57:53Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Note to Florida residents: If you don’t have (semi-) permanent storm shutters (and you should), but your plywood _NOW_. As in no later than this weekend. I’m an apartment dweller so I don’t worry about boarding up my windows (it’s actually forbidden under the terms of my lease), but I’ve been wondering – is there some reason why the same plywood can’t be reused? I don’t understand why people buy it for the same windows year after year. I plan on getting my hurricane supplies together in the next few weeks. There’s a hurricane [sales tax holiday](http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-cretail13may13,0,137157.story?coll=sfla-news-hurricane) from June 1 to June 12, so it’ll be a good time to go shopping. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/17 "2005-05-18T01:07:28Z")
I was in Florida last summer with the Red Cross, doing disaster relief in Tampa and Sarasota. I saw some terrible damage in Punta Gorda. I talked to my mother, who works in hotels, and she said there were no rooms to be rented in any of the surrounding states due to the influx of refugees. People were driving as far as Kentucky to find a hotel room. So watch out for yourselves, Floridopers, cause I’m not going to be there this year to watch out for y’all. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/18 "2005-05-18T01:32:44Z")
> [@ladybug](#): > > I’m an apartment dweller so I don’t worry about boarding up my windows (it’s actually forbidden under the terms of my lease), but I’ve been wondering – is there some reason why the same plywood can’t be reused? I don’t understand why people buy it for the same windows year after year. Well, plywood’s not exactly waterproof, and if it gets too badly damaged you’re not going to want to reuse it. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/19 "2005-05-18T01:44:00Z")
I’m scared. I just moved down here and I don’t know what to expect. I’m going to stock up on batteries and food, and I’m going to get a battery-operated fan. Cuz I hate being hot in the dark. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168/20 "2005-05-18T02:08:43Z")
i thought ohio was to get hit by hurricanes this year. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apparently-floridians-didnt-learn-their-lesson-last-year/304168.md?page=2)