Mary Kate Leming
By Mary Kate Leming, Editor
On the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew’s shredding of Homestead and the Miami area, and seven years since Katrina’s flood waters devastated New Orleans, Tropical Storm Isaac breezed through our area with a reminder of just what hurricane season can bring.
Broken tree limbs, street flooding and roof leaks appear to be the worst things to affect coastal residents in this storm. Thankfully, it seems that FPL’s hardening of the power grid along the coast has paid off — with very few outages. Let’s hope this trend holds.
Of bigger concern may be Citizens’ decision to drop policies on coastal homes insured for over $1 million. This may have a bigger impact on our area than a tropical storm (or worse). Tim Pallesen reports his findings on this trend on Page 1.
And if you live in a condominium, you may want to read Tim O’Meilia’s story on Page 20 about an upcoming workshop to help condo managers, board members and owners understand insurance issues and better plan for repairs following a storm.
Even though damage to property was minimal, Isaac’s storm-stirred ocean washed away about one-half of this season’s remaining sea turtle nests along our beaches.
Luckily, we have the good folks at Gumbo Limbo to keep track of these events and help to assist any turtle hatchlings or injured adults discovered in distress. See Ron Hayes’ story on Page 1.
No word yet on how the spiraling whitefly fared. See our Coastal Life cover story, Page 25.
Hurricane season doesn’t end until November 30. So until then, please plan ahead and stay safe.
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