Nitefall over the Everglades and the heat index has dropped to a mere 92, but the dew point stays in the 70s day and night. Powers been back for a week now, but seems most of the massive air conditioners didn’t take well to hundred mile per hour rain. While Home Despot and Lows are busy, seems they’re out of half the stuff you need. Despite the utilities being pretty much back, the trailer park locked the public showers and restroom, yet another insult after the ailing tree they refused to take down last year blew down on four trailers. But we’re doing good, so hot I knocked off early and took a drive to Imokalee and Everglades City, where the hundreds of working and retired poor are now homeless.
Just the basic physics tells you that south Florida was one of the last wildernesses in America for good reason- Even when the hurricanes hold off, it takes 5 kilowatts to cool my trailer, even more for the McMansions popping up here in the flood plain. Want solar backup, figure on $15,000 in solar panels plus thousands more for batteries. That’s a bit much for a trailer worth $10,000 pre-hurricane, so maybe a few thousand for a diesel generator and a couple hundred gallons of fuel for the weeks ‘til the power comes back? Heck, just turn on the AC in my diesel car at idle and the fuel use damn near doubles! Meanwhile, 3 weeks after landfall, the flood waters are now merely lapping at roads and homes instead of running right through them.
There’s a teachable moment here- South Florida damn well should have been left undeveloped and future development stopped. Human induced global warming has turned “hurricane alley” into the “hurricane express lane”, as we look forward to hurricane seasons that have a double digit impact on federal spending and the GDP. Yet Florida governments are already cranking up taxpayer funded tourism promotion ads to play in northern markets assuring us that Florida is open for tourists… What hurricane? That's been Florida’s business plan for decades… Lure the northern middle class and their life savings down and don’t tell them about the brutal summer heat and unaffordable insurance ‘til they’re dumped said life savings into a cheaply built home.
And we let the developers and big oil get away with this fraud!
It’s time to speak up and seize this teachable moment- Florida and the southern coasts are largely unsustainable, and any “investment” there will likely be lost. Blizzards are impressive storms, but I’ve yet to see one take out power for millions of people for weeks and make thousands homeless… Better to retire up north and sit out the occasional blizzard for a day. And for the good citizens of Puerto Rico, the consequences of global warming are eve more dire- How many innocent Puerto Ricans have to die before we curb global warming?
Folks, the Florida tourism promoters, developers, and big oil have loud voices… We need to speak louder!