On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Louisiana was hit with the Category 4 hurricane, Hurricane Ida.
Our home in Baton Rouge, LA is about 75 miles from the Gulf. Usually by the time a storm reaches Baton Rouge it has had plenty of time to weaken as it passes over land.
That was not the case for this storm. By the time Hurricane Ida came 70 miles inland it was still raging as a Category 2. The only reason that we were spared the full wrath of the storm was a sudden shift in track that moved Ida just far enough to the East.
We got lucky. Our neighbors in the next Parish over did not.
Even though Baton Rouge was spared from the worst of the storm we were still hit hard.
We are coming up on a week after the storm and many parts of the city are still without power. The grocery stores are nearly empty and several can only accept cash.
There are only a few gas stations that have any fuel available and people are waiting in lines for hours to fill up their gas tanks or get fuel for their generators.
We Were Lucky
I realize that the hardships listed above are actually minor in the grand scheme of things. We still have our house and all of our family members are safe.
The storm moved across the country and caused massive flooding and loss of life in its path. The flooding in Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York was something that I had never seen before and hope to never see again.
But here is the thing...
I don't like relying on luck. It seems like every year the storms are getting worse. As I write this there is another disturbance in the Gulf that has the potential to strengthen and form into a storm with the ability to impact Louisiana.
I am really struggling to justify living this close to the Coast.
I suspect that I am not the only one.
Every region of the country has their weather challenges but I am starting to think that the grass might really be greener further inland.
What Are You Seeing?
I am curious what this group of real estate professionals is seeing in terms of buying/selling in hurricane prone regions.
Are folks moving out? Are beach houses still popular? Are cold weather retirees still moving to Florida?
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