As I write this post, Hurricane Irma is still meandering WNW along the northern coast of Cuba. The most recent computer models suggest that it will soon turn north, slamming the Florida Keys, hugging the west coast of Florida and sparing Metro Miami. In concert, celebrity reporters and weathermen are racing across the peninsula to be close to the action.
Anyone who has read this blog, even on a casual basis, likely knows that my wife and I own a condo on Longboat Key, off Sarasota. It now appears that it will incur significant damage but we are fortunate that we have other homes and that none of our family members are currently using that property. Since purchasing the condo, in 2003, we and our relatives have repeatedly enjoyed Longboat Key with nothing more serious than chilly weather to taint our vacations.
Of course, we always knew that the purchase was a risk and have never believed that public funds should be used to bail out those who choose to occupy barrier islands, river floodplains, volcanic slopes or other high risk zones. Nature is not cruel but neither is she sentimental; if we do not respect her power or acknowledge the processes that culminated in her beautiful landscapes, we cannot complain when we suffer the consequences. And when it comes to hurricanes, human-induced global warming will likely make them more frequent and more powerful.
Anyone who has read this blog, even on a casual basis, likely knows that my wife and I own a condo on Longboat Key, off Sarasota. It now appears that it will incur significant damage but we are fortunate that we have other homes and that none of our family members are currently using that property. Since purchasing the condo, in 2003, we and our relatives have repeatedly enjoyed Longboat Key with nothing more serious than chilly weather to taint our vacations.
Of course, we always knew that the purchase was a risk and have never believed that public funds should be used to bail out those who choose to occupy barrier islands, river floodplains, volcanic slopes or other high risk zones. Nature is not cruel but neither is she sentimental; if we do not respect her power or acknowledge the processes that culminated in her beautiful landscapes, we cannot complain when we suffer the consequences. And when it comes to hurricanes, human-induced global warming will likely make them more frequent and more powerful.
