Re: Jim

Agents always say stupid stuff like that. Insurance companies are prohibited from raising rates to re-coup for past catastrophes.

[Just noticed on the tube that some morons who think with their testosterone glands are out swimming in Tampa Bay. Cops had to go haul them out. I think the cops should have harpooned them, but what do I know.]

Back to insurance companies. When they take a big hit, like Andrew or Charley, their usual response is not to raise rates, but to stop writing policies in that area and let attrition [also called "terminal old age" in Florida] take care of the rest. When I first moved down here [a few years post Andrew], none of the captains of free enterprise wrote hurricane insurance policies here. The state had a hurricane insurance fund that required the private enterprise thieves who continued to sell auto and homeowners insurance in the state to re-insure a portion of the state program.

There's nothing freebooters like less than being called a scam by some government body, so within about two years, they were all back in line, selling hurricane insurance. And at a rate below that of the state pool [have you heard? private enterprise can do it for less than Big Government].

On Sunday, September 5, 2004, at 06:03 PM, Kitty wrote:

Thanks for the update, Jim. I'm sure some of its effects will reach Indiana
in some way or another though. That sounds like one huge storm.

I'm sorry to sound so naive, but I guess I am. Are the electrical outages
because of electrical lines coming down? Could this be alleviated to some
extent by running lines underground? I know this would cost a fortune, but
money is being spent left and right on the damages anyway.

These hurricanes affect everyone eventually. After the fallout from Andrew
settled, MY homeowners rates went up 47% here in Indiana. When I asked why
they said that at least 390 insurance companies went under from paying out
claims for Andrew and many of their policies were underwritten by larger
companies like mine. The money has to come from somewhere. 9/11 payouts
were a factor, too.

Hey, we're all in this together. Stay safe, Jim & Beans.

Kitty

----- Original Message -----
From: "james singer" <jsinger@igc.org>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 4:26 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Jim


Oops. Wrote too soon. 5 PM advisory says it's headed for the Ohio-West
Virginia border. Ivan, however, has already indicated it will swing
north and head for the Keys.

I'm beginning to develop an alternate theory about why King Lear railed
against the storm.

On Sunday, September 5, 2004, at 05:14 PM, james singer wrote:

TV news reader just said there are 4 million persons in Florida
without electricity. He also said Frances is now 400 miles east to
west and 600 miles north to south. The eye is now about 65 miles NNE
of me. If not too much exaggeration that's one very large storm, big
enough to cover most of the state. Last time I checked the National
Hurricane Center, they were predicting it would get all the way to
Indiana before petering out.

On Sunday, September 5, 2004, at 04:58 PM, ""
<gardenqueen@academicplanet.com> wrote:

Let's hope so - FL needs no more storms this season at least!

Pam Evans
Kemp, TX
zone 8A
----- Original Message -----
From: james singer
Sent: 9/5/2004 1:06:58 PM
To: gardenchat@hort.net
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Jim

I don't know if they've gotten worse, but Florida sure seems to have
a
surplus of them this year. We've also got Ivan headed this way about
two weeks out. Ivan is generally following the track blazed by
Charley
until Charley pulled an abrupt right turn over Cuba and headed up
Florida's west coast. Maybe Ivan will keep on trucking and end up in
Belize or the Yucatan.

On Sunday, September 5, 2004, at 02:14 PM, Kitty wrote:

Lord, what a mess. I read an article this am about a kennel that
has
taken
in animals for the duration. They can handle 37 dogs, but they have
taken
in 137 animals and have packed them in wherever. Apparently the
concrete
building should withstand the storm, but they've lost power and are
working
in the dark.

Is it only because I know people (you) down there now that I am more
aware
of the hurricanes or have they gotten much worse in recent years?

Kitty

----- Original Message -----
From: "james singer" <jsinger@igc.org>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2004 12:37 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Jim


I'm here, Scottie, but thanks for asking.

We [Beans and I; Ms. Fatma's in New Hampshire] are entering our
second
24 hours of sporadic rain and gusty wind. No anemometer, but I'd
guess
they're in the 25 to 35 MPH range. The real problem is that
Frances is
moving so slowly--9 or 10 MPH--so it's taking what seems like
forever
to get out of here.

Right now it appears to be crossing Charley's path. Those poor
people.
Apparently many of those communities had piled up the debris from
Charley but hadn't had time to dispose of it, and now
Frances has scattered it all over hell again.

Just saw a graphic on the tube. Frances has a diameter of 366
miles,
so
while it's parked over the state, a considerable amount of her
hangs
off both sides.


On Sunday, September 5, 2004, at 01:08 PM, Scottie wrote:

Has anybody heard from Jim since yesterday?

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Zone 10a
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Zone 10a
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]

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Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Zone 10a
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]

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Island Jim
Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Zone 10a
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]

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Southwest Florida
27.0 N, 82.4 W
Zone 10a
Minimum 30 F [-1 C]

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