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Used to be when a disaster struck, the Governor could declare an area a Disaster Area. I read now the Governor makes a request for that declaration.

My Way NewsWater continued to rise in some parts of Florida Sunday as President Bush declared four hard-hit counties there disaster areas. The declaration makes funds available for emergency work and repairs to governments in Brevard, Monroe, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. More could be added later.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who requested the disaster declaration last week, on Sunday visited the site of heavy flooding in Wakulla County in the Florida Panhandle.

I believe this is a result of the merger of FEMA with the Department of Homeland Security.

It actually makes sense on some level. The requests for disaster area declaration are rarely refused and requiring the Feds to check off on this distinction reduces the likelihood of a governor declaring someplace a disaster area prematurely.

I doubt it has much impact on anything or anyone but it might matter in the future.

Anybody else tired of having their tax money spent on the chronic "disaster" known as Florida?

Living in Florida should require a 10% tax on all citizens that is put in a disaster relief fund so they can help their own damn selves when the next "disaster" occurs.

I agree fully, and I live in Florida, albeit not much longer.

I have to take a few moments and defend my native state. The "disaster" of Florida is the result of poor planning. I have lived here my whole life and have never filed a claim for anything. Even the claim I am filing now is only going to be a few thousand dollars. Considering I have paid 10000 dollars in homeowners premiums I am hardly a liability.
When I bought my house I looked at every possible angle. Was I in a wildfire prone area? Would my house flood? I considered all these things carefully. I made sure everything was termite free. I was responsible and diligent. The last storm dropped 24" in three days. I didn't have any standing water around my house. You gotta love florida sugar sand.
I can not however defend the millions of idiots that build a house on the beach, river, or lake. Oh sure its pretty when its calm. Mother nature is a bitch that you can't control. I used to live in the keys. All the houses down there when I was growing up are built 10 feet off the ground. The houses are on stilts. These idiots here not only build their houses next to a body of water, but they place it on a foundation right on the ground!! You see houses right next to lakes.
So do not condemn all of us that live in this state. I live in a small town that has alot going for it. North of Orlando you can still get the old Florida. I go to the farmers market and even trade vegetables with my neighbors.
My house is surrounded by live oaks that have been here for hundreds of years. When Charlie, Frances, and Jeanne swept through here those trees broke up the winds and only lost a few branches. My house was spared much of the winds. Meanwhile the subdivisions on the other side of town lost all their shingles and such because the clear cut the area that the development was built on. You have to plan these things out and for people that do take the right steps disaster rarely strikes.

I see this change in procedure as a further reduction in State's power and more consolidation at the federal level.

Troyboy1208 wrote:I have to take a few moments and defend my native state. The "disaster" of Florida is the result of poor planning. I have lived here my whole life and have never filed a claim for anything. Even the claim I am filing now is only going to be a few thousand dollars. Considering I have paid 10000 dollars in homeowners premiums I am hardly a liability.
When I bought my house I looked at every possible angle. Was I in a wildfire prone area? Would my house flood? I considered all these things carefully. I made sure everything was termite free. I was responsible and diligent. The last storm dropped 24" in three days. I didn't have any standing water around my house. You gotta love florida sugar sand.
I can not however defend the millions of idiots that build a house on the beach, river, or lake. Oh sure its pretty when its calm. Mother nature is a bitch that you can't control. I used to live in the keys. All the houses down there when I was growing up are built 10 feet off the ground. The houses are on stilts. These idiots here not only build their houses next to a body of water, but they place it on a foundation right on the ground!! You see houses right next to lakes.
So do not condemn all of us that live in this state. I live in a small town that has alot going for it. North of Orlando you can still get the old Florida. I go to the farmers market and even trade vegetables with my neighbors.
My house is surrounded by live oaks that have been here for hundreds of years. When Charlie, Frances, and Jeanne swept through here those trees broke up the winds and only lost a few branches. My house was spared much of the winds. Meanwhile the subdivisions on the other side of town lost all their shingles and such because the clear cut the area that the development was built on. You have to plan these things out and for people that do take the right steps disaster rarely strikes.

Well TB, you certainly don't sound like the morons on the beach, but you are, unfortunately, in their jurisdiction.

At some level, be it town or county or region or state - but not federal, people need to be responsible for their own decisions.

You sound like you are for yours - great.

But we know it's only a matter of time before the next Andrew sweeps through Florida.

Those who choose to live in a region having a school with the official nickname of "Hurricanes" should be completely responsible for their own disaster insurance and disaster relief services, just like the morons in New Orleans.