Big problem , from another site JMHO As IAN traveled through Florida it passed over some of the most populated areas of the state. It would not be a surprise to know that 500,000 homes, mobile, homes & multi-family structures need to be replaced”.
Since I am in Orlando I can attest from the fringes of the devastation.. Orange county damage is nothing like Lee County but in our neighborhood alone at least 10 businesses have been totally flooded, 25 or more houses, the fire station, two nursing homes and the first floor of several apartment buildings. My next-door neighbor is perhaps 5 feet below me and the water was up to his kitchen countertops throughout the entire house. Fortunately, two of my kids are engineers and they had built barriers to keep the water from my place. South of me toward Kissimmee/Celebration the destruction is even worse. And believe me that’s nothing compared to what’s going on a hundred miles on the West Coast. Three of my friends have totally lost their beautiful homes from Naples to Fort Myers. My old college roommate had at least a $5 million home north of Naples and it’s gone, wiped from the face of the earth.
Can the Fed raise interest rates in that situation? I can’t imagine how they could justify it given the need to accumulate capital for the rebuilding process which will take years. My cousin is a well-known bridge architect in New York City. After we talked on the phone about Sanibel for only one minute I was stunned at the implications. And that’s only one bridge. I was in Louisiana for Katrina and I will tell you this is worse. There was real money here in Southwest Florida that dwarfs Louisiana’s need for capital. The need for building materials, equipment, labor, skilled craftsmen, engineers and architects is going to be immense. The Fed is going to have to change their tune pretty damn quick and maybe on Monday