Hurricane Nicole made landfall just south of Vero Beach, Florida this past week, resulting in extensive damage to beachfront property there, despite it being only a Category 1 storm. Since hurricanes in the Northern Henisphere rotate counter-clockwise, all of the damage was to the north, which was a relief to my sister Susan and I, who own a condo that we rent out in Stuart, about 30 miles to the south of Vero. This reminded me of the time Susan and I visited our mother Mary at the condo in Stuart back in August of 1995. Hurricane Erin hit Florida while we were there. It too was a Category 1, and made landfall at the same spot as Nicole. As I recall, it made for a pretty exciting evening. The West Palm Beach television stations provided continuous coverage, the theme more or less being "we are all going to die." As the track of the storm continued to move north, they would send their rookie reporters up there to broadcast their reports in front of the raging ocean, the wind blowing fiercely, reminding viewers not to venture outside like them. Back in Stuart, when the storm made landfall, it was windy and raining hard, but it was basically just a tropical storm. I can't remember if there was damage farther north, but I think there has been significant erosion to the coastline since then, resulting in more and more beachfront property susceptible to major damage. The moral of the story: resist buying real estate in Florida right on the ocean. It is all fine and good except during hurricane season, which humorist Dave Barry says runs from June 1st thru May 31st. And yes, that is indeed me at Stuart Beach in the photograph on the left, the day after Hurricane Erin, a mere lad of 42.
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