Kristin Hale may have suffered her second hurricane in two weeks, but like many Florida residents, she can’t imagine moving to a less exposed area.
• Also read: After Hurricane “Milton” in Florida, at least 16 deaths and 50 billion damages
• Also read: Hurricanes “Milton” and “Helene” cause a tornado of disinformation in the United States
“When you live in Florida, you persevere,” assures this 42-year-old woman who is busy clearing fallen branches in her restaurant in Siesta Key, on the west coast of this peninsula in the southeast of the United States.
“It’s the price you pay to live in paradise,” says Kristin Hale. “We have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,” she continues, calling herself “privileged.”
AFP
The frequency of natural disasters has, however, increased the cost of home insurance: in 2023, homeowners would pay 421% more than the national average to insure their home, according to a study by the specialist company Insurify.
But despite its vulnerability to climatic phenomena such as coastal erosion or increasingly violent hurricanes, nothing seems to undermine the attractiveness of the “Sunshine State”.
Florida, the third most populous state in the country with more than 22 million inhabitants, was in 2023 the second in number of new residents, behind Texas, according to national census data.
“Unique place”
“Living near water is special, nothing can replace it,” explains Victoria Thoma, a 49-year-old Russian living in Sarasota about ten kilometers away, who came to see the damage at Siesta Key where Milton hit the ground.
After ten years in Connecticut (north-east) near New York, it was in this part of Florida that she found the ideal, “magical” house for her, her husband, and their eight children. , she says.
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In the surrounding area, people evacuated as the hurricane approached began to gradually return to examine the condition of their homes.
Across the town of some 5,000 inhabitants, flooded streets, tree trunks and branches litter the ground, as well as piles of debris from the previous hurricane. Helene that no one bothered to pick up.
“I have traveled the world, visited many countries and seen wonderful places. But this one is unique,” says Matt Fueyo, owner of a boat rental company, near the beach.
“There’s good energy in Siesta Key, good people. It’s a very special place,” he insists.
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In Sarasota, Andy Johnson, who came a few days ago from Chicago (north) to visit relatives, observes a yacht stranded in the port, testimony to the devastating power of Milton.
“It was terrifying for someone who had never experienced anything like that,” he says. “But the people here are strong. And as my half-brother says, “It’s better than shoveling snow up north.” So they just rebuild every time.”
