Thread by @shawnavercher

You’re going to see #HurricaneIan destruction footage and inevitably many of you will think: “They are so stupid! Why didn’t the people in Naple, Ft Myers, etc just LEAVE??”

And while we DO have our fair share of idiots in Florida, most people who stay have a good reason 🧵

Let’s start w money. We are in a tourist state. So for a place to stay that’s big enough for kids, maybe elderly grandparents, plus pets is AT LEAST a thousand dollars if you stay for 4 days.

That doesn’t count gas, eating out (no kitchen), and packing supplies. 2/

Avg Florida family makes $57k per year. So there went AT LEAST one week pay for most families if you evacuate.

And if you’re living paycheck to paycheck? Forget leaving unless you have relatives or friends you can stay with. #WhyDidntTheyLeave 3/

That’s if you can get to your new destination. Thankfully gas prices are much lower now than they were, but many people have cars that can’t go long distances without repair.

Did you know that Florida has the most toll roads**? Driving will cost hundreds in gas PLUS tolls.4/

** The reason we have the most toll roads? Corruption.

Rick Scott made money off of it so now families pay more. In Florida it’s always ALWAYS a grift. But I digress…

news-press.com/story/news/loc…

5/

Now let’s talk about driving. Are you able to drive at night? Bc many can’t. Do you have room in your car for a cat carrier, oxygen tank, wheelchair, and who knows what other NECESSARY things you have to bring? If families have special needs, travel is hard if not impossible. 6/

Do you have pets that you don’t want to leave behind to drown, be terrified, or starve? That costs more. Most places won’t take them.

It took me over THREE HOURS to find an Airbnb that would let us take our cat. They say “pet friendly” but not which ones. Super frustrating. 7/

So you have money, reliable cars, & are ready to go. Are you ALLOWED to leave? Because many families on the road are leaving at least one person behind.

Many employers require workers stay until evacuation is mandatory (too late to leave for most). Would you leave ur spouse? 8/

And don’t even get me started on this minion of Satan who told the staff to just evacuate to the office so they could keep working!!

If you think exploitive bosses are a rarity in Florida, think again. It’s not hard to guess who is most vulnerable. 9/

independent.co.uk/news/world/ame…

Also can the kids miss school? Because many districts wait until the last minute to close. To be fair, we get a lot of storm warnings so I get the caution, but it makes it hard to plan.

Then the actual days they close a company or school matter… 10/

My kid’s school closed Tues-Thur. We had to clamor for housing close by so we could get back Fri. So options are limited.

Then - after we paid for the room - they cancelled Friday too. You want to meet a person who evac’d from Tampa only to get right in the path in Orlando?? 11/

And one more HUGE point before I close this out. The #hurricane shopping. Whether you stay or go, storms mean supplies. Bottled water, food you don’t need to cook, extra medicines…the list is long and expensive.

But guess what? ALL of your neighbors need your exact list too.12/

That means crowded stores, grabbing what you can get no matter what it costs, & usually running around for a full day to get everything you might need for everyone who is your (official or temporary) responsibility. Again: think pets and seniors bc we have a lot of both here.13/

Now here’s a fun game we consistently suck at as a community: when do you close the stores??

Bc if you close them late you give as many as possible a chance to stock up. But there are workers at those stores. And they can’t get THEIR families ready until you leave. 14/

So those people you shake your head at who stay behind? Chances are some of them filled the gas tanks and carried the groceries for the people who were able to leave safely. And I can assure you they aren’t rewarded for it.

We have to have a better plan for this. 15/

I’ll just wrap up by pleading for empathy for others (yes even Florida Man), recognizing the weird and rigged game we are forced to play every 2 yrs or so if we make our life here, and asking you to help those who lost everything however you can.

16/

I just spent thousands of $$ on something miserable, spent 4 days wondering if I would lose my home, got absolutely no sleep, & gained at least 5 pounds stress eating junk food we stockpiled.

And I’m one of the extremely fortunate ones.

/Fin

#HurricaneIan #WhyDidntTheyLeave