OP-ED: Recovering from Hurricane Ian is a costly process not all Floridians can afford

OP-ED: Recovering from Hurricane Ian is a costly process not all Floridians can afford

The worst part of Hurricane Ian is now over, and I, who experienced this beast firsthand from Orlando, have finally begun to recover.  Some actually say this is the worst part, and for the families of those who have perished or are still missing, I’m not so sure it will ever be over. We’ll see. I stayed up through the night when Hurricane Ian hit landfall, wanting to be alert if the power went out, or if the windows broke.

I finally went to bed in the morning around 8 a.m. thinking it was all clear to let down my guard. I was wrong. I woke up around 11:30 a.m. to a flooded apartment with water rising to the top of the bed. I didn’t realize how we were surrounded by a rising flood, thinking this came from inside the apartment. I went to open the door, and a whole lot of water flowed inside increasing the height of the flood.

I tried my best to salvage items, not thinking how high this flood was going to be. Eventually before I left the apartment, the water was waist high. I went outside and saw a specific area of the apartment complex flooded, so I went up to the second-floor balcony to stay away from the rising water.

The National Guard rescued me a few hours later and I stayed at a shelter until I was able to get to a hotel later that night.

I lived in a hotel for about a week until I was able to find an apartment, constantly calling and searching for an affordable place to live, which is actually pretty difficult in this state right now. Even though I lost everything and have to start over, I was able to stay safe and eventually secured a place. I think about some of the people I met along the way from that complex still having trouble finding a place and financial assistance which brings me to a point.

Imagine if Governor Ron DeSantis, who had the nerve to vote no for Hurricane Sandy relief in 2013, didn’t use millions of taxpayer dollars for his immigration publicity stunt?  Those funds could have gone to helping hurricane victims. Apparently, DeSantis also had a fund specifically set aside for bolstering infrastructure that he never used.

I’ve learned that I wasn’t the only one who thought our renter’s insurance covered flood damages. Even now, I am still waiting…and hoping to be approved for financial assistance from FEMA. With DeSantis at the helm of the state’s worst property insurance crisis ever, only time will tell what was more disastrous, the actual storm or the inaction of the governor who is too busy fighting culture wars and trafficking migrants, to help all Floridians.

RELATED COVERAGE: MELTDOWN: Florida’s property insurance crisis is about to get worse after Hurricane Ian

David M. Weissman is a former Republican who has seen the light. 

You can follow him on Twitter here.

This is an opinion column that solely reflects the opinions of the author.

David Weissman

Opinion columnist and Army veteran. Former MAGA, now a Biden voter.