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Welcome back to Meteorology Matters.

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We're diving into the aftermath of Haleen and Milton,

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those hurricanes that slammed Florida back in October 2024.

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Yeah, we all remember the crazy damage,

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but we're going deeper than that today.

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Like, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff

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still going on.

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It's wild, right?

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The stuff you don't hear about after the news crews move on.

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Exactly.

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Like, get this, some people were using airboats

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just to go vote, because the flooding was still so bad.

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And some towns are still underwater months later.

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It's crazy.

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It shows you how these hurricanes,

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they don't just disappear.

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The effects stick around and change things in ways

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you don't expect.

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Right.

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So Haleen and Milton, they hit Florida back to back, a 1-2 punch.

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We're not going to rehash all the initial damage.

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Everyone's seen the pictures.

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But we are going to look at the long-term stuff, the things

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people are still struggling with.

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Yeah, the stuff that doesn't make headlines anymore,

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but is still a huge problem for people.

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Totally.

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So let's start with the flooding.

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Some parts of Florida are just drowning.

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And I mean, for months, Hickory Hills in Dade City,

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that's a prime example.

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It's really bad there.

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Like, whole neighborhoods underwater,

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people using boats just to get to their front doors.

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It's not just an inconvenience.

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It's dangerous.

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Absolutely.

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I was reading about one resident, Victor Lemus.

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He's terrified about what happens if there's an emergency.

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With the roads flooded, how do ambulances even get in?

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It's a major gap in disaster response.

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The county was pumping the water out at first,

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but they stopped back in December.

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Now people are stopped.

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It's like they got abandoned as soon as the cameras left.

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Right.

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And it shows how complicated this stuff is,

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because the county says they stopped pumping because the flooding

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moved on to private land.

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So it's a legal issue, too.

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It is.

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And a bigger question, too, about climate change.

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When your property is affected by these massive forces,

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who's responsible for fixing it?

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Exactly.

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So another spot that got hit hard was Ridge Manor.

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It's basically built to flood.

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It's so flat.

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And the Wootla-Koochee River drains super slow.

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Look at this.

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They had flood warnings for 34 days straight after Milton.

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Imagine that over a month of living with that threat.

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It's unbelievable, right?

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The river hit its third highest level ever recorded.

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So you're talking about a massive amount of water

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with nowhere to go.

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I mean, it's bad enough having your house flooded.

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But these people had to use airboats just to go vote.

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It shows how resilient they are.

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But it's also crazy to think about voting

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being that difficult.

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It makes you wonder about those areas that are always

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getting hit by these storms.

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Does it affect people's ability to vote?

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It's a question we need to think about.

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Definitely.

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All right, let's shift gears a bit

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and talk about the economic damage,

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because the pictures don't tell the whole story.

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Yeah, it goes way deeper than that.

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The physical damage is one thing, but the economic hit,

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that can last for years.

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Annamarie Island is a good example.

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It's a huge tourist spot.

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And it got slammed.

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It's been really slow to recover.

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Lots of businesses are still closed.

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And tourism is way down, which is their whole thing.

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It's a chain reaction.

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Yes.

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Like the Annamarie City Pier got wrecked.

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That's a huge tourist attraction.

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So less torrents, less money for everyone.

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And only like two thirds of the vacation rentals

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are even open again.

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Right.

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I saw that Terry Kinder, the head of the Chamber of Commerce

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there, she's optimistic about rebuilding.

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But she admits it's going to take a long time.

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Makes you realize how fragile the whole system is.

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Yeah.

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One disaster and everything gets thrown off.

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Totally.

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And it's not just businesses feeling it.

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Governments and utilities are struggling too.

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Those financial companies, S&P and Moody's,

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they've been looking at the hurricane's impact.

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And it's not looking good.

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S&P actually downgraded Buncombe County in North Carolina

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because of Hurricane Helene.

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They said they could lose a ton of revenue

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and end up with a way bigger financial burden.

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Yeah.

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A downgrade that's never good.

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Basically, it means providing services and keeping taxes

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in check is going to be way harder.

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It's a huge hit to the whole community.

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And Moody's is worried about utilities too.

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Rebuilding that stuff costs a fortune

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and could mean higher prices for everyone.

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It's just another layer of stress

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for people who are already dealing with so much.

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And then there's insurance, which is already

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a nightmare in Florida.

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Prices have been skyrocketing for years, and now this.

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It's insane.

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Some areas are seeing rates double.

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That's a killer for homeowners, landlords, the tourism

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industry, everyone.

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It's a perfect storm.

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You have more extreme weather happening all the time.

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Plus, insurance companies are paying out more.

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So they raise prices.

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It's unsustainable.

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Makes you wonder if Florida's headed for the same kind

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of insurance crisis they had in California

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after those wildfires.

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People lost everything and then found out

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they weren't even covered.

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It's terrifying.

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It is.

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And it raises questions about whether we're prepared.

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As a society, our building codes, our insurance systems,

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are they enough for this new reality where these storms are

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just going to keep getting worse?

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That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

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OK, so let's talk about the long term effects,

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because it goes beyond the immediate damage.

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What about things like people moving away?

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I read that Howard Kearer at Evercore Wealth Management,

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he's worried about that.

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It makes sense, though, right?

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If you keep getting hit by these monster storms,

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wouldn't you want to move somewhere safer?

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But then what happens to those communities?

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That's the thing, right?

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Who's left to rebuild?

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And what happens to the economy?

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It's a whole domino effect.

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It is.

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And it's a global issue, too.

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This is happening all over the world.

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People are being forced to move because of climate change.

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So what does that mean for our future?

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Where do we go from here?

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It's a lot to think about.

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And we've only just scratched the surface.

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But before we get too deep into that,

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I want to remind everyone to follow meteorologist Rob Jones.

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He's got some great insights on all this stuff.

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Yeah, Rob's the best.

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You can find him on Instagram at meteorologist on TikTok,

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at TV meteorologist, and on YouTube at Rob Jones' Hurricane.

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And if you're on YouTube, make sure to check out

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his Meteorology Matters playlist.

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He breaks down all kinds of crazy weather stuff

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in a way that's actually fun to listen to.

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OK, so we've covered a lot today,

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the flooding, the economic damage,

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even the possibility of people migrating

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because of these storms.

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It's heavy stuff.

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It is.

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But it's important to talk about it.

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We can't ignore these problems.

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We have to learn from what happened with Helene and Milton

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and start figuring out how to build a more resilient future.

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And it really makes you think, how do we build communities that

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can actually handle this kind of thing?

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Because it's not going away.

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And speaking of that, let's go back to Hickory Hills

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and those other flooded areas.

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It's been months, their homes are still under water.

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What's being done to help them?

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I mean, that's the tough part.

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There aren't any easy answers.

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We talked about the county stopping the pumping

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because of those private property issues.

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So it's a legal mess and a logistical one.

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But something has to be done right.

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You can't just leave these people stranded.

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It is a terrible situation.

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They're stuck in this bureaucratic limbo.

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They've called FEMA local officials, even state

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representatives, but nothing's really happening.

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It shows you how, even when there's a system in place,

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it can totally fail when something like this happens.

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One resident I read about, Robert Tucker,

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he said his house is near this retention

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pond that's overflowing.

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He can't even pump the water out himself

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because it would mean going on other people's property.

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It's a catch-22.

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And can you imagine what's going to happen

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when the rainy season starts?

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If the water's this high already?

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It's scary, right?

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I mean, it seems like they need better infrastructure,

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like drainage systems, or even zoning laws that

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stop people from building these flood-prone areas.

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It's not just about cleaning up afterwards.

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It's about preventing it in the first place.

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Absolutely.

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And this is where community support comes in, too.

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When the government can't or won't help,

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it's often neighbors helping neighbors

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that makes the difference.

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We saw that after the hurricanes, right?

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People coming together to help each other out.

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But it shouldn't be all on them.

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There needs to be a bigger effort

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from the government, from nonprofits, everyone,

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to really support these communities in the long term.

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Definitely.

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And we have to start thinking about these things

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as part of a bigger pattern, you know?

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Climate change is making these extreme weather events more

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common, and we are not prepared.

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So what can we learn from Helene and Milton?

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What can we do to make sure our communities can actually

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survive these things?

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Because it's not just about surviving the storm itself.

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It's about surviving the aftermath, too.

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Right.

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It all starts with accepting that climate change is real,

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and it's affecting us now.

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We can't keep pretending it's not happening.

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We need to talk about the risks about investing

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in better infrastructure, preparing for disasters.

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And we have to start living more sustainably.

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You know?

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If we don't change things, these problems

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are just going to get worse.

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Absolutely.

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And insurance is a huge part of this, too.

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We need to make sure insurance is affordable

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and that it actually covers these kinds of disasters.

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It's bad enough to lose your home, but to lose it,

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and then find out you're not even covered.

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That's devastating.

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It's like adding insult to injury.

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And we can't forget about the emotional impact either,

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the trauma of going through something like this.

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It can stay with you for years.

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It does.

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And we need to provide better mental health support

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for people who are struggling.

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You know?

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It's not just about rebuilding houses.

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It's about rebuilding lives.

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It's about the human cost.

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And I keep thinking about those people in Hickory Hills

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still living with flooded homes and feeling like no one cares.

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What would you want to say to them, to anyone

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who's going through something similar?

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I'd say, first of all, you're not alone.

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There are people who care, and there is help out there,

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even if it doesn't feel like it.

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Don't give up.

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And keep speaking up.

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Keep calling your representatives FEMA,

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anyone who might be able to help.

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You have to fight for yourselves and for your community.

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And reach out to your neighbors, too.

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Talk to each other.

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Help each other out.

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There's power in numbers.

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And sometimes just knowing someone else

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understands what you're going through

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can make all the difference.

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I think that's really important to remember.

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Before we move on, though, I want

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to remind everyone about meteorologist Rob Jones.

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He's amazing at explaining all this weather stuff

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in a way that's actually interesting.

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He really is.

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You can find him on Instagram at at meteorologist

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on TikTok, at at TV meteorologist, and on YouTube,

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at at Rob Jones' hurricane.

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And if you're on YouTube, check out his meteorology matters

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playlist.

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It's full of deep dives on all kinds of cool weather topics.

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So we've covered a lot of heavy stuff today, haven't we?

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The flooding, the economic struggles, the insurance crisis,

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and, of course, the human cost of all of it.

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It is a lot.

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But sometimes you got to face the hard stuff.

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It's important to remember these stories and learn from them.

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If we want to build a better future,

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we have to start by understanding the problems.

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And you know what else?

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I think it's important to remember that even in the face

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of all this, there's still hope.

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There is, definitely.

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We've seen so much resilience from the people affected

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by Helene and Milton.

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They're not giving up.

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Right.

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They're rebuilding their homes, their businesses, their lives,

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and they're doing it together.

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Like Tara Kinder, the head of the Chamber of Commerce

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on Annemarie Island, she said something that really stuck with

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me.

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She said, we're all very happy to be here.

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And you could hear the determination in her voice.

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You know?

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They're not going to let these hurricanes break them.

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It's inspiring.

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It shows you that even when things are really bad,

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there's always hope.

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And that we have a choice in how we react to these challenges.

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We can give in to fear, or we can

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choose to be strong and work together

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to build a better future.

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And I think the people we've been talking about today,

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they're definitely choosing to fight back.

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So as we wrap up this part of the conversation,

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I want to leave everyone with a question.

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OK.

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I'm listening.

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Knowing everything we've talked about today

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about the flooding, the economic struggles,

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the fact that some people might even

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have to move away from their homes,

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what lessons do we need to learn from all of this?

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What can we do to prepare for future storms

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and make our communities stronger?

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That's a great question.

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Because it's not just about cleaning up the mess afterwards.

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It's about taking steps now to make sure the next storm doesn't

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hit us quite so hard.

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Exactly.

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What can we do as individuals, as communities, as a country,

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to make sure we're ready for what's coming?

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Because the climate is changing, and these storms

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are only going to get worse.

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It's a huge challenge, but it's also an opportunity,

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you know, to rethink how we live, how we build,

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and how we take care of each other.

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We can create a better future, but we have to start now.

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And we want to hear from you.

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What are your thoughts on all of this?

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Join the conversation on social media

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and tag meteorologist Rob Jones.

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You can find him on Instagram at meteorologist on TikTok,

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at TV meteorologist, and on YouTube at Rob Jones Hurricane.

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00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:10,640
And while you're on YouTube, check out his Meteorology Matters

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playlist.

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It's full of awesome weather content.

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All right, so we've talked about the immediate impact

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of Helene and Milton and all the long-term consequences

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that are still unfolding.

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The flooding, the economic hardship, the insurance

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nightmare, the possibility of people having to move away

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from their homes.

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It's a lot to take in.

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It is, but it's a conversation we need to have.

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The effects of these storms are going to be felt for years

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to come, and we have a responsibility

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to learn from them and make sure we're better prepared

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for the next one.

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And it's not just about putting up stronger buildings

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or having better evacuation plans.

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It's about coming together as a community

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and supporting each other.

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Yeah, exactly.

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You know, we see that after every disaster,

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people helping their neighbors, volunteering,

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donating to relief efforts.

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It's amazing to see how people come together

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when times get tough.

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It really is.

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And it gives you hope, right?

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Yeah.

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Even in the face of all this destruction,

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there's still so much good in the world,

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people helping each other out, rebuilding their lives together.

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Yeah, and it shows you that we're not powerless.

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You know?

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We can't stop these hurricanes from happening,

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but we can control how we respond to them.

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We can choose to be resilient, to help each other,

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to rebuild, and to come back stronger than before.

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I love that.

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So as we wrap up this episode of Meteorology Matters,

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we want to leave you with a challenge.

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The call to action.

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What can you do today?

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Right now to make a difference, to help

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create a more resilient future.

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Maybe it's donating to a disaster relief organization

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or volunteering your time.

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Maybe it's having a conversation with your family

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or your neighbors about preparing for future storms.

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Maybe it's contacting your elected officials

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and pushing for policies that address climate change

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and make our communities safer.

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Whatever it is, big or small, every action counts.

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And remember, you can always find more information

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and connect with others who are passionate about weather

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and resilience by following meteorologist Rob Jones.

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He's on Instagram at meteorologist, TikTok,

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00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:08,400
at TV meteorologist, and YouTube at at Rob Jones Hurricane.

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And don't forget to check out the Meteorology Matters

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00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,120
podcast playlist on Rob's YouTube channel

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00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,600
for more deep dives into the world of weather.

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00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:17,200
So that's it for today.

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We've covered a lot of ground from the immediate impacts

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of Helene and Milton to the long-term challenges

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we face as a society when it comes to climate change

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00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:25,880
and extreme weather.

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It's been a heavy conversation, but an important one.

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And hopefully it's left you with some things to think about

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and some ideas for how to get involved.

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We want to thank you for listening

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00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:35,120
and for joining us on this journey.

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As always, stay safe, stay informed,

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and keep those weather brains churning.

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See you next time.