After a very long drive, I’ve joined my daughter for her birthday week on an beach off the coast of South Carolina.
On a personal note, I’ve also decided that certain formerly living, formerly married men pass from this world into GPS causing mapping programs to send of those left behind on very, very, very long drives instead of the direct route!
Internet access is limited. I’m keeping up as best I can and writing when I can – and driving home by a different route.
Enjoy the low country Nowdy and happy to know you made it safely.
sop
Enjoy. Beautiful part of the country. Just find the quickest route to I-95 to I-10.
I-95 is America’s motor speedway. Traffic is always heavy and generally flows between 85 and 90 MPH.
I’d head back through Augusta and Atlanta.
sop
I was already planning to take the Augusta – Atlanta route back – even if it had “puddle jump” signs like I-95, and it doesn’t, I know how far it is from one major point to another. Of course, it’s tempting to just stay at the beach forever.
Places like Beaufort South Carolina are well kept secrets here in Mississippi but are absolutely great places to visit. We like Beaufort so much we had an architect from there draw our rebuild plans.
And of course the best way to travel to SC from Mississippi is by air on something like a Pilatus PC 12 or a Kingair 90. I know how expensinve such machines are to operate but I’m blessed to have one at my disposal when the need is there (and we needed it when we met our architects on Mardi Gras day 2006). 2 hours and you’re there.
Whatever you do while you’re visiting the low country please stay away from the Governor’s Mansion in Columbia, the Appalachian Trail and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Evidently the ass clown who is Gov in SC decided David Vitter needed some company in the hypocrite wing of the GOP.
sop
I’m planning to visit Beaufort but wanted to let you know that I didn’t run into anyone looking for the Governor on my drive over!
Beaufort is a beautiful place with much history. Enjoy the Charleston area. I always said, “Charleston is a clean NOLA”.
Sop, let’s not forget infidelity is not isolated to the GOP. Lest we forget Predident Clinton, Senator Edwards and Governors Elliot Spitzer, Cliff Finch and Edwin Edwards. The difference is the GOP doesn’t turn its head when these type things occur.
Gov. Samford is the prime example of “lame” in “lame duck” now in SC.
Tell that to David Vitter Sup, who freely called on Clinton to resign while he was in the arms of a prostitute. I’ll be similarily critical of the Dems that exhibit such human frailty just as soon as I see them pandering to the religious right legislating morality whenever they get the chance.
Charleston is very nice and I have an open invite to stay with a cyber friend who has a “loft” on King Street. I’ve been a fool not to take him up on the offer considering his loft is 10,000 sq/ft with a roof top pool.
Mount Pleasant is an example of how a community in the south can be built to exactling standards of beauity without sacrificing the southern charm that makes us distinct. It is also a great example of why the marsh should never be developed….had Hugo hit the Charleston area straight on I doubt it would have been developed. Its a different world from the Mississippi Coast.
sop
Protecting the marshes is important as it does not change the ntaural structure of the land. That being said, Isle of Palms is totally different than it was before Hugo.as many of the old beach houses were blown away. These were replaced with $1M homes and higher. This is what has created the insurance issue on the SC coast.
It is apparent, SC has addressed the insurance issue for the coast much better than MS has. However, we must also acknowledge the makeup of the population is much different also. The SC coast is populated by a much more affluent population with all the retirees from elsewhere. I see the same issue in Beaufort with the “natives” as there is on the MS Gulf Coast.
You maybe familar with the Brickyard subdivision in the Mount Pleasant – I know a few of the inhabitants there aside from one of Ron Motley’s ex partners, Always inquisitive (and I mean always) I asked around back in 2003 for the evelation of the subdivision that also has lots with deep water access – 11 feet around it’s highest point.
My architect in Beaufort lives around 17 feet – about the same elevation of my property in West Gulfport – there houses are built about 18″ off the ground. He elected not to participate in the NFIP though I hope after we met he contacted his insurance agent ASAP.
I”m very familar with both IoP and Sullivans Island.
My King Street buddy was very informative and helpful in steering me right after Katrina – his sister lived beachfront on IoP (very very nice place BTW) and experienced every construction problem imagineable post Hugo which is why I hired Ivan Mandich after Katrina for advice – a buddy of mine in Coral Gables recommended him after consulting with George Fowler on a recommendation for me. Engineers were a very hot commodity post Katrina.
What I didn’t know then I found out thanks to Nowdy. At the risk of sounding bold and brash I’ve had a front row seat in this for several years (without knowing for a few of those years).
God love you Sup your comment is most timely. I would submit Scott Richardson has taken a pile of shit called the SC insurance market and shined it up calling it shinola. In 2001 Daniels Island had this and nothing else. By 2003 it was developed wall to wall with million dollar homes and a tennis stadium. Do you think the SC Wind pool has enough coverage in force? For homes built around 6′ above sea level? I have a post coming on Mr Richardson, the SC market and his lapdog Mike Chaney.
sop
Daniel Island is not in the wind pool so all insurance there is provided “with wind” by the private sector. That being said, carriers have different guidelines as to how close to the water they will write with the closer to water dwellings having to go to the E&S markets.
As for SC wind pool it is recognized as being in the best shape of any in the southeast. Nobody knows until the big one hits if it is adquately capitalized. I do know there are quite a few carriers who have come into the market “with wind’ in wind pool areas which makes pressure off the wind pool. This goes back to our previous conversation as to makeup of the population. These new carriers are writng the new, expensive homes with owners who can afford the premiums.
As you indicated, Daniel Island is a fairyland. There is no way we can draw any correlation to the MS Gulf Coast.
That would be worse Sup because Daniel Island will be one big slab should a strong Cat 3 hit at the right time of day straight up the harbor. The potential losses covered under an all risk policy on just Daniels Island alone would rival the damage Katrina wrought on the Mississippi Coast.
The RE and retentions in force for the SC Wind Pool are a fraction of the pools exposure in Charleston alone. It looks like a classic house of cards to me though I suspect Scott Richardson is a good self promoter – but that BS will peel away quick come next major storm.
Mssrs Richardson and Chaney are in lala land if they think the private capital markets are capable of providing enough capacity to cover the Cat perils we face. For instance damage value of the 1906 SF earthquake in todays dollars is around 3 times total current capital capacity.
I’ve never met a Pol who didn’t claim to be a student of history yet when it comes to making public policy decisions where there is self interest and dollars involved,as a group, they dumb down pretty quick.
I’m not saying the private market doesn’t have a role to play provided the anti competitive / anti consumer practices are eliminated. But I am saying that if it is my tax dollars that are ultimately providing the capital there is no reason Ed Rust or a Bermudan Reinsurer should profit from them. That consideration should go to the people who pay the freight.
sop