Helene

I'm sure you've all seen the catastrophic impact from Hurricane Helene that just swept through the Southeast. This post is going to be a little bit different, but I wanted to take the time to talk about those deeply impacted and share my experience navigating the storm.

For those of you who don't know, I live in Madeira Beach, FL. After contemplating where to move in the Tampa Bay area, I luckily found a spot on the beach with rent much cheaper than places like downtown St. Petersburg and Tampa, and even rivaled what I was paying in rent back in St. Louis. Anyway, Hurricane Idalia had swept through right after I applied for my apartment last year, and after seeing the storm surge flood the apartment with about 8" of standing water, I always knew this and more was possible. But hell, I got to live right by the beach.

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Some other storms and hurricanes have come up through the Gulf since then, only with minor flooding. However, this one was certainly going to be worse. As it turns out, even though Helene didn't directly hit the Tampa Bay area, WFLA showed the image below where numerous regions saw surge levels that trounced previous all-time records. Madeira Beach looks like a deserted war zone with downed power lines, sand-covered roads, debris all over the place, and cars and boats stranded in the streets. By the looks of the pictures, most people saw between 3-7 feet of standing water in first-floor homes, which ruined most of their belongings.

Up to this point, we've just talked about things that were lost. Yes, while I evacuated with some valuables, I lost most of my stuff. But, I'm not asking for your sympathy. I'm the one who took the risk and chose to live by the beach. Between the friends I've made over the past year, the sunsets, and the amazing times I've had, I wouldn't trade it for anything. What I'm thinking about now is those who lost their lives. The elderly stranded on the island who drowned. Those in the Big Bend area of Florida where Helene hit directly. Those in Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina, who aren't generally even in hurricane alley and probably never thought this was level of flooding was a risk. Unfortunately, the death toll is up to 120 and counting.

I'll admit it hasn't been the easiest week, and I probably haven't been in the best mood around family who has taken the time and effort to help me out, but this has been a great reminder of what matters most - our lives and our health. It was also a reminder that I'm proud to be doing what I am with my life, which is helping people implement Infinite Banking. Yes, Infinite Banking is structured to help people save, spend, borrow, and invest more efficiently, but the core of Infinite Banking is Whole Life insurance. The death benefit matters for families who lost loved ones on top of all their belongings, and it's times like these where even those who never expected to be impacted from a hurricane were at risk.

Additionally, flood insurance is very hard to come by. Those looking to rebuild are probably already filing homeowners insurance claims, but with so many impacted, it's really hard to tell how long it's going to take places like Madeira Beach to get running water again and have insurance adjusters out to appraise the damage before remodeling can start. Who knows what FEMA or renter's insurance will help with, but I know one thing for a fact. When I need money to begin rebuilding and replacing things, my life insurance company isn't even going to ask why I need a policy loan to help with unexpected expenses. The money will be in my bank account within two days.

Please keep those deeply impacted from the loss of family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. And while I may be the dummy who moved to a flood prone place, remember that emergencies happen everywhere. Keep this in the back of your mind, because I promise you won't regret taking the time to insure the thing that matters most - human life.

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