How the Caribbean islands are coping after hurricanes Irma and Maria

Dominica

More than 15 people have died and 20 are missing on Dominica, the first island hit by Maria.

Prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit said on Thursday afternoon it was a “miracle” the death toll wasn’t in the hundreds. He said Dominica “is going to need all the help the world has to offer”.

Hartley Henry, an adviser to the prime minister, said there had been a “tremendous loss of housing and public buildings”.

Tourism minister Robert Tonge said the island’s capital, Roseau, still had severe flooding. He said the hospital and a community center both lost roofs.

One of two airports serving the country is out of action; the other is expected to be working in the coming days. An estimated 95% of the roofs were blown off in some towns, including Mahaut and Portsmouth. There are at least nine communities that no one has any information about because they’re cut off and most communications are down in the country.

Puerto Rico

As of Thursday afternoon, the electricity service was completely out, the water system was shut off to 70% of customers, and the telecommunications infrastructure was barely functioning.

Governor Ricardo Rossello said the only known death was a man struck by a piece of wood blown by the wind, but the death toll was expected to rise as reports come in from outlying areas.

The White House on Thursday morning declared Puerto Rico “a major disaster” zone and ordered federal assistance to be directed to dozens of municipalities in the territory.

To check on residents of Puerto Rico, you can reach Puerto Rico’s Federal Affairs Administration at 1-202-778-0710 or maria1@prfaa.pr.gov

Turks and Caicos

Residents were preparing for Maria to hit the islands on Thursday. All travel to and from the islands has been suspended and lines of communication are expected to be lost within the next 12 hours.

“Right now, Turks and Caicos is in recovery mode from Hurricane Irma. We are not stable enough to cope with even a mild storm. There is lots of loose debris from Irma, which poses a huge risk,” said Sophie Newstead, press secretary for Hurricane Irma Relief Turks and Caicos (HIRTAC), one of the relief charities working on the islands.

The damage caused by Hurricane Irma is preventing relief agencies like Hirtac from accessing areas most affected by the storm, including South Caicos, where some areas are almost totally destroyed. Local supermarkets are providing free meals to residents, and teams of local volunteers are assisting in clean-up efforts and helping preparations for Maria.

Virgin Islands

The British and the US Virgin Islands were still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Irma when Maria passed through. The White House has declared the US Virgin Islands a disaster zone and ordered assistance be sent there.

At the BVI National Emergency Operations Center, the consensus was that the region had been lucky.

On Wednesday, the island’s premier, Orlando Smith, said: “Last night we were fortunate, thank God, that the effects of Hurricane Maria were not nearly as severe as Hurricane Irma. There were very high gusts, but as far as I can determine, there was not a lot of more damage over the territory as a whole, and so far no major casualties have been reported, either. There were large storm surges on the western end of the islands but on the whole we have been lucky.”

Montserrat

As of Wednesday afternoon, electricity was out across the island and only essential vehicles were allowed on the roads, many of which were blocked by downed trees and power lines.

Government offices in Montserrat will open on Friday and teachers are due in school that day to prepare for the resumption of classes the following Monday.

Updates are being posted on the government’s official media Facebook page

Guadeloupe

At least two people died and two were missing on the French island. “Almost all the banana plantations on the island have been affected,” prime minister Edouard Philippe said after an inter-ministerial meeting. “Production has totally stopped.”

St Kitts & Nevis

The eye of Hurricane Maria passed to the south of the islands on Monday and heavy winds damaged homes and businesses. Citizens had a national cleanup day on Wednesday to work through the debris. The airport is open as normal. “We are deeply appreciative that again we have been spared the third hurricane in succession,” said prime minister Timothy Harris.

Dominican Republic

The president of the hotel association in the Dominican Republic says Hurricane Maria did not inflict any damage to the county’s tourism infrastructure.

Joel Santos said that assessment includes Punta Cana on the eastern tip of the country. That was the area closest to the eye when the storm passed on its way toward the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands to the north. The government evacuated more than 4,000 tourists to the capital of Santo Domingo.

The meteorological service said on Thursday that rain from the storm will continue in the Dominican Republic for the next two days for a total of around 19in.

Russian Oligarch to Spend $1 Billion on 3 Miami Condo Towers

Naomi Campbell's Russian-oligarch ex is building Miami condo towers

Russian oligarch Vladislav Doronin, who built Europe's tallest skyscraper in Moscow, is spending $1 billion to erect three condo towers in Miami, even as other Miami condo builders are canceling projects. An economic downturn in South America and a stronger dollar have dried up the stream of regular buyers. In mainland Miami's urban corridor, sales volume is down 17.5 percent in the first quarter of 2016 from the year before, with 10.6 months' worth of inventory sitting on the market. (Miami New Times)

TALKING POINTS

Manhattan luxe renters gain leverage in falling market

A glut of luxury rental apartments in New York City means more prospective tenants are getting sweeteners to sign leases, such as a month’s free rent or payment of broker’s fees, on 14 percent of all new leases — up from 4.8 percent a year earlier — as rents fell just over 3.5 percent.  More than 6,700 newly built apartments are listed for rent, the most since 2005. Low salaries may be the cause: "It takes $130,000 a year in New York City to afford a one-bedroom apartment,” said one developer. (Bloomberg)

'Forgotten' Gulf emirate of Umm Al Quwain seeks to build next luxury destination

Sheikh Rashid bin Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Crown Prince of the tiny Gulf emirate Umm Al Quwain, has signed a deal with developer Sobha Group to build  “Firdous Sobha,” a resort and residential island of 53 million square feet, converting untouched beaches and mangrove swamp into a villa community, hotels, resorts, shopping area, 18-hole golf course and yacht basin. No word on whether Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is part of the plan. (Saudi Gazette)

Also see:

* Here’s How Much Tax You’ll Pay on a $2 Million Home in Each U.S. State

* You Can Swim to Your Neighbor’s Apartment in These Buildings

Bravo network won't renew San Francisco version of Million-dollar Listing

Broker Roh Habibi, announced on social media this week that the show would not be picked up for a second season. The show followed the professional and personal lives of Habibi and two other Bay Area real estate agents. Bravo confirmed the cancellation.

Co-stars Justin Fichelson and Andrew Greenwell said the network spent about four months looking for another cast member, but couldn't find one in San Francisco. "This is not New York or Los Angeles,” Fichelson said. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Downsizing Boomers restore health to Perth housing market

Wealthy Australians with grown children are leaving their countryside mansions for luxury apartments in downtown Perth, in Western Australia, giving a boost to a property market that's otherwise flagging in a local economic slump. “They’ll often purchase side-by-side apartments. One for them and one for the kids,” said a broker. (News Australia)

Polo estate of Queen Elizabeth's grandparents lists for £30 million

Woolmers, the 73,000-square foot estate once owned by the Earl and Countess of Strathmore, the parents of the Queen Mother, who regularly entertained Princesses Margaret and Elizabeth there, is for sale for £30 million. Built in 1730, it's 45 minutes from London, and includes polo grounds where Prince Charles and his Cambridge University team trained. (Telegraph)

Miami’s housing market hits the brakes: Elliman reports

It’s a hard pill to swallow for many in Miami’s real estate community.

The city is experiencing a significant slowdown in sales volume, according to the newly released Elliman reports, and even its most well-regarded markets like Miami Beach are seeing some of their first price cuts in years.

The reports, commissioned by brokerage Douglas Elliman, cover first-quarter data from several major housing markets in the U.S. including all three of South Florida’s counties.

What the numbers show is that both mainland Miami and its barrier island Miami Beach are continuing to cool off as sales and price growth slow.

In the mainland, which covers neighborhoods east of I-95, 3,583 condos and single-family homes were sold in the first quarter, a reduction of 17.5 percent from the 4,344 closings made during the same period a year ago. Prices saw a small 2.7 percent bump, from a median of $393,343 per property last year to $404,020 in the first quarter.

The Miami Beach section of the report, which covers everything from Sunny Isles Beach to Fisher Island, shows an even larger dip. Sales reached 810 properties, down 21 percent year-over-year. And for the third quarter in a row, prices on the beach for both condos and single-family homes have dropped. Median prices fell from $437,750 a year ago to $408,750 last quarter, according to the report.

“We’re experiencing a slowdown after an extended period of intense activity,” Jonathan Miller, co-founder of research firm Miller Samuel and the author of the Elliman reports, told The Real Deal. “The pace is shifting down to something much more mundane.”

The slower sales pace is leading to a large buildup of inventory, which can further drag down the market. The report shows supply is up to 21.5 months for Miami Beach’s condos and houses, up from 12.8 months in the first quarter of 2015. For the mainland, the supply is a much more manageable 10.6 months, but even that has risen by 39.5 percent year-over-year.

And while the aggregate sales numbers could be blamed on the condo market in previous months, that’s not the case anymore. Both condos and single-family home sales were down significantly in the mainland and the beach during the first quarter.

Miller said prices typically lag behind sales trends by about 15 months. So while homes continue to become more expensive in the short term when you look at the market as a whole, Miami could start seeing prices flatten out as soon as next year.

(Click to enlarge) Historic median home price data for Miami

As for why the market has curbed, Miller cited the same factors that industry members have come to memorize in recent months: weak economies in foreign countries, especially those in Latin America, have narrowed the buyer pools Miami relied on to fuel the market in previous years.

To make matters worse, a strong U.S. dollar also hurts the purchasing power of foreign nationals, making Miami real estate more expensive.

Also contributing to that slowdown in sales, Miller said, is a shrinking supply of distressed properties. Lender-owned homes and short sales made up 14.4 of all home sales three years ago — now, they have a market share of only 8.1 percent.

Even the fact that it’s an election year could cause hesitancy for home buyers, he said, as they wait for the new administration’s effect on federal mortgage rates to get hashed out in the months following inauguration day in January.

Though the short-term numbers paint a gloomy picture, Miller pointed out a statistic that could assuage some industry members’ fears for the future: in the years before the housing crash, when the market was healthy, Miami and Miami Beach averaged 2,558 home sales per quarter. Now, even amidst a slowdown, the first quarter saw nearly double that with 4,393 closings.

While the greater Miami area continues to slow, other South Florida markets are starting to show volatility. Home sales in Fort Lauderdale dipped 8.3 percent year-over-year, from 504 to 462 properties.

In Palm Beach, closings were cut in half year-over-year, from 90 to 45. Miller said the number of Palm Beach signed contracts jumped up in the first quarter, despite the huge dip in recorded closings.

The only South Florida market to show a positive sales trend in the report was Boca Raton, a wealthy city known for its golf course communities. Sales spiked by 20 percent year-over-year, from 503 closings to 607 in the first quarter.

“It’s not clear how long we’ll be in this period,” Miller said, “but the market has certainly changed from what it was a year or two ago.”

- See more at: http://therealdeal.com/miami/2016/04/14/miamis-housing-market-hits-the-breaks-elliman-report/#sthash.crGciF5p.dpuf

‘Hurricane amnesia’ poses big risk in Fla.

This topic has been taken from 

http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/article.cfm?p=3&id=337952

ORLANDO, Fla. – May 13, 2016 – This is the season when weather forecasters and emergency managers tell Floridians, over and over, that they're at risk from tropical storms.

The problem is making them take the warnings seriously and do things that will reduce the impact hurricanes can have on their lives and property. The effort has become as important as forecasting itself.

The challenge is portrayed in photographs of Florida's beautiful scenery. It's just so nice here, day after day, year after year. And with nearly 11 years since the most recent hurricane landfall in Florida – Wilma in October 2005 – "hurricane amnesia" has set in. People can't see it being any other way, experts say. They cannot personally relate to widespread destruction.

"If you have never experienced it, it is difficult to imagine that happening," said Bryan Koon, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "If you have been through a hurricane or a flood, you know what it is like and you can envision it. We live in Florida and have great weather the majority of the time."

Millions of Floridians have little or no hurricane experience. For them, the springtime storms and floods in other parts of the country are just reports on TV. The tornadoes that hit Southwest Florida earlier this year were few and far between, and didn't impact enough people to change the overall perception that "it can't happen to me," said the speakers at the Governor's Hurricane Conference here this week.

Dr. Rick Knabb, director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami, only has to think back a few months to when Hurricane Joaquin was pummeling the Bahamas with Category 4 winds for several days in October. Its outer bands of clouds lurked off Florida's southeastern coast.

"I could not help but to walk out of the building at the hurricane center and go, 'Wow, there it is. That's close,' " Knabb said. "I don't know how anyone could look at what was happening last year and go, 'Ehh … Florida doesn't have a hurricane problem anymore.' What a reminder this was."

So forecasting and meteorology have become just half of the mission for hurricane specialists. Communicating risk to the public is the other half.

"And that might not even be the right ratio," said Koon. "Forecasting technology has grown by leaps and bounds. It is a matter of helping people hear that message and take the appropriate action. That is the real challenge."

Forecasters "know scientifically how to make all that other stuff happen. The rest of it is still a work in progress," he added.

Communicating hurricane risk has become a science of its own. Social science is a key tool for "the Weather Enterprise," which is made up of NOAA's National Hurricane Center, hurricane researchers, county emergency managers, television meteorologists and private weather forecasters.

"How do people respond to the weather-warning process?" asked Dr. Laura Myers, director of the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama, during a speech at the conference. "Why do some people believe and others don't? Why are some prepared and others are not? What do they hear?"

Those are the important questions as the Weather Enterprise encourages both being prepared and staying prepared.

Hurricane amnesia is a widespread malady, Myers said. "People forget the information they need to take the best action."

Even in the face of weather warnings, they tend to overlook risks and go about their daily lives, Myers said, producing photos of cars abandoned in floodwaters.

"The psychology of people – they are caught up in what they are doing and don't want to believe it is going to affect them," Myers said. "'What are the odds I am going to have to do something about this?' Or, they feel compelled to do what they do, like going to work."

Complacency is another dangerous emotion and often results from alarms and warnings that turn out to be false.

In response, the Weather Enterprise is honing its message to be clear and consistent, as well as sober.

"What the message is, dictates how people react," Myers said. "There is a tendency to hype the message to get people's attention. Of course, what that does is desensitize people. So we have to be very careful about hyping."

The companion to hyperbole is the distortion of the message, which can happen because of the large degree of uncertainty in forecasting a hurricane's path, intensity and effects, such as storm surge.

"We distort the message to try to convey the uncertainty, which only creates confusion for the public," Myers said. "Can we give them the right recommendations? Can we reach them to tell them what they need to do, how to do it, and get them to take action?

"The benefits must outweigh the costs and inconvenience. People have to receive a cue to action, or a precipitating force. There is a very fine line in trying to convey this information. We have to get people to understand their susceptibility. If there has been a lack of consistent severe weather, it is going to make it hard to get the public to believe."

Knabb emphasized that residents of interior Florida must learn that hurricanes are not just a problem for people with beachfront property. "The effects can go far inland," he said. "A quarter of all fatalities have been from inland flooding."

As director of the National Hurricane Center, Knabb (@NHCDirector on Twitter) is in a position of both leadership by speech and by action.

"We try to get personal about it," he said, stressing the role of social media in education and awareness. "I live in a hurricane zone, too." As a resident of Westin, a western suburb of Fort Lauderdale that is 15 miles inland, he has storm shutters and flood insurance. On Tuesday, at the prompting of his wife, he has an appointment with his property insurance agent for an annual policy checkup.

The Knabbs' tech-savvy, 11-year-old son has the task of making a video inventory of the family's possessions for insurance purposes.

It is in keeping with the Hurricane Strong initiative (#hurricanestrong on Twitter) that provides the public with an action list of hurricane preparation measures.

"I don't know when it is going to happen, but the hurricanes are going to come back," Knabb said, noting that even in a light hurricane season "it only takes one" storm to devastate and kill. "We have to be strong by controlling the outcome, so we survive the event and overcome it."

Copyright © 2016 Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Fla., Harold Bubil. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Related Topics: Hurricanes

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