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AZ Parothead · 11-09-2017, 11:53

There are many ways to help. In three days my Go Fund Me has raised over 1200 that will be directly distributed to families on St Thomas and St John. People come first.

But Barnakiel and others are right. What happens after the immediate needs are met? Putting money into the economy (by restoring a boat), or staying in a hotel, or going to an island bar HELPS the economy.

For me, I'm keeping an eye on things for the boat purchase opportunity but right now I'm working to help my friends who are suffering on the island. They are not mutually exclusive things.

John_Trusty · 11-09-2017, 12:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ Parothead

To be clear, the humanitarian effort takes precedence. I am personally organizing a relief and fundraising effort since many of my friends have lost their homes and livelihoods. Our plan is to fill a container with rebuilding supplies and distribute directly to those in need once the shipping port is open....

So, if it's permissible to the Mods and Rules, what is your Go Fund Me page? I'd be interested in putting my money where my big mouth is!

zboss · 11-09-2017, 12:31

I'm making a bet that very little if any money paid for a salvage will make it into the hands of the owner of a charter vessel. The owners may even need to sue their own insurance company to get their money back. I know the BVI's well... we just lost our house there. Almost totally annihilated.

We previously has a situation where after a hurricane we needed to sue our insurance company - they just refused to pay out.

Stu Jackson · 11-09-2017, 13:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scout 30

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Here's another counter-intuitive thought from economists: price gouging is actually beneficial. What we've seen with Harvey & what I've witnessed firsthand in the last couple of days is that when prices are kept artificially low people take more than they need so many end up doing without. When prices are allowed to naturally react to supply & demand this is not the case. When the prices get too high & people can't afford an item it's not bought so the price will naturally come down.

Yup, that 45 cents a gallon rise in gas prices in FL and GA because of Irma sure make me believe this voodoo.

Not like: 1) the gas stations already had their gas in their fuel tanks; 2) they'd already paid a lower price for it; 3) the big oil companies were just ripping people off - like they can't afford to squeeze another penny out of their meager resources...geez

Yeah, that supply & demand stuff sure is helpful to those in need.

valhalla360 · 11-09-2017, 13:34

Reality is there is no economy in these islands at the moment and until tourists start returning, there won't be, so the sooner people start spending money, the better off these islands will be. Yeah, the ownership may occur between non-residents but for the most part, the salvaged boats are not in sail away condition, so there will be work getting them out of the water and seaworthy. There will also be hotel stays and restaurant and bar bills as potential buyers come down and check out options. If that's vultures, I'm sure they want all the vultures they can get. The point about "gouging" being a good thing isn't theory. It's fact.

Also reality, getting down there right now is not practical for your average buyer and running a salvage even less practical. They haven't cleaned up to the point that they can bring in tourists. Probably more importantly, I'm sure the charter companies and insurance companies have gone out and established a salvage claim on all the nice new charter boats within a couple of days, so if you go down in 2 weeks, there will be no salvage boats left to be salvaged (maritime salvage that is).

What you can do is follow up with where the insurance company sells the boats they wrote off as total losses. That will be an option but that will probably be a month or more before they even start to hit the market. If you are thinking of beating the crowd, it's not likely.