(Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Irma’s westward shift will probably inflict heightened damage on people and businesses unable to adjust to its new path in time, while the storm fuels floods that many insurance policies don’t cover.
Along Florida’s west coast — now in the direct path of the storm — many residents thought they would avoid the worst of it, and then found themselves with too little time to fully prepare, according to Duncan Ellis, the U.S. property practice leader at Marsh & McLennan Cos.’ main brokerage unit.
|Turn to left caused a scramble
Such was the scene near the waterfront in Tampa as the winds began to pick up. On Harbour Island late Saturday, condo resident Monty Gawel said he was only able to fill three sandbags, using dirt from a planter. While the 50-year-old intended to stay, a number of his neighbors were fleeing.
Nearby, some shops lining Garrison Channel were protected only by a single line of sandbags, just one sack high. Their glass windows and doors remained uncovered.
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