Palm Beach has a sprawling population. About 260,000 people live in the southern part of the county, according to the 2010 U.S. Census. With so many visitors, it’s understandable that Palm Beach police department tried to make sure the county has adequate shelter for those who get caught in the snowfall. More than 2,000 pre-paid mat flights have been booked for Palm Beach County. And shelters in the county are open, including the South Florida Fairgrounds, the Agrippa Center for Senior Care in Palm Beach Gardens, Glynn County Career Center in Savannah, Ga., and St. Simon’s Episcopal Church in West Palm Beach.
Most times, people outside the Palm Beach area don’t notice that there’s snow. But a look at the conditions can be quite treacherous.
(Yes, this is extremely obvious from the photo on the right.) The roads are so impassable you can drive anywhere from Boca Raton and Delray Beach to Miami-Dade and Broward counties. It is 5 degrees in Jupiter, and 2 degrees in Lantana. This is the road in Delray Beach.
Update: Roads are bad for business. There are long lines at stops and restaurants. The hotel in Fort Lauderdale, where I am staying, the W Hotel, says the snow is ruining business. And they do say that 30 percent of customers were still coming in by 4 p.m.
State Farm doesn’t need the five inches of snow to be motivated about helping you out: They told The New York Times they are paying $100 to $300 to those who report their cars have been damaged as they drive through snow.
On the positive side, if the snow keeps going you might as well make a quick getaway to the sunshine State, Florida. That’s exactly what Donald Trump did.
Courtesy of Bloomberg