Foreclosed homes may add to hurricane threats

Palm Beach County Commissioner Burt Aaronson has asked county attorneys to research whether it is legal to board up empty homes.

"If we board them up, we're protecting them," Aaronson said. "Hopefully we will be able to keep some of the value up."

Aaronson contends that the banks don't always maintain the homes and doesn't expect that they will in the days before a storm — and if the county takes over that responsibility, then he wants the banks to pay.

"We want to use the full power we have as a government to levy the greatest fines that we can to penalize banks for not taking care of the properties," he said.

Horry County's Webster says there might be another way for public officials to take matters into their own hands.

"If it became deemed a public health issue or public safety hazard, the county would have some legal recourse to secure it in terms of making it off limits or safer," said Webster, whose county includes Myrtle Beach and has seen foreclosures rise over the past year.

Some banks say that they have a plan for hurricanes; JP Morgan Chase says it will use property management companies and bank field employees to make sure properties are storm-ready. And if the homes are damaged or destroyed during a storm, said Michael Fusco, a spokesman for JP Morgan Chase, the bank "acts just like a homeowner" and will file an insurance claim.

Debora Blume, a spokeswoman for Wells Fargo Bank, said her company hires local real estate agents who have been assigned to market bank-owned properties to secure homes against hurricane damage.

But one real estate agent in the Fort Myers area said the process of putting the maintenance work out to bid and then getting approval from the bank that owns the property might not be workable as a storm bears down.

"During a hurricane, we need to get out of town, not wait for approval for funding to secure a building," said Suzanne Sherer, president of the Realtors Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beaches. "I won't have time to get a bid from a handyman."

In Lee County, metal hurricane shutters cover a few new, unsold homes. Many empty homes have swing sets in the yard, garbage cans strewn in the driveway and loose roof tiles, all of which could become projectiles during a storm.

Sherer said it would be "devastating" if a powerful storm similar to Hurricane Charley, which hit nearby Charlotte County in 2004, struck Lee County.

In Galveston, Texas, where more than 17,000 home were damaged by Hurricane Ike last year, there are still many empty homes — but not because of foreclosures. The properties were damaged during the storm and owners don't have the money to rebuild.

"These homeowners have the biggest hurdles as far as getting back into their homes," City spokeswoman Alicia Cahill said. "A lot of the homes that were affected were lower income to moderate income families who didn't have a huge insurance policy or a lot of extra cash lying around to make repairs."

Tybee, Ga., mayor Jason Buelterman says officials there haven't considered potential problems with foreclosures during storm season. Their first priority, he said, is assuring the safety of island residents and tourists if a hurricane heads their way. Dealing with foreclosed homes will be an afterthought.

Yet residents throughout the hurricane zone are worried, especially those who live in foreclosure-dotted neighborhoods. Armando Gonzalez, 72, retired from Miami to Lehigh Acres five years ago.

He and his wife moved to a small home a few blocks from the city center, in a quiet yet thriving neighborhood. But in the last two years, his neighbors left, either because of foreclosure or job loss. Now he's the only one on his block; the home next to him has a broken window and the one across the street is only half-built.

When asked what would happen to all the nearby, dilapidated homes if a hurricane hit, Gonzalez shrugged and grinned.

"I can't do anything," he said. "Maybe I'll pray. God will save me."

Also in msnbc.com business ConsumerMan: The great rebate debate Retailers learn lessons from Black Friday death Your Career: How your name may hurt you Answer Desk: Unemployment benefit madness   Video: Stores are hoping for a holiday miracle

MORE FROM TECHNOLOGY & MONEY

Technology & Money Section Front

Your shopping type: Black Friday? Cyber Monday? Can your name affect your career? Is Black Friday really worth the effort?   Navigating Black Friday   Is Black Friday the best day for deals? 10 tips to find seasonal work this year   Experts share financial advice   Stop holiday overspending before it starts   Is the recovery real on Wall Street?   Study: Wall St. execs cashed in before collapse Technology & Money Section Front   Add Technology & Money headlines to your news reader: