This week Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and others have been deluged by hurricane Gustav. Other hurricanes and tropical storms have hit the Gulf Coast and we have Hanna, Ike, and Josephine looming in the future of the east coast. While this may seem extreme, remember 2004?  If you own a home, vacation property, a fractional, or a timeshare in Florida you will not likely ever forget August of 2004. Charley made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane near Punta Gorda, Florida on August 14th. September 5th brought Hurricane Frances to the Florida east coast. Ivan clipped the western end of the Florida panhandle in mid September - after  destroying 85% of the buildings on Grand Cayman. Finally, on September 25, Jeanne made landfall in Florida just 2 miles (3 kilometers) from where Frances had struck 3 weeks earlier.

About one year later, while visiting Daytona Beach, I was able to see the impact of those hurricanes.  A few hotels and timeshare resorts were still boarded up, and empty. But for the most part, the timeshare developments were 100% repaired and almost 100% occupied.  If you are a timeshare or second home owner, get involved with your owners' association if you have one. Stay informed on how day to day operations and repairs are going. Sometimes, just a call to owner services will give you the peace of mind that the power is on and things are okay. Or, assuming the worst, you can keep track of the destiny of a resort that has suffered devastating damages.

For basic timeshare information, contact info, or just to inquire about the timeshare industry you can always call the timeshare specialists at www.rpmls.com  1.800.200.9857.

Daytona Beach Timeshares: Follow this link for an interactive map (see below) of timeshare resorts.