In the years since Hurricane Andrew, and now after Hurricane Michael, experts weigh in on how Florida homeowners and home builders can best rebuild and prepare for future flooding and severe weather events.
Susan Millerick, director of public affairs of the Tampa-based Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, says that building codes are meant to improve safety and to keep a structure in tact long enough for inhabitants to escape, yet "they are not intended to keep the house intact so it is there to return to after the storm passes," meaning that stronger roofs, windows, doors, and focus on holistic resilience is key, "consider what’s in the walls with the same care as what they plan to put on the walls." Writing for Forbes, residential design expert Jamie Gold questions if there is enough public will to implement higher standards.
“Our recent hurricanes have shown us that southern states are not prepared to take on the natural disasters that are coming their way,” Dr. Timothy Reinhold, chairman of a wind load task force for the American Society of Civil Engineers observes. “There is an opportunity to evaluate construction practices in these areas. In addition, flooding and storm surge issues are prominent, and our nation should look closely at flooding related lessons that need to be learned from these storms.”