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Hurricane Irma tore through the Florida Keys, destroying mobile homes, restaurants, and historical buildings. But newer homes, particularly those made of precast concrete and propped up on stilts, survived the storm.
CNBC reports that Monroe County, Fla., has the toughest building codes in the nation, providing resiliency against devastating hurricanes, such as Irma.
Homes in the Keys must be elevated above the flood plain to allow storm surge to pass underneath, and bottom floors can only be used for storage and recreational purposes. Homes also need to be built to withstand 150 mph winds.
"In a general sense, we can say the work that was done in making a better code — and also putting a little bit of fear into contractors and telling them to be more responsible when they build — created a better stock of housing," said Charlie Danger, the former Miami-Dade chief building inspector who led the charge to improve building codes after Andrew.
