I currently live in Kyushu Japan. We get hit by typhoons (hurricanes) constantly. 2 years ago we had i think 7 direct hits by cat 3- 5 storms. When these storms roll over though, its pretty much business as usual and there is very little destruction. The homes and buildings here are built very strongly. City trees are braced. Telephone poles are made out of cement. etc. etc.
I lived in Guam before here. The same thing. Very little destruction. You could not insure your home unless it met certain building codes…one being the homes needed to be made from cement and have storm shutters.
So my question is are there not laws and building codes in florida, louisiana etc, places that are in the direct paths of hurricanes, that require homes to be built certain distances from the coast, and be made from certain materials to prevent destruction and massive insurance claims??? Mobile homes are one thing, but i often see on t.v. wooden homes, sitting on the beaches, that were completely destroyed, and the owners looking very distraught afterwards.
It would seem to me that it was time the U.S. actually looked towards Japan to learn something on building cities in hurricane prone areas that can withstand these monster storms. Aesthetically pleasing they are not, but they do save massive amounts of life and property.
The problem wasn’t the hurricane itself that caused the vast majority of the damage in New Orleans. New Orleans is like a giant bowl and much of it is below sea. It is protected by huge mounds of earth or cement walls. Levees broke after Katrina in several places and flooded most of the city with up to 18 feet of water. The problem was only caused by Katrina indirectly.
In Mississippi and coastal parts of Louisiana, the storm surge caused the damage. That is, a massive wall of water moved inland, picked up whole buildings including some very large casinos and everything else, and deposited them miles inland. Think more of a slow tsunami rather than what you have seen.
The problem has little to do with building codes. Even buildings that were left standing were still destroyed because of massive water destruction. Most buildings were built to survive the wind but nothing can protect a building with the whole ocean rushes miles inland.
Actually, changes were made in Florida building codes after Andrew, I think? Anyway, when my parents added on to their Florida house the addition had to be built up to the new codes, and they’re sure if the hurricanes come that at least the back room will still be standing. Evidently the homes that best withstood the last hurricanes in Florida were the old homes and the new post-code change homes, and the worst damage was sustained by crappily made homes of middle years. I’ve only read that, however, and I’m not a contractor.
Yes, it was Andrew. My house was built after Andrew hit but before the new codes went into effect as I can recall my contractor saying words to the effect that he didn’t think the code changes would improve anything. He may have been right.
The houses in my subdivision built after the code changes took as much damage from the recent hurricanes as the houses built before the code changes.
After last year’s hurricane season there were more code changes. I had to get my house reroofed (as did virtually every house in my subdivision what with the hurricane last year and the one this year). I can tell you some specific changes to the code dealt with what kind of roofing materials can be sold in Florida – it must be preapproved – and how it is installed. Used to be the roofers could just put the nails in anywhere on an asphalt shingle. Now, if you live within a certain distance of the water, there must be six nails for a three tab shingle (eight, I think, for a four tab shingle) and they must be installed in a particular pattern. They must also be of a specific size.
If you’re interested here’s the pattern with “O” representing the nails:
|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
|XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX|
|[COLOR=Red][COLOR=Red]O[/COLOR][/COLOR]XXX[COLOR=Red]OO[/COLOR]XXXOOXXXO|
|XXXXX|XXXX|XXXXX|
|XXXXX|XXXX|XXXXX| Yes, I know the right side doesn't line up straight,
|XXXXX|XXXX|XXXXX| limitations of the system. It wouldn't even let me
|XXXXX|XXXX|XXXXX| do it using blank spaces.
After 1995 when the county I live in was hit by two hurricanes, the local building codes were changed for the beach requiring all new construction to have “break away” first floors. This essentially means the first floor must be the garage or other storage with walls designed to break during the storm surge. The hope was that this would keep the storm surge from knocking down the house and the habitable areas, being above the storm surge, would take little or no damage.
Last year proved the fallacy of that plan and this year’s hurricane didn’t help matters. I don’t what they’re going to do. They’re not going to tell people to start the habitable levels at 30 feet.
There is one “hurricane proof” house on the beach. The owner stayed in it through the storm. It survived as planned. It’s designed so the storm surge will flow past it rather than knock it down. It’s as ugly as sin being curved and concrete, but maybe if we’re going to continue to build on the beach (and don’t get me started on that topic) that’s the kind of construction we’ll have to utilize.
There is one “hurricane proof” house on the beach. The owner stayed in it through the storm. It survived as planned. It’s designed so the storm surge will flow past it rather than knock it down. It’s as ugly as sin being curved and concrete, but maybe if we’re going to continue to build on the beach (and don’t get me started on that topic) that’s the kind of construction we’ll have to utilize.
[/QUOTE]
So that was my original point. If the government will allow homes to be build on or near the beach, knowing the storm surges will come, knowing the wind will come, they should be built out of cement with proper draining systems etc. This is what I was trying to point out before. If the people want beachfront property , then these homes should be build to withstand the storm surge, and the wind gusts. The technology is out there. It’s being used in taiwan, japan, guam etc. I just can’t believe that the insurance companies wouldnt insist on homes being built in thes fashion to prevent massive financial losses. Its good to hear that some building codes are being required, but the fact that roofs are still being nailed down means that wood is still being used, and therefore (as the subject began) the big bad wolf can still blow these homes down. There are very strict codes in the western U.S. for earthquake protection. Similar ones should be in place for the gulf states.
Evidently the homes that best withstood the last hurricanes in Florida were the old homes and the new post-code change homes, and the worst damage was sustained by crappily made homes of middle years. I’ve only read that, however, and I’m not a contractor.