To be fair, though, sometimes it's the misapplication of materials--and not the materials, themselves--that fail. If I remember correctly, when hurricane Andrew swept through Homestead (in South Florida) in 1992, hundreds, if not thousands, of roofs were torn from houses. It was later found out that the contractor that built the houses skimped on costs/labor by not nailing and strapping down the roofs per spec/good practice; if they were nailed and strapped correctly then the roofs wouldn't have come off. Talk about Lawsuit City...
You know we get some pretty big Tornados here in Oklahoma that don't even come anywhere close to doing that kind of widespread destruction and devastation. I got thinking about how at least we have these underground Tornado shelters we can use to protect ourselves. However, I don't think it's even possible to do much of anything underground in Florida to protect yourself from 150mph winds and debris flying around.
Hurricane anchors were code when I lived in Brevard County in the 70's and 80's so they have been required for a long time. A lot of the older homes had flat roofs because they were less prone to wind loading. One thing I remember an old timer that I worked with who had lived in the area all his life told me, always look where the oldest homes are built. That's where you want to build because they are on the highest ground and not prone to flooding. Wind is a different matter altogether, nothing stands up to 155 MPH wind, not for long anyway.
Interesting: top of my screen shows an ad for the Melbourne FL hamfest today & tomorrow--be interested to know how that turns out....
I have not been there in years but it used to be a great hamfest. I still have a bunch of equipment that was bought there in the 70's.
I went there one year (probably 2002 or 2003) when we were camping at Patrick AFB. It was near closing time on the last day and they let me in for free!
I realize that, but I wonder how many people are going to attend a hamfest the weekend after a major hurricane hits their state? Also, the NE Florida hamfests draw a lot of their attendance from along the Eastern coast.
