Page 4 - Green Builder Magazine Jan-Feb 2018 Issue

EDITOR’S NOTE By Matt Power

The Inside Scoop Editor-in-Chief

The 9-11 That Wobbled

Despite near-biblical storm events in Florida and Texas, few seem to take

the warning signs seriously.

HAT WOULD HAPPEN if a homes to remain high, with buyers looking
16-foot storm surge hit the for few resilient “upgrades,” including impact
Tampa Bay, Fla., area? We glass and “hurricane-related construction
almost found out on Sept. features.” For their part, builders seem more
W 11, just a few months ago. concerned with finding qualified labor than
But by happenstance, luck or grace, the storm what the new age of serial hurricanes means
“wobbled” slightly to the east. The big surge to their business.
never hit, and winds dropped to Category 1. Of course, many homes in Florida were
Lives and property were spared. spared Irma’s muted wrath, thanks to better
What’s the rational way to respond to this building codes passed following Hurricane
near miss? We could ask the residents of Andrew in 1992. But the State’s climate
Puerto Rico or St. Thomas. They may never change skeptic-in-chief—Governor Rick
recover to their pre-Hurricane Irma standard of Scott—recently weakened those rules. Builders
living. Or we could listen to real estate brokers now have a choice: Follow Scott’s spiral into
and builder groups in Texas and Florida, who irrelevance or build homes that just might
seem to see this year’s unprecedented series of survive the coming deluge.
powerful storms as flukes that will barely interrupt the status quo Let’s flash back for a moment to the night Hurricane Irma made
homebuilding process. landfall in Southwest Florida. The storm’s surge was expected to peak
In Florida, for example, real estate brokers expect demand for new at 12 feet to 16 feet. According to Weather Underground, “a one-foot
storm surge can sweep your car off the road.” Imagine
if that surge had hit at high tide, with 10-foot waves.
Water would have reached 26 feet. The highest point
in the Tampa Bay area is only 48 feet.
Folks, impact glass is not going to be enough.
What will matter, however, is every choice you, the
builder, make: piling depth, rebar placement, tie-down
systems, roofing fasteners, glass protection—all of it.
Fortunately, we have a lot of hard experience to learn
from. FEMA has documented the impacts of Katrina,
Harvey and other major storms on conventional
structures, and has much to say on the matter.
Can we build homes to withstand the worst nature
can throw at us? Probably not. I’ve seen the aftermath
CREDIT: ADREES LATIF/REUTERS month’s series on resilient building, we have many
of a Category V tornado. But as you’ll learn in this

tools and systems available. We’re not helpless. We
can build and strengthen homes so that they have a

And it will come. Let’s not bet life and limb on the
Fools rush in. When Hurricane Irma’s storm surge sucked millions of gallons of water fighting chance when the next big one comes.
from Tampa Bay, Fla., local residents ran to take selfies in the bay. next wobble. GB

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