Summary: As Hurricane Dorian bears down on Florida, two reports that examined damage from last fall’s Hurricane Michael have mixed reviews on building construction in Florida’s Panhandle. While newer homes built after the 2002 Florida Building Code was enacted suffered less structural damage than older homes, the roof cover loss and siding damage was just as common in the newer structures. In fact, almost two-thirds of those newer buildings built after the code went into effect had some roof loss from Michael’s high winds. While Florida is known for its tough building code, few know that the maximum wind standards of materials and methods in the code vary depending on which part of the state you live. Miami-Dade County, where Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992, has the toughest wind standards. But the Florida Panhandle, where Hurricane Michael’s Cat 5 winds struck in 2018, has among the weakest wind standards. Why? Just how vulnerable are homes throughout Florida? And what can be done to strengthen them? Host Lisa Miller, a former deputy insurance commissioner asks noted television meteorologist and hurricane expert Bryan Norcross and Cindy Shaw, a forensic engineer with Haag Engineering Services. Show Notes Hurricane Michael struck the Panhandle as a Category 5 storm, the fourth in U.S. history, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and a 15-foot storm surge. 43 people died in the storm and its aftermath. Total damages are estimated to climb to $25 billion. A University of Florida Engineering School report prepared for the Florida Building Commission examined both wind and storm surge damages from Hurricane Michael. It found that roof cover loss was the most common type of structural failure, even with wind exposures below the building code’s threshold. “Structural damage was predominantly experienced by older (pre-2002) structures, while newer structures generally experienced no more than roof cover and wall cladding loss. However, roof cover and wall cladding damage was still commonly observed even in newer structures,” according to the report. Almost two-thirds of buildings built after the code went into effect had some roof cover loss. Another report from the Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance Network had similar findings. Although Florida is recognized as having the toughest building codes in the nation, they vary by wind standards, depending on the area of Florida. In the Panhandle, where Michael struck, those wind standards are among the weakest in the state at 130 mph at the coast and 120 mph slightly inland. In Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, the standards are the strongest at 180 mph at the coast and 170 mph inland. Cindy Shaw is a Senior Engineer and Southeast Regional Manager for Haag Engineering Services, a global forensic engineering and consulting firm. In her review of the reports, Shaw said she noted improvement in homes built after the enactment of the 2002 Florida Building Code, but performance varied a lot, even among similar homes. Homes built above code standards performed best. “Finishing materials installations varied within a single residence and that led to wind damage. Roofing that was to a higher code than a garage door led to vulnerabilities and failures in the overall structure,” said Shaw, a 20 year veteran of structural inspections. “It was tremendously frustrating to see the damage from Hurricane Michael because we lived this already,” said Bryan Norcross, Hurricane Specialist for WPLG-TV, Local 10 News in Miami. He is known for his 23-hour on-air marathon during and after Hurricane Andrew struck South Florida. Andrew was the last Cat-5 storm to hit Florida before Michael. “Something failed. The roof might have been good, but the windows or the front door or th(continued)
