Notes_Norton Posted October 18 Share Posted October 18 On 10/17/2024 at 12:40 PM, Variorum said: I'm about 6 miles east of the bay, just south of Tampa. You got the brunt of it. I'm glad you made it OK. We have the old-fashioned drop down storm awnings. In the summer, they shade the windows to keep the house cooler. When a storm comes, they take about 5 minutes each to drop, max, if you are being careful not to scratch anything. When I was a child, in my parent's house, we were riding out the storm on a CBS house (concrete block & steel) and a huge limb of a mango tree crashed into one of those awnings. It was so big it too me and my father to move it away from the house so we could cut it up. The damage to the awning was a couple of light scratches. Over here in Ft. Pierce there were numerous tornadoes. Usually with a 'cane, we get EF0 or EF1 max twisters. We had a confirmed EF3 that went through 3 counties tearing up roofs, smashing mobile homes, and cutting a swath through a solar farm. Quite unusual, and hopefully not a sign of things to come. I think the only other storm with more than a light EF1 was Andrew. For those curious about the awnings. Before the storm, after the storm (and before we hosed the dirt off them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted October 18 Share Posted October 18 Bob sings and paints the blues? 🤔🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 The hurricane blew it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulo Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Not to dismiss or diminish any of the awful things that people are going through, but whenever I visited Florida, as much as I loved it, I always wondered if the people who built the houses had ever heard the story of three little pigs? Serious question......do they build the houses there so flimsy because they feel that it's only a matter of time before they'll get blown away regardless, or is the thinking that if building parts are likely to be flying around at some point it will be less damaging overall if they are more lightweight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigb Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 Wait... Is Paulo talking about becan or am I misunderstanding? Well, regardless... Mmm... BECAN! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notes_Norton Posted October 19 Share Posted October 19 35 minutes ago, paulo said: Not to dismiss or diminish any of the awful things that people are going through, but whenever I visited Florida, as much as I loved it, I always wondered if the people who built the houses had ever heard the story of three little pigs? Most of the people with flimsy houses are from 'up north' and were not aware of the conditions here. The developers were allowed to build flimsy houses because their huge campaign contributions amounted to a tacit bribe of the folks who got elected. That enabled out-of-state developers to build stick houses, take the money, and run. Corporate greed. When I was young, new construction was supposed to be cement brick and steel reinforced houses (CBS). The allowable roofs were ceramic tile, barrel tile, tar and gravel, or Bermuda construction. An asphalt tile roof, on a 2x4 frame house, was not allowed. Now it is dominant. Little by little, huge land developers gave big tacit bribes to candidates who got elected. Those legislators then watered down the building codes, so they could make huge developments of stick houses on land that used to be underwater swamp and sell them to the northerners, who had no idea of the trouble they were getting into. After every hurricane, you can see scores to hundreds of asphalt tile roofs covered with plastic tarps until they can get them fixed. Most Floridans who have been here for a long time wouldn't buy those homes. IMO what the developers did is criminal. I've always lived on the Eastern Sand Ridge. I grew up in a CBS house, and mine is now CBS with exterior paneling and faux bricks. The ceiling is held up with beams that are made of two 2x6" beams side by side. And that is real 2x6, not the 1.5x4/5" type. They are made of Dade County Slash Pine. The house was built in 1950, and sap was still dripping in the late 1990s. Plus as you can see, it's low profile. It had a tar and gravel roof, but the tar isn't the same as it used to be. The old tar wasn't environmentally friendly. So I had it replaced with a 2.5" thick, polyurethane roof. It's actually better than the old tar and gravel. For people living in mobile home parks, they definitely should know not to ride out the storm in one, but go to a shelter. I'd never buy a house on a barrier island. Barrier islands move. Sand washes from one part, and moves somewhere else. After the storm, you see parts of the islands washed out, and others covered in new sand. It's been happening forever. Looking at an animation of the nautical maps since the 1800s shows the dance. Fort Meyers Beach averages 3 feet above sea level. The average storm surge is much more than that. I've seen it wiped out 4 times in my life. Yet they rebuild. Why? When I was young, I saw 1/4 mile of barrier island disappear in a hurricane. They tried dredging sand back, but the currents changed, and it washed away about as quickly as the put it back. Sometimes I think we are both the smartest and stupidest animals on the planet. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now