After Michael: Updating Florida's Building Code to Better Weather Future Storms
In Hurricane Michael's aftermath, it's devastatingly clear that structures in the storm's path were unable to weather a Category 4 storm. Florida code requirements are the most stringent in South Florida, Andres Viglucci, David Ovalle, Caitlin Ostroff, and Nicholas Nehamas report. However, "they taper down the farther north you move along the peninsula. In most of the Panhandle, the code requirements are significantly less stringent."
For instance, structures in Miami-Date County must be able to withstand winds of 175 miles an hour, while "along the stretch of the Panhandle hit hardest by Michael — including Mexico Beach, Apalachicola and Panama City — the design standard drops to as low as 120 miles an hour before rising gradually to 150 mph around Pensacola at the state's far western edge."
Topics
- Florida
- Environment
- Housing
- Urban Development
- Hurricane Michael
- Hurricanes
- Building Codes
- Florida Panhandle
- Mexico Beach
- Governor Rick Scott
- FEMA
- Natural Disasters
- Hurricane Andrew
- Miami-Dade County
- Florida Building Commission
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Category 4 Hurricanes
- Wind Resistance
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