New Homes Go Hurricane Proof

The intense back-to-back hurricanes that hit the Southeast this fall were devastating. Hurricane Helene destroyed homes, knocked out power for weeks, and rendered roads impassible, submerging whole communities in flooding. Then, Hurricane Milton devastated Florida, with 18 inches of rain falling in St. Petersburg. This has reopened the perennial debate about building in flood-prone areas like Florida, which is made more common by federal insurance policy. But the reality is that these areas are built out and mass exodus won’t happen anytime soon; some 32 million homes are vulnerable to hurricanes. Fortunately, the construction industry has for decades innovated with building homes and structures that can withstand storms and other extreme physical events.

The industry has shifted standards in response to natural disasters before, particularly earthquakes. Seismic activity is common in Pacific Rim cities like Tokyo; Japan sustains about 2,000 earthquakes annually. A majority of Tokyo’s buildings have been upgraded or built to prevent devastation. Its Skytree Tower is said to be fully earthquake-resistant. Japanese developers install shock absorbers during construction and place dampening devices that blunt movement during an earthquake. 

So too have hurricanes fostered innovative building techniques. Hunter Point, a multifamily development in the Gulf Coast city of Cortez, Florida, was built to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. It has successfully escaped damage from Helene and several previous events. The homes are built with sturdier wood than typical, with concrete on the lowest floor and steel roofs. This makes the buildings less vulnerable high winds.

But developments aimed at hurricane resistance have existed for decades. Following Hurricane Andrew in the early 1990s, research by FEMA found that modular construction was more resistant to hurricanes than standard fixed buildings. Hurricane proofing properties generated interest in properties like those built by Deltec, a North Carolina company which uses a circular design to withstand harsh winds. According to Deltec’s president, the design “reduced the force that’s acting on the home, which is a pretty powerful thing.” The company claims its homes have a 99.9% survival rate against hurricanes.

Buildings designed around hurricanes have windows and doors that withhold against the extreme weather conditions. These have a cost premium: Hunter Point’s homes go for $1.25 million and up. But some of this may be attributable to the newer nature of this construction. And the cost might well be made up for by cheaper insurance rates.

Energy decisions can make conditions livable during storms as well. Solar power, which has grown in accessibility the last few decades, allows homes to generate their own electricity when the grid goes down – an important measure as seen with the lengthy power outages following Helene. Hunter Point included solar panels that were sturdily attached enough to remain in place during Helene.

Another adaptation is floating homes. They’re not quite the same as houseboats, in the sense that they don’t have a motor that moves them at will. But they can be stationary in the water, avoiding the risk of flooding that land-bound homes face. And many are capable of withstanding severe windstorms. 

One design firm is banking on floating homes as an attractive option for the high end of the market in hurricane-prone coastal cities like Miami. Arkup has designed a model for “livable yachts” which are held in place by hydraulic devices built to withstand at least as much as a Category 4 hurricane. The firm boasts that it can mass produce “communities” of floating homes, enabling further housing production in areas where water limits the amount of available land – and doing so without having to rebuild every time there’s a storm. Interestingly, the city of Miami gave these homes an advantage, exempting Arkup’s flagship yacht from property taxes. 

Granted, some of these ideas may sound a bit too cutting edge to reach market absorption just yet. They’re not exactly accepted at an institutional level.

But the insurance industry in particular will likely come around to it. Already there are industry standards in place that encourage practices such as elevated homes or building envelope integrity. Recently, the rental company I work for changed the roof on one of our homes in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The reason is that our insurer gave us a grant, preferring that we use a more storm-resilient material.

Of course government regulation, which has a massive grip on land use in general, is behind in accommodating disaster resistance. Many municipalities across America ban mobile or modular homes, which are easier to remove from a foundation and transport during a storm. There is no telling how zoning boards would respond to something truly unique such as a floating home; in most jurisdictions they are likely banned outright by virtue of having no mention in the regulatory code to begin with. In 2016, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced its intent to ban new floating homes and houseboats from lakes in its jurisdiction. In Canada, provincial authorities in Ontario broadly restricted similar structures.

But there will still be innovation whether or not the American regulatory state keeps up. If hurricanes indeed get worse and become more common, there will be growing demand from homeowners and insurers to fortify these homes. The cost of not doing so will be to pay more in the long run.

This article featured additional reporting from Market Urbanist content staffer Ethan Finlan.

Cover image in the public domain.