Built in 1996: Can My House Survive a Category 4 Hurricane?

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

I ask this question here because many have
insight. The construction workers on my
house said it can survive winds up to
150 mph. It was built in 1996.

Is this true or false and why???
Can it survive that wind?
Obviously the surge would level it because it's
just around 8-9 feet above sea level...but
what about the winds?

[Opal storm]

IMO True sustained cat 4 winds are going to do severe structural damage if not nearly level your house depending on the duration, despite what the construction workers say. I say that based on what I saw after Ivan and Dennis, and we saw low level hurricane force winds from those storms.

Your house would probably look something like this...

[Jam151]

Well the roof on the superdome was built to sustain 200mph winds.

[jasons2k]

The problem with those wind estimates is that they don't take into account debris. A window may indeed be rated to survive 120 or 140 mph winds in a wind tunnel, but add a few real-world rocks of gravel, shingles, sand, or tree limbs to the mix, and you have a blown window. This is what happened in Houston in 1983 with Alicia.

[Jagno]

All I can say is that I have hurricane clips on all of my framing. The framing held together, however, it was twisted badly and everything attached to it such as wood, sheetrock, roofing and such was all gone. Alot of good the clips did! This was during Rita.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

Thank you all for the information...
Wow....that would be very scary
opal storm if a monster storm made my house
look like that

[wxman57]

As others have pointed out, your home would most likely sustain severe damage if not total destruction from sustaiend 140 mph winds (gusts of 170-180 included). The weakest point of your home would be your garage door, assuming your windows are boarded/shuttered. You need a garage door brace that will prevent the door from failing inward or outward. Such a failure could cause rapid air infiltration followed by significant damage to your roof/walls.

That said, the odds of your home seeing 140 mph sustained winds even in a Cat 4 hurricane making landfall are remote. More likely, a Cat 4 with 140-150 mph wind making landfall would produce winds of 110-120 mph sustained a short distance inland.

You didn't say where in Tampa Bay you're located. A good sized Cat 2-3 hurricane like Rita at landfall or like Katrina could produce a storm surge of from 25-28 feet into NW Tampa Bay. Is your home out of this surge zone?

[Derek Ortt]

a cat 4 would produce wind gusts equivalent to an EF-4 tornado


You house is not going to survive anybetter than those midwest houses

[flashflood]

There is a small section of homes built in the early 90's that survived Hurricane Andrew intact with little damage, while the surrounding developments of other builders were completely demolished. These homes built by "Pulte" are near 147 ave and S.W. 167th street, just south of the infamous "country walk homes". Those country walk homes looked just like the picture above after Andrew got finished with them.

Homes can be built to withstand a cat 5, however they have to be built right. Also, as jschlitz mentioned above, debris can damage even the best built homes. If you home is down wind from a Trailer Park, or poorly built housing development, the chance are significantly reduced that your home will survive without major damage.

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

As others have pointed out, your home would most likely sustain severe damage if not total destruction from sustaiend 140 mph winds (gusts of 170-180 included). The weakest point of your home would be your garage door, assuming your windows are boarded/shuttered. You need a garage door brace that will prevent the door from failing inward or outward. Such a failure could cause rapid air infiltration followed by significant damage to your roof/walls.

That said, the odds of your home seeing 140 mph sustained winds even in a Cat 4 hurricane making landfall are remote. More likely, a Cat 4 with 140-150 mph wind making landfall would produce winds of 110-120 mph sustained a short distance inland.

You didn't say where in Tampa Bay you're located. A good sized Cat 2-3 hurricane like Rita at landfall or like Katrina could produce a storm surge of from 25-28 feet into NW Tampa Bay. Is your home out of this surge zone?

I live right on the east side of tampa bay near the saint petersburg
pier just north of downtown saint pete so any surge
going up tampa bay could probably flood my area.
It says I am in evacuation zone B where I have
to evacuate for category 2 or higher.
I will evacuate for anything category 2 or higher
because it seems the surge would wipe me out...


Thanks to everybody for this important information.
I remember during charley people in my neighborhood
only some people evacuated others thought they could
ride it out but I remember evacuating to a place near
interior saint pete that is like 30 feet above sea level.

[Derek Ortt]

or those homes that survived missed the miniswirls

How many structures can survive an EF-% tornado? That is what a cat 5 is (in the gusts)

[Tampa Bay Hurricane]

I wish there were a way to secure
homes against storm surge...I should
have build my home on 10 foot
strong pillars....

As for the winds I just hope and pray
the winds never get that high...

[flashflood]

or those homes that survived missed the miniswirls

How many structures can survive an EF-% tornado? That is what a cat 5 is (in the gusts)

A report was done on these homes on the news after Andrew with Dr. Bob Sheets on channel 4. The report showed why they survived pointing out that they had concrete gable ends, plywood roofs attached with the proper nails, hurricane straps attached to the truss correctly etc. The actual address that they looked at is 15880 S W 138 PLACE, I was there when the press showed up.

"Re: Built in 1996: Can My House Survive a Category 4 Hurricane?"

Sure maybe your house can survive if built right, however another question would be if your house or any other well built house can survive a Cat 4 mini swirl?

[hial2]

My old home in South Miami was built in 1947 and survived all the hurricanes...Nothing like OLD construction..
New cookie cutter housing construction is a bunch of feces,IMO..Shoddy workmanship and materiel....

[TheShrimper]

I'll agree with hail2 on that one. Give me a home framed with Dade County Pine and I'll stay. I have seen to many that are still unphased over the years, from the old bungalows here on Pine Island to some of the older structures I have seen on/off of Krome Ave in South Dade. It says a little something, doesn't it?

[Opal storm]

I'll agree with hail2 on that one. Give me a home framed with Dade County Pine and I'll stay. I have seen to many that are still unphased over the years, from the old bungalows here on Pine Island to some of the older structures I have seen on/off of Krome Ave in South Dade. It says a little something, doesn't it?

Have those homes been through actual sustained cat 3/4?

[hial2]

I'll agree with hail2 on that one. Give me a home framed with Dade County Pine and I'll stay. I have seen to many that are still unphased over the years, from the old bungalows here on Pine Island to some of the older structures I have seen on/off of Krome Ave in South Dade. It says a little something, doesn't it?

Have those homes been through actual sustained cat 3/4?

Some of the bungalos in Cocoanut Grove were built at the turn of the century by Bahamian settlers,and many hurricanes later are still standing..
Just to clarify,the Grove is right by the bay..

[Recurve]

I'll agree with hail2 on that one. Give me a home framed with Dade County Pine and I'll stay. I have seen to many that are still unphased over the years, from the old bungalows here on Pine Island to some of the older structures I have seen on/off of Krome Ave in South Dade. It says a little something, doesn't it?

Amazing stuff, that Dade County Pine (slash pine, pinus elliottii for you botanists). The resin must harden over years like epoxy, makes studs strong as concrete. I've seen sparks fly while trying to hammer nails into old studs.

Must be the strongest frame houses after they've aged a little.
Neighbors' house is pine studs, covered with 1/2inch pine T&G 1x8 on both sides of every wall...and the entire ceiling. It's like the inside of a cigar box. Outside is concrete block.

But older houses have problems, even some wellbuilt ones failed in Andrew. The old jalousie windows and doors, awning windows, flimsy awning-type shutters. Hard to retrofit everything. Some have all-block walls, no poured beams (I'm guessing).

Have those homes been through actual sustained cat 3/4?

I'm pretty sure (wasn't here), my neighbors' and maybe mine went through the eye of Cat 3 Betsy,, within 3 miles of dead center. Flooding about 8' above MSL. Last wind readings before landfall were 110kt 125 mph.

"On the morning of September 8, severe hurricane Betsy moved westward at about 10 miles an hour across the Upper Keys. Gales extended 300 miles in all quadrants from the center. The large eye, about 40 miles in diameter, moved over Key Largo about 3:45 a.m. EST [EDT?]. The lowest pressure of 953 mbs or 28.14 inches was recorded on Plantation Key. Wind speeds reached 100 to 140 mph generally from Homestead southward through the Keys. Rainfall was from 4 to 6 inches in the area of strong winds with rainfall amounts diminishing rapidly with distance from the storm center."

[NDG]

Re-enforced all concrete "shoe box" style homes will probably be the only ones to survive cat 4 winds, as long as it has sturdy enough storm shutters and doesn't has a garage door.

[Patrick99]

Yes, there *were* homes that survived the hell of Cat. 5 Andrew. It can be done.

Also, it's true...Dade County slash pine is incredible stuff. It's an awful shame that we've completely razed most of the pinelands.

I should add that many of the homes you see standing on the higher ground of Old Town Key West, near the cemetery, survived the direct hit of the horrific storm of 1919....Cat. 4, I believe.