So what does this have to do with climate change? It was a bad hurricane, but certainly not the worst. It was late in the season, but we have had worse storms hit later. It hit a spot that usually doesn’t get hit. But they have been hit before. There was a lot of damage, but that was because of poor building codes in the panhandle, and a lot of old timber frame homes.
I live in Florida and have seen worse storms then that. But we have strong building codes and concrete block buildings. They all stood. Just like the concrete block buildings in the panhandle stood. There just wasn’t that many of them.
How many “hundred year” storms do we have to experience in the space of several years before we realize that the benchmark has shifted and the “hundred year” storm is much more devastating now than was estimated a decade ago? How long will we soothe ourselves with the bromide that my area doesn’t get hit by these things, it is mainly a problem for people 25 miles west or south of me? Of what use is the news that Michael was not the worst storm ever, only the third worst?! Is our conscience or wallet better off if there are strong building codes elsewhere or if concrete block construction withstood the storm but is only present in perhaps 20% of the housing stock? How long will the Florida Panhandle and legislature hide their heads in the sugar white sand and weaken rather than strengthen building codes?
So what does this have to do with climate change? It was a bad hurricane, but certainly not the worst. It was late in the season, but we have had worse storms hit later. It hit a spot that usually doesn’t get hit. But they have been hit before. There was a lot of damage, but that was because of poor building codes in the panhandle, and a lot of old timber frame homes.
I live in Florida and have seen worse storms then that. But we have strong building codes and concrete block buildings. They all stood. Just like the concrete block buildings in the panhandle stood. There just wasn’t that many of them.
How many “hundred year” storms do we have to experience in the space of several years before we realize that the benchmark has shifted and the “hundred year” storm is much more devastating now than was estimated a decade ago? How long will we soothe ourselves with the bromide that my area doesn’t get hit by these things, it is mainly a problem for people 25 miles west or south of me? Of what use is the news that Michael was not the worst storm ever, only the third worst?! Is our conscience or wallet better off if there are strong building codes elsewhere or if concrete block construction withstood the storm but is only present in perhaps 20% of the housing stock? How long will the Florida Panhandle and legislature hide their heads in the sugar white sand and weaken rather than strengthen building codes?