First Ian, then Idalia, now Helene—a special housing development in Florida has withstood them all.
Without any doubt, the neighborhood at Hunter Point in Cortez along the Gulf Coast has lived up to its billing of hurricane-proof, as the storm that has ravaged the southeastern United States was endured without issue.
Helene made landfall last Thursday, and Cortez was battered with waist-deep storm surges that turned the roads to rivers. Not only did Hunter Point stay dry, but kept the lights on as well thanks to a bevy of storm-resistant architectural and landscape designs.
“[H]urricanes were our number one priority,” Marshall Gobuty, founder and president of Pearl Homes, the developer that built the community, told Fast Company in the wake of the storm. “How could we build to survive a Cat 5 hurricane?’
Helene didn’t make the 5 grade, but based on how easily Hunter Point survived it, you’d imagine it could handle the worst if it came.
The ground floor garage is solid concrete. On the first floor, two-by-six timber boards are used for the frames rather than two-by-fours, and the walls are filled with hard insulation rather than foam, making it sturdier and more energy efficient. The roof is made of steel, and the three floors are interconnected with steel seams.
Solar panels are installed on the roof in a design that was tested in an enclosed environment to be unmovable—the wind can’t blow underneath and tear it off the roof. The solar panels charge a battery system that can power the home for several days if the grid goes down—which happened in Cortez after Helene hit. The next morning, when the sun came out, the solar panels went back to charging the battery which was still running, and has been proven in tests to be capable of running in a limited mode for another 9 if needs be.
Swales built into the landscape of the Hunter Point development channeled stormwater away from the streets until it filled up a large pond on the property. The garages stayed dry, but even if the rain had been much greater or longer, 16 feet of concrete separate the terrain from the living area.
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For sure none of this is cheap. Houses start for a cool $1.25 mil, but apartments with similar building standards are available for $1,700 and $2,000 in nearby Bradenton, Florida. Set within walking distance of entertainment, restaurants, shopping, and event space in the Village of The Arts location.
The price isn’t all bad, the insurance costs are much less, and companies are much happier to insure buildings that include Pearl Homes’ storm-proof features.
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“I was on the phone with our insurance company this morning, and let them know I’m sending pictures, everything’s great,” Gobuty told Fast Company. “She said, ‘Finally, [some] good news.’ Insurance is a big, big component in the future, because climate change is here. And we have to adapt.”
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You wish all homes in hurricane alley would be built to such standards. Congratulations on wishstanding such an historic hurricane.