by -buck.

Created on: December 28, 2006   Last Updated: April 19, 2007

Changes in Attitudes


On August 24, 1992, Hurricane Andrew made headlines. The last of three category five storms to make landfall in the twentieth century, Andrew blasted into the southeast coast of Florida, packing sustained winds more than double the seventy-five mph (miles per hour) used to determine a tropical system is indeed hurricane strength. NOAA's (The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) National Hurricane Center recorded peak gusts of one hundred sixty-four mph, and a one hundred seventy-seven mph reading was taken at a private home. Winds of this magnitude are sure to do damage. And damage it did, '... Andrew was the most destructive United States hurricane of record'-.NOAA.

In addition to the loss of sixty-five lives, an estimated thirty billion dollars in property loss, and leaving a monumental clean up in its wake, the storm was to alter both literally and figuratively, the landscape of the construction industry in the state.
Andrew had blown away a faade; revealing decades of shoddy building practices and codes not only obviously overlooked but also blatantly ignored. Mile after mile of what looked like war-torn battle field revealed construction standards and inspections procedures that many would have laughed at had they not been standing amongst rubble that was once their homes.
Twenty-five thousand,five hundred twenty-four homes were totally demolished, and over one hundred one thousand damaged to some extent; as a result, several insurance companies were unable to cover insured losses and declared bankruptcy.
There were extreme examples: support columns filled with crumpled newspaper instead of concrete, roof beams that should have been anchored with steel plates were found fastened with nothing, Styrofoam used as the most substantial material in some porch pillars, and cement that dissolved in the rain.
Residents say it is another example of the 'only-in-Florida' stories where developers and their powerful political lobbies have long influenced the fate and future of the industry.
The scrutiny that followed revealed the South Florida Building Code's (SFBC) wind-load requirements were grossly inadequate. "The building codes in Florida should have been a lot stronger," said Charles Glagola, a University of Florida civil engineering professor. "Hurricane Andrew," he also added, "should have taught the state a lesson."
The Building Departments' permitting and inspection procedures were also sub-standard. "We've had a problem

• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next Page >>