Hurricane seasons appear to get scarier and scarier every year with more and stronger storms pummeling the east coast. All this storm activity has led many South Florida residents to wonder, is there such a thing as a “hurricane-proof” home?
Although there’s no way to completely protect your home during a hurricane, engineers throughout the nation have been putting their minds in action to design more hurricane resistant residences. One designer actually believes his home will get stronger during hurricane-force winds.
A home that’s built to thrive in a hurricane
An architectural design firm, Margot Krasojevic Architecture, recently built a home it calls the “Self-Excavation Hurricane Home” on an island found off the coast of Louisiana. When storms hit this futuristic residence, the house starts to spin along its retaining wall. This causes the home to dig itself deeper into the ground, anchoring the structure more firmly into the soil and preventing erosion from around its base.
Because hurricanes always spin in the same direction — counterclockwise — the home is designed to dig deep into the ground when it spins in this direction. That means that the home will serve its purpose every time a massive storm hits. Through the spinning action, the home reduces the load of storm-force winds on its structure. The home, however, by its weight, will never spin so fast that it endangers the continuity of the residence.
As for excess water, the surrounding land on the man-made island where the home is located is intended to drain away excess rainfall quickly and effectively. The home is also equipped with a solar energy system to keep electricity flowing when power lines are knocked out.
Have you received compensation for storm damage?
After numerous homes suffered significant damage last year, many residents of Florida have had trouble getting compensation for storm damage from their insurance companies. If you fall into this category, you may want to review your insurance policy and determine your legal rights and options to fight for the compensation you deserve.