The Road to Rebuilding from a Category 5 Hurricane
Picture the quaint beach town of Mexico Beach, Florida, now forever changed by the devastating impact of 2018’s Category 5 Hurricane Michael. With former mayor, Al Cathy, we navigate through the harrowing aftermath and the resilience of the community in the face of utter destruction.
You Just Dodged a Hurricane Now What Will You Do?
Here’s a question that is important for anyone living in a home in an area where natural disasters can occur. Do you understand the risks you face, and have you done something to improve your chances of surviving the disaster?
Why Aren’t Our Homes Built Better?
Pete Gaynor has years of experience in disaster management. He is a former FEMA Administrator and Acting Secretary of Homeland Security during the last presidential administration. He’s visited disaster sites around the country and seen first-hand how we aren’t building our homes well enough to withstand major disasters.
How Will This Affect My House?
The National Weather Service announced a new warning system for severe storms. The three categories are Destructive, Considerable, and Baseline. Even with the latest information, the question most people don’t know the answer to is how will this affect their house?
This Storm Missed Us, So…
As we watched Hurricane Elsa approaching Tampa on the Weather Channel and the local news, we heard about all the problems the hurricane could cause along the west coast of Florida. Heavy rain, storm surge, wind damage, it all could have happened. But for many, it didn’t.
It’s National Homeownership Month
The President has declared June National Homeownership Month showcasing homeownership as a source of economic strength. June 1 was also the first day of the 2021 Hurricane Season, where a hurricane can turn that economic strength into a monumental life-altering disaster in a matter of hours.
When is the right time to get ready?
In places like Florida and other gulf coast states this is some of the nicest weather you’ll see all year, sunshine and low humidity. This might be the best time of year to start getting ready for hurricane season. However that buzz doesn’t really happen until sometime in May.
Baby It’s Cold Inside
When we were making the documentary film The Last House Standing, we focused on how unprepared people were for hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and earthquakes. This past week has shown us something equally as bad- -ice and snow in places that don’t usually get ice and snow. Almost the entire state of Texas has been paralyzed by a major winter storm.
When Is It Time To Move On?
There are various reasons why people choose to live in areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters. Whether it is land passed down through generations, a love for the community or that’s where you have to live because of your job. Living through hurricane after hurricane is causing many to question if the benefits outweigh the costs of destruction.
We Need to Wake-Up!
It sure seems like we don’t take building homes very seriously in this country. We see it time and again, year after year, a major weather event takes place, lives are lost, and billions of dollars in damage is racked up. We are currently working on a documentary film called The Last House Standing, about building or fortifying homes to withstand these disasters.
Why We Need To Care
The Code of Hammurabi originates from ancient Mesopotamia from the sixth Babylonian king, Hammurabi. One law it stipulates is that if a builder creates a faulty structure that collapses on someone and kills them then that builder shall be put to death.
Hurricane Season is Underway: Are you Prepared?
With hurricane season underway, it’s only a matter of time before another devastating storm strikes somewhere. What have you done to prepare? Sadly, even with the destruction of Florence, Michael, and Dorian in recent memory, for most of us the answer is, “very little.”
The News Cycle Doesn't Care About The Victims
With all the ways we get news, from our computers and phones to television and radio, we have a front-row seat to tragic events as they are happening. We saw horrific images of Hurricane Dorian ravaging the Bahamas right as it was happening.
Fight or Flight
One of the most frightening moments for a homeowner is when local authorities issue an evacuation order. Disaster is imminent and you find yourself in a fight or flight situation as you are forced to make a decision very much in line with what The Clash once famously asked, “Should I stay or should I go?”