Post Hurricane Milton Video.

You may not see what Floridians see.

They are located south Siesta Key where the center of hurricane made landfall.

What struck the Missus and yours truly was how many of the houses are still standing still even after the combination of very high-speed winds and high surge. Yes, those at ground level will probably have water damage inside, but unless there is some huge unsee structural issue, they houses will be recovered.

And we also noticed that more and more of the new construction is set with elevation and a way for the surge to flow. This capture shows it succinctly:

Florida building codes have always been good (as far as .Gov codes can be) at trying to identify issues and then let market come up with solution. Hurricane Andrew got the ball rolling, and it is a work in constant progress. Initially it was windows not being secured enough to withstand flying debris so now you have your choices from your basic steel panel that must be installed manually, or you can have hurricane accordion shutters, rolls ups and then the full hurricane windows and doors. And yes, you can do the plywood, but it is a waste of money in the short run. Roofs were secured with shanked nails and reinforcing plates and even tied down internally to the structure of a house built with concrete blocks and yes, it is an added expense, but not a huge one.

There should have been none, or a couple of houses left in Manasota Key with a hurricane and water surge of that magnitude, but instead, we have most of the houses still standing. What worked and what did not work will be studies, recommendations done and codes upgraded once more.

At this writing, about a dozen people are dead according to media who are not very informative as how they died. Most deaths in Florida occur after the hurricane by people doing Florida Man stuff like wading flooded areas where electric stuff is still hot and sparking. But the point is that even as tragic as people dying, the number is absurdly low for such an area concentrated with residents.

Preparation takes many forms and smartly done, works. Keep at it.