As unrelenting bands of rainfall pounds the Florida peninsula, a resilient Hurricane Ian continues its lumbering assault on the southeast. Catastrophic flooding is being reported in Orange County with the area expecting nearly 24 inches of rainfall. Hurricanes are nothing new for Florida. With more than 90 percent of the state protruding directly into the Atlantic’s hurricane corridor, Florida sticks out like a sore thumb during hurricane season. Still, the state typically only receives glancing blows from most of history’s most killer storms. But Hurricane Ian is different, as long-term locals have repeatedly made comparisons to the notorious Hurricane Andrew that struck the state three decades prior. Emergency communications in the state became overwhelmed Wednesday evening with reports of people being stuck in their homes.
“We have numerous neighborhoods, specifically in Orange County right now, that our fire department is working aggressively to evacuate,” Banks said during a briefing. “We have seen likely somewhere between 10 and 16 inches of rain in Orange County already and we anticipate more rain as we progress through the hours today.”
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Hurricane Ian Could Be One for the Record Books
In perhaps a chaotic sign of the times, many residents, out of sheer desperation, even posted on social media, pleading for rescue workers to save them from the surging waters. Florida appears completely helpless to ride out the storm as one local hospital has even seen its emergency room inundated with flood waters. The category 4 storm slammed into the Florida coast Wednesday with wind speeds eclipsing the 150 mile per hour mark. About 2.5 million people evacuated ahead of the storm, with many others choosing to stay. With their fates currently unknown, all we can do is hope for the best and pray these individuals have a dry, safe and secure location to ride out the storm. We can say with confidence that in times like these, experience matters. Those brave Floridians who hunkered down ahead of the storm likely know a thing or two about hurricanes. Floridians are a different breed. You don’t have to look at national headlines to make any second guesses about their mental toughness and fortitude in the face of adversity. If they’re brave enough to face a hurricane head on, they’ve likely already stocked up needed supplies like food, bottled water and an emergency generation. The more prudent residents might’ve even invested in a safe room or hurricane shelter to withstand Mother Nature’s most powerful weather.
Hurricane Safe Room Shelters Gives Your Family More Than Just a Fighting Chance
Unlike most severe weather, hurricanes those potentially impacted by the storm plenty of advanced notice. Realistically speaking, no one should be caught off guard of an approaching hurricane. But not everyone is able to safely evacuate from the state. Many handicapped or elderly individuals might even choose the relative safety of their home instead of taking their chances in an overcrowded emergency shelter, which in the end amounts to little more than a high school gym made of the same materials as your permanent residence. For some people, it just makes more sense to stay put than give into the increasing pandemonium of an approaching hurricane. And tropical cyclones aren’t even the only danger that comes with these storms. Tornadoes often shoot off from the outer bands of hurricanes. As if beleaguered residents didn’t have enough to worry about, they most also contend with the sudden onslaught of tornadoes. Fortunately, there is a safety measure to protect against the powerful winds of both tornadoes and hurricanes.
While we can’t stress enough against the pitfalls of an underground bunker in flood prone areas, panelized safe rooms and aboveground shelters remain a practical safety measure against approaching hurricanes. Panelized safe rooms can be retrofitted into almost any home or office with minimal disturbance to the overall residence. Our safe rooms have been proven to withstand windspeeds of up 250 miles per hour, which is well beyond the punch Hurricane Ian has left for Florida. Panelized safe rooms are a sensible life saving option for those looking to bolster current fortifications without dipping too deep into their savings accounts.
