Hurricanes and South Florida Real Estate

By Alexandra Tarallo

Dealing with hurricanes is not an easy thing to do, but it’s the price we pay for living in one of the sunniest places in the world.

This week put a new hurricane in the spotlight. Hurricane Paul is out in the Pacific headed for the Baja peninsula in Mexico. As grateful as we are that we didn’t experience much storm activity in our area, South Florida real estate is extremely vulnerable when it comes to hurricanes. However, there are many things you can do to keep your family safe and make your South Florida home less likely to suffer damages.

Thankfully the season is almost over which gives us approximately eight months to get our homes ready for next year. If you suffered damages from Wilma, hopefully you’ve repaired them by now.

The most important steps to take in order to protect the structure of your home are to make sure your roof is in top shape, and to put up shutters on all windows at least 48 hours before landfall. Shutters provide a great amount of protection from flying debris that may break windows and create a dangerous situation. If you don’t have them yet, now is one of the best times to start planning for them. They’re not cheap but it’s certainly less than the amount you’ll spend in repairs if your home suffers damages.

Impact glass and laminated glass are another good option especially if you live near the Ocean where winds may be particularly strong. Make sure you have a hurricane kit with a few flashlights, batteries, and a battery powered radio. Most of us do, however you’ll need to replace some items such as batteries after a certain time and make sure everything is working properly. A “take box” is another essential. This is where you’ll store documents such as insurance policy info, passports and id’s, mortgage information, car titles, and large purchase receipts.

If you haven’t purchased a home in South Florida but your thinking about doing so in the near future, many new homes and condo towers have been built with the latest state-of-the-art engineering and are designed to endure high category storms. Some examples of condos in Fort Lauderdale that have incorporated the latest building codes and standards are Las Olas Riverhouse and Las Olas Grand. Miami’s Blue Diamond Condos also fit into this category.