Making it easierBoris Sursky
Florida's Miami-Dade County has a long history of hurricane
activity. In 2005, which turned out to be one of the most active
hurricane seasons ever seen in Florida, several storms caused
varying degrees of damage to the state. When Hurricane Katrina
crossed south Florida, it was a weak Category 1 storm on the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale before it strengthened in the Gulf
of Mexico. Hurricane Rita caused minimal flooding in portions of
the Florida Keys before also traveling on to the Gulf. However, in
October of that year, as Hurricane Wilma approached Florida,
Miami-Dade County was not so lucky. As the storm neared the coast,
Wilma was classified as a Category 3 on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph and
hurricane-force winds extending outward 85 miles from the storm's
center.
Once Wilma came ashore, according to the National Hurricane
Center, most of the southeastern Florida peninsula experienced at
least strong Category 1 hurricane conditions. Some parts of
northern Miami-Dade County, Broward County and Palm Beach County
likely endured Category 2 hurricane conditions.
In comparison, the catastrophic damage caused by Hurricane
Andrew, which occurred in late August 1992, was limited to south
Miami-Dade County. Although major structural damage caused by Wilma
was mostly insignificant, because of the storm's size, all portions
of Miami-Dade County were affected. Wilma's sustained
hurricane-force winds damaged a substantial number of mostly older
roof systems, requiring them to be replaced or repaired.
To read the article in its entirety, please log in or register (registration is free).
Log in or register for FREE access to this article and other Professional Roofing online content.