‘So many people have lost so much…’

Hurricane Helene killed hundreds of people and destroyed countless buildings in the Southeast.

The storm made landfall along Florida’s Big Bend on September 26, carving a path of catastrophe through Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and beyond. One homeowner shared how their home survived the wreck.

Jenny Reimold and family built a “hurricane-proof” home in 2020 in the Tampa area, which had not yet been hit as hard by a hurricane in 103 years. The designer shared on social media the features that made it possible to withstand the weather conditions storm waves, which caused so many problems along the coast.

@jennyreimold We had a lot of damage, but it could have been worse… these three things really helped if this could be useful to anyone in the future. #hurricanehelene ♬ Inspirational – neozilla

They include hydrostatic vents to allow water in and out of the house without causing pressure problems; high sockets to prevent them from coming into contact with water; and impact-resistant windows that can withstand water, wind and debris.

The house still received a few meters of water, but that did not shift thanks to the reinforced concrete blocks. Those foundational pieces were also filled with more concrete, and the weight and strength prevented serious damage, Reimold told Newsweek.

“Our first floor is gone, but it’s just stuff. We’re the lucky ones,” Reimold says said on TikTok. “So many people lost, so many more.”

Due to man-made rising global temperatures, hurricanes and other extreme weather events are become more intense. The death toll is of course the biggest consequence, and another repercussion is the disruption of insurance coverage.

Homeowners and developers are doing what they can to prepare one nearby community also prevent disasters with well-built structures. Hunters Point, a net-zero neighborhood built by Pearl Homes, stood strong with steel ties to strengthen the framing, water-resistant rigid foam insulation and more. None of the houses flooded.

Reimold recognized that she was in a privileged position to be able to afford such home improvements and spent time after the storm spreading the message about help others recover.

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“The house performed as designed: it limited water ingress, the windows held up, and we had no fire, unlike many homes around us,” Reimold told Newsweek.

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