The Truth About Hurricanes and Naples, Florida

Okay, the hurricane season is upon us once again. June 1st marked the beginning of the 2008 season. The media is in a frenzy with reports on preparedness, and what ifs. I assume this is good for ratings, anyway it is at least a pause from the political primaries and stories we have been inundated with over the past few months, however we need to keep in mind that hurricanes although, they do appear somewhere every year and you never quite know where, the chances of striking in Naples, Florida this year is very slim.

Yes, Naples was visited by Wilma in 2005. Wilma caused some damage, mostly to trees, some roofs and pool cages, but very little structural damage to any buildings and no flooding. Hurricane Charley, passed by 40 miles north and caused little damage, mostly trees again. Prior to those two the last hurricane to pass within 30 miles of Naples was Isabell in 1964, forty years prior. Again, very little damage to the Naples area as the storm came ashore south of the city.

A website, www.hurricanecity.com lists the most susceptible cities to hurricanes, from one to fifty, one being the most likely place to get hit. Naples was rated,”fifty”. So the prospect of Naples getting hit, being located on the Southwest corner of Florida is very low. That doesn’t mean we wont prepare and tune in the Weather Channel when the occasion arises, and there is obviously no guarantee, but I like our chances. We Floridians love comparing hurricanes to tornadoes, and how lucky we are, that if a hurricane does come close we have days to prepare, unlike with a tornado many times they have just minutes.

Plus with all of the new hurricane proof regulations in the new building codes, hurricane damage to homes has been greatly reduced. Some custom builders like Kaye Homes, based in Naples even go beyond the required codes and add their own stricter requirements and as Kaye does, even add a generator to the housing features, in case of an emergency.

For more information regarding the standard hurricane resistant features in a new home today visit www.kayehomes.com. Kaye Homes is a family owned, award winning business, building over 3,000 homes in Southwest Florida since 1985. Homes range in price up to $3 million, with starter and move in ready homes available from the $200s.
Call 239-455-1007 for more details.