Hurricane Dorian Updates: Storm Pounds the Bahamas and Threatens Florida

1. Mobile homes are safer than they used to be — but still vulnerable.

As of 2017, Florida had around 850,000 mobile homes, more than any other state in the nation. It also has some of the nation’s most stringent standards for mobile home construction and installation, a legacy of Hurricane Andrew. The standards were credited with helping many mobile homes survive Hurricane Irma in 2017.

2. Nursing homes require special attention.

This lesson became evident in September 2017, when a dozen residents of a Hollywood, Fla., nursing home died in the intense heat after Hurricane Irma. The storm had caused widespread power failures, and the nursing home lost its air-conditioning.

The episode shocked Florida lawmakers into action, compelling them to pass a law that requires nursing homes to have backup generators and enough fuel to maintain comfortable temperatures during power failures.

3. Storm surges cause ruinous flooding and wipe out roads and beaches.

Hurricane Matthew never made landfall in Florida in 2016. Instead, it hugged the state’s Atlantic coast in a path similar to the one forecast for Hurricane Dorian. But Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm, nevertheless flooded St. Augustine. Hurricane Irma did the same the following year, leaving St. Augustine and Jacksonville underwater, despite never hitting either city directly.

4. Strong building codes matter.

When Hurricane Michael flattened parts of the Florida Panhandle last year, it exposed a serious weakness in the state’s building code: Stringent rules to make homes along the Atlantic coast resistant to fierce winds were more lenient in the Panhandle, a region historically less prone to hurricanes. Older properties in the scenic town of Mexico Beach, Fla., did not stand a chance against that storm, a Category 5 beast.

5. Power failures are inevitable.

Hurricane Irma left as many as 15 million people without power in 2017. But officials said that they were learning from past mistakes and embracing new technology.

Concrete power poles have replaced many older wooden ones. New switches installed in transformers allow the devices to be reset without sending out repair crews. All five million customers have meters that allow the company to know when someone has no power, even if they are out of town. Drones buzz over neighborhoods after storms to help identify problems with the lines.