Mike Silvers, CPRC, Silvers Systems Inc. & FRSA Director of Technical Services
It's Saturday October 13. I'm driving East on State Road 22 between Wewahitchka (South of Blountstown) and Panama City. I'm here to learn what I can from the aftermath of the worst hurricane to ever hit the Florida
Panhandle. I've seen increasing damage, as I drive basically southwest from Tallahassee. The numbers of downed trees I've passed are in the thousands. The severely damaged or destroyed houses and buildings in this very rural landscape have been in the hundreds. Power lines are down everywhere, not just wooden poles but even the steel structures that carry large high-tension cables lay scattered across open fields. I learned later that Hurricane Michael's winds in this area approached 140 mph for extended periods of time. The level of damage reflects that.
As I near Panama City, I am of course, looking mostly at roofs (a well-known occupational hazard). On my right
I pass a subdivision, the first that I've seen. I turn around and see a sign - 22 West Estates. I look for a place to park without blocking the new winding path of an entrance. There are trees down everywhere, sandwiched remnants of metal panels with the shingles and sheathing that they were installed over, laying in lawns and on the street. Much to my surprise, most of the houses are in incredibly good shape. By the way, don't let the "Estates" in the name fool you, these are your basic and very modest concrete block ranch homes. Are they post Florida Building Code (FBC)? An elderly gentleman (I have to watch that "elderly" stuff lately) got off the tailgate of his SUV where he was talking to some neighbors and approached me. I told him who I was and explained why I was there. I offered him some relief supplies I had brought. A side note - some of the people I offered items to declined water, canned soup, trail mix, etc., but they were all happy to accept a Snickers bar. The gentleman told me that his home was built in 1996, which confirmed my pre-FBC suspicions. He had recently had his roof replaced. Much to my dismay his laminated shingle roof looked perfect except one small area that had some type of a missile impact.
I proceeded to walk through the neighborhood and was nothing short of amazed how little damage there was. Yes, some older roofs were damaged. Shingles that were well past their prime had been blown off. One home with an older roof had some limited sheathing loss. Many homes had been fairly recently reroofed, some with concealed fastener standing seam metal panels, others with laminated asphalt shingles. It was obvious that the newer roofing systems using today's improved products and installed to current code had held up very well. It was also very obvious that someone had done an excellent job of building these homes.
I saw a lot of devastating damage over the next couple days. The severe damage at Tyndall Air Force base just a few miles from 22 West was especially bad. Even the seemingly unlimited money, red tape and inspections that the federal government throws at these facilities were no match for this display of brute power produced by Mother Nature.
When I returned home, many scenes of the damage I'd seen were running through my mind, but the images of the sub-division that had held up so well kept coming back. Why did these homes hold up so well? The town homes just next door, where the previously mentioned blown off roofs had come from, had significant structural damage. Inquiring minds want to know.
So, I did some research. Bay County property records confirmed that the subdivision was built in 1995 and 1996. It showed the titles were transferred from James W. Felton. A quick internet search of his name led me to Jim Felton Homes, a Certified General Contractor who has been doing it long enough that his license number is in the 5000 range. I called an associated phone number and talked to his daughter Michelle. She was a little hesitant at first, but I told her I was calling to find out what her father, now 85 years old and retired, would attribute the homes resilience to and to recognize a job well done. I think it's safe to say she quickly came around. She shared with me that her father and mother's home that was built nearer to the coast had some fairly significant damage and they were dealing with that. We exchanged phone numbers and I promised to wait a few days before calling her Dad. She encouraged me to please do so.
I tried several times over the next three or four days to reach Mr. Felton. Phone service in the impacted area is still very spotty. But I am determined to find out what was done differently when these homes were constructed. There has to be a verifiable reason. Was it better sheathing, better fasteners? Was it more attention to detail? I will continue to try to find some answers.
My observations to date have been cursory, so there is still a lot more technical information to absorb and report. I have two more trips planned to do damage assessment over the next several weeks. These are currently planned to be done in coordination with the Roofing Industry Committee on Weather Issues (RICOWI) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
I will, I am sure, see many more damaged or destroyed roofs and structures. I will also see more evidence that
work done in compliance with the FBC has for the most part, held up well. But I'm sure one of my lasting impressions will be how a tradesman who was dedicated to his craft did more than the minimum requirements and, by doing so, gave the people that live in his houses a place that they can continue to call home. It certainly impressed one old roofing contractor. Good job, Jim!
Michael J. Silvers, CPRC is FRSA's Director of Technical Services. Mike is an FRSA Past President, Life Member and Campanella Award Recipient, and a Florida Licensed Certified Roofing Contractor, who brings over 40 years of industry knowledge and experience to FRSA's team. Mike is available to FRSA members who have codes or technical questions and can be reached at 800-767-3772 ext. 169 or by email at silvers@floridaroof.com.
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