January 1996
Assessment of Damage to Homes Caused By Hurricane Opal evaluation project provided an assessment of damage to homes in areas affected by Hurricane Opal, a Category 3 hurricane that struck the Gulf coast of Florida in October 1995. Researchers collected data for 200 homes at selected sites in the damaged area and investigated several types of failures, including:
- Damage to break-away walls
- Scouring
- Channeling and shielding
- Infrastructure damage
- Wind damage to gable endwalls, building envelopes, and window glazing
- Racking and overturning
These investigations offered a glimpse of the performance of specific types of homes and the impact of various construction features. For example, houses with elevated foundations typically performed well with respect to resisting the storm surge, while many slab-on grade homes were completely destroyed by the surge. Additionally, newer homes built to current building codes performed very well, and break-away walls generally performed as expected.
Prepared for:
Florida State Home Builders Association
37 pages