To the Editor:
I have met some fellow Villagers who are under the impression that we experienced a hurricane. They are also under the impression that our homes are amazingly built because they withstood such hurricane force.
I am a four-decade Florida resident and have been through some hurricanes and big ones like Charley. I monitored the wind speeds during Irma using a couple of apps that may not be 100 percent accurate, but I believe they were close. In the southern area of the Villages where I reside, during the peak from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., we were most likely in the range of 50 mph to gusts up to 70 mph.
Even better than the app was my experience and I can say with confidence that we weren’t even close to a Category 1. To be sure, we were very lucky that Irma’s wall fell apart shortly before it arrived and its also known that the northern part of the The Villages had more damages.
The message here is don’t be fooled and become over confident.
Had we experienced hurricane force winds you might not be quite as happy about your home’s overall construction.
The flooding is what is so surprising.
My home is supposed to be in an area that is not considered a flood zone, yet I see homes including my own that were just feet from rising waters. This is so alarming. And as you might guess, had the hurricane really hit us or even if it just stayed around a wee bit longer, you might be wishing you had flood insurance.
For the entities that say we are not in a flood zone, I beg to differ. Municipalities, builders, engineers and other such entities need to realize that regardless of the reasons (or what politicians say), hurricane force winds have gradually been increasing in strength for decades. I would also hope The Villages will regularly update their water management abatement programs. We were right to the brim with great luck.
Paul Steiner
Village of Lake Deaton
