The county estimates 90 percent of the 500 buildings Frances damaged are mobile homes.
By MICHAEL SANDLER
Published September 10, 2004
CLEARWATER - Pinellas emergency officials estimate that more than 500 buildings sustained some damage from Frances.
Gary Vickers, the county's emergency management director, said that 434 structures incurred minor damage, 115 major and 16 were destroyed. His office also said five businesses had some damage, with one of those destroyed.
Vickers said those are "rough estimates" and his staff is not prepared to give a dollar estimate for the damage. One reason is that 90 percent of the buildings damaged are mobile homes that are not on the property tax rolls. (Mobile home owners purchase a decal through the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles in lieu of paying property taxes). But he also said that his staff needs more time to assess damage before it can come up with a figure. The staff is balancing recovery efforts while monitoring Hurricane Ivan.
"We are just not at this point able to put a dollar figure on this," Vickers said.
Ivan could make landfall in Florida early next week. If it remains a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds, Pinellas commissioners would likely evacuate up to 650,000 people.
The evacuations would be based on potential storm surge, not wind. It's also difficult to say whether Ivan would remain at its current strength by the time it reached the Tampa Bay area. Even the most powerful hurricanes frequently undergo fluctuations in intensity, depending on shearing winds, ocean temperatures and other factors.
Vickers spent much of the day Thursday taking calls from people concerned about wind vulnerability. Most of the county's designated shelters are public school buildings, and they have been evaluated to hold up in a Category 3 hurricane.
"We know they are survivable up to 130 mph," Vickers said. "A Category 5 might cause damage (to a shelter), but it's unlikely to cause catastrophic damage."
Vickers said few buildings are built to survive 165 mph winds. The best option is for people to reinforce their homes, designate a safe room and ride out the most severe conditions in that room with a survival kit.
"It's about improving your chances for survival," Vickers said. "It doesn't guarantee your chances of survival, but it certainly improves them."
