10 Year Anniversary of Florida’s Last Hurricane a Cause for Celebration and Preparation

Despite a record number of tropical cyclone activity in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s been over 10 years since Florida has seen a hurricane touch the mainland. There’e certainly been a number of close calls, including the recent Hurricane Joaquin that devastated regions of the Caribbean, but the Sunshine State has been in a positive kind of drought since Hurricane Wilma struck on October 24, 2005, according to the national weather source Weather.com.

If residents of Florida are able to make it through the end of 2015 without the need of impact doors, or hurricane windows and this lucky streak in tact, it will double the previous record of five and be 10 full hurricane-free seasons. The former record was set between 1980 through 1984.

To put this anomaly into perspective consider the following: Florida had 114 direct hurricane landfalls between 1851 and 2014, according to the Hurricane Research Division (HRD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). That works out to be an average of seven hurricanes every ten years.

In total, 64 hurricanes have formed in the North Atlantic since Wilma struck, but not one reached the mainland. While this has been good news and a welcome relief for the area and residents, it doesn’t necessarily bode well for the future. According to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, meteorologist at Colorado State University specializing in Atlantic basin seasonal hurricane forecasts, the odds of this happening are 1 in 500. Meaning it’s just a matter of time now.

As such residents of the state should take the opportunity now to prepare themselves for what they’re likely to experience in the near future. One of the first things to look at upgrading is windows and doors. Quality impact resistant windows can make a huge difference protecting your home. Most can withstand storm winds of up to 200 miles per hour. Aluminum, vinyl, and wood are the three main options to consider for hurricane resistant windows.

Strong doors to protect your entrances are also important and valuable. In fact, a new steel front door has the best return on investment of all home improvement projects, boasting a long-term return of 98%.

Don’t wait and bask in the luxury of record setting hurricane-free hurricane seasons. Instead use it as an opportunity to invest in improvements that will protect you when the odds eventually work themselves out.