Weathering Hurricane Andrew, August 1992
You expect a home constructed to the highest standards in the industry. Palm Harbor delivers.
Hurricane Andrew was truly a monstrous storm. Blasting South Florida with gusts of more than 175 miles an hour and spawning tornadoes of even greater ferocity, it left a path of indescribable destruction.
Andrew’s full force hit Gateway West community in Florida City, leaving the 124-lot neighborhood in ruins. But there were a few exceptions.
Of the community’s ten Palm Harbor homes, eight came through with damage no more serious than broken windows and lost shingles and lap siding. The shingles and siding came loose when additions, such as aluminum carports and Florida rooms were torn away. The ninth home’s sidewall was partially collapsed by a neighbor’s flying refrigerator, and the tenth was destroyed by a direct tornado hit.
No other manufactured homes weathered the storm as well. And, while we’re thankful that such disasters are rare, we are also proud that our homeowners had this extra measure of security.
As one resident put it, “Look around our community. It’s obvious there is no comparison between Palm Harbor and the other homes.”
A major natural disaster is the supreme test of a manufactured home’s quality, and many of the homes destroyed by Hurricane Andrew were built before HUD regulations toughened the requirements for such construction. But no government agency – or other manufacturer, for that matter – has ever adopted standards as high as Palm Harbor’s.
Our engineering, materials and workmanship are the best in the business. When you know how our homes are built, you’ll understand why they stood up so well to the storm ... and why they stand apart from all other manufactured homes.
- See how we weathered Hurricane Charley in Florida in 2004
- See how we weathered Hurricane Ike in Texas and Louisiana in 2008
- See how we weathered Hurricane Irma in Florida in 2017
- See how we weathered Hurricane Michael in Florida in 2018
- What makes a Palm Harbor home strong? Learn how our building process provides the additional strength our modular and manufactured homes need to weather the storms.