Hurricane activity is on the upswing, but
homebuyers continue to clamor for coastal property throughout the Southeast and
Caribbean.
There’s much to be said for life on the coast.
Something about lapping waves, a sea breeze and a sandy beach just seems to
foster a laid-back mindset. But as Hurricane Katrina tragically demonstrated in
late August, those same elements can turn deadly for residents living along the
Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico.
Recent years have seen an increase in storm
activity. It occurs in cycles, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA): Following a time
of relatively low activity throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, atmospheric
conditions and warm ocean temperatures these days make the June 1-Nov. 30 period
ripe for named tropical storms. And no coastal golf community—regardless of how
strong its private guard gates—is immune from potential
devastation.
Lost Key Golf and Beach Club, a WCI
Communities-owned development near Pensacola, Fla., saw first-hand the havoc a hurricane can
wreak. When Ivan, a Category 3 storm, slammed Florida’s Gulf Coast in September
2004, it rendered Lost Key’s Arnold Palmer-designed course a disaster zone of
standing water, uprooted trees and unplayable golf holes.
“We were fortunate that none of our major [residential] construction began during that
period,” says Wanda Cross, WCI’s regional president for Northwest Florida. “Our greatest loss was the golf course.
But WCI has rebounded well, bringing back the Arnold Palmer group to make
improvements as well as supporting our own efforts to restore the
course.”
The result, according to Greg Jones, Lost Key’s
project manager for amenities, is essentially a brand new course, with more than
2,000 trees planted and salt-resistant Paspalum turf installed. “It’s hard to
believe how barren it looked a year ago compared to what it is now,” says
Jones.
Lost Key’s story had a happy ending, but there are
no guarantees when it comes to nature’s whims. The 2004 season was one of the
costliest ever, churning out 15 tropical storms (nine of them hurricanes) and
causing billions of dollars in damage to the Caribbean and U.S. Florida alone
bore the brunt of four hurricanes—Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne—over a
six-week span. Experts have forecast an even more severe 2005, and with 11
storms on record through August—including Katrina, which devastated the
Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast—the predicted total of 21 appears to
be well within range.
Still, golf-loving homebuyers continue flocking to
vulnerable coastal regions, especially the Caribbean, Florida and the Carolinas. It helps that building codes have tightened in
recent years, particularly in Florida following
1992’s Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 monster that ravaged the Miami area. A symposium to
review lessons learned from the 2004 storm season, held in Tampa last February, concluded that homes built under
Florida’s new
statewide code generally performed well and saved significantly in insurance
claims. (Codes can only protect so much, however—Category 4 Charley brought
winds that exceeded standards in some areas.)
“Certainly some people are apprehensive; that is
expected,” says Cross. “It has not slowed down the market, however—our sales
continue to be high. WCI uses [building materials] proven to stand up better
against hurricane-force winds, which provides some comfort for our customers who
want to live closer to the water and have a more complete
experience.”
Mike McCall, chief
meteorologist for WCTV Channel 6 in Tallahassee, Fla., says the decision is ultimately a matter
of tolerance for risk. “People live near the water because that’s what they
love,” McCall says, “and they see hurricanes as one of the hazards that comes
with that. It’s usually the people who have not lived here for a long time who
have a difficult time dealing with the emotional and financial
trauma.”
