Florida Homes Built to Resist Hurricanes, Reduce Emissions
2023-11-10
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1Hurricane Michael hit the American state of Florida five years ago.
2The major storm came with wind speed of 250 kilometers per hour.
3It damaged many homes, boats, cars and trucks.
4But Bonny Paulson's home in the coastal community of Mexico Beach only suffered minor damage to its roof.
5That is because it was built to resist high winds and heavy rain.
6While others left the area ahead of the storm, Paulson stayed behind.
7"I wasn't nervous at all," she said.
8Almost all the nearby homes were badly damaged.
9Many were completely destroyed.
10Now, home builders in hurricane-prone areas are building more homes like the one Paulson owns.
11The new homes are built with recycled or advanced materials that reduce energy use.
12Solar panels are fitted closely on the roof to prevent high winds from getting under. And they are easier to heat and cool.
13Deltec is the homebuilder that built Paulson's home.
14The company says only one of nearly 1,400 homes it built has been badly damaged by a hurricane.
15The homes, Deltec says, also use better material and equipment to reduce energy use.
16Steve Linton is head of Deltec.
17He said, "The real magic here is that we're doing both."
18Other homebuilders are also developing neighborhoods that are both resistant to hurricanes and friendly to climate change.
19In Cortez, Florida, Pearl Homes has completed 26 homes and plans for 30 more by the end of next year in the Hunters Point neighborhood.
20The homes are LEED-certified platinum, which is the highest rating for homes that use less energy.
21The homes and roads are also built higher off the ground to avoid flooding.
22Marshall Gobuty is the chief executive of Pearl Homes.
23He said he wants the homes "to be so unlike everything else that goes on in Florida."
24He said there are new homes nearby that are "underwater."
25Paulson, the homeowner in Mexico Beach, said she did not want to live "day to day worried about (a storm)."
26She said the new building materials also reduce the costs of energy needed to power her home.
27She said she used to pay $250 a month for energy use in a different home. Now her cost is about $32.
28Babcock Ranch is another hurricane-resistant and climate change-friendly community in south Florida.
29The community calls itself the first solar-powered town in the U.S.
30The town has 680,000 solar panels to produce energy and uses large batteries to store it.
31And the homes are built to deal with high winds and heavy rain.
32In 2022, Hurricane Ian came through Babcock Ranch and left very little damage.
33Syd Kitson started the town in 2006.
34He said, "Unless you build in a very resilient way, you're just going to constantly be repairing or demolishing the home."
35I'm Dan Friedell.
1Hurricane Michael hit the American state of Florida five years ago. The major storm came with wind speed of 250 kilometers per hour. It damaged many homes, boats, cars and trucks. 2But Bonny Paulson's home in the coastal community of Mexico Beach only suffered minor damage to its roof. That is because it was built to resist high winds and heavy rain. 3While others left the area ahead of the storm, Paulson stayed behind. "I wasn't nervous at all," she said. Almost all the nearby homes were badly damaged. Many were completely destroyed. 4Now, home builders in hurricane-prone areas are building more homes like the one Paulson owns. 5The new homes are built with recycled or advanced materials that reduce energy use. Solar panels are fitted closely on the roof to prevent high winds from getting under. And they are easier to heat and cool. 6Deltec is the homebuilder that built Paulson's home. The company says only one of nearly 1,400 homes it built has been badly damaged by a hurricane. The homes, Deltec says, also use better material and equipment to reduce energy use. 7Steve Linton is head of Deltec. He said, "The real magic here is that we're doing both." 8Other homebuilders are also developing neighborhoods that are both resistant to hurricanes and friendly to climate change. 9In Cortez, Florida, Pearl Homes has completed 26 homes and plans for 30 more by the end of next year in the Hunters Point neighborhood. 10The homes are LEED-certified platinum, which is the highest rating for homes that use less energy. The homes and roads are also built higher off the ground to avoid flooding. 11Marshall Gobuty is the chief executive of Pearl Homes. He said he wants the homes "to be so unlike everything else that goes on in Florida." He said there are new homes nearby that are "underwater." 12Paulson, the homeowner in Mexico Beach, said she did not want to live "day to day worried about (a storm)." She said the new building materials also reduce the costs of energy needed to power her home. She said she used to pay $250 a month for energy use in a different home. Now her cost is about $32. 13Babcock Ranch is another hurricane-resistant and climate change-friendly community in south Florida. The community calls itself the first solar-powered town in the U.S. The town has 680,000 solar panels to produce energy and uses large batteries to store it. And the homes are built to deal with high winds and heavy rain. 14In 2022, Hurricane Ian came through Babcock Ranch and left very little damage. Syd Kitson started the town in 2006. He said, "Unless you build in a very resilient way, you're just going to constantly be repairing or demolishing the home." 15I'm Dan Friedell. 16Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on a report by the Associated Press. 17________________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19resist -v. to push back against something, to not fall down 20prone -adj. likely to happen or happening often 21recycled -adj. made from material that was used before or was once something else 22magic -n. something that seems special or impressive 23resilient -adj. something that has the ability to recover 24demolish -v. to tear something down 25We want to hear from you. Are you thinking about making sure your next home is safe from bad weather?