As Hurricane Florence Threatens Category 5 Status, What Kind Of Damage Is Expected?
Category 5 hurricanesHurricane Florence may reach a Category 5 status tonight an into Thursday before weakening. Earlier today, Florence dipped to a Category 3 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. Still, experts say we can’t rule out that Florence could reach the highest category on the  Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Our thoughts are certainly with the millions facing the dangers of this enormous storm.
So, what exactly do these rating mean, anyway? Even if the storm makes landfall as a Category 4, after losing strength, the Florence is still an incredibly destructive force. While this isn’t the most severe category of hurricanes, it’s still incredibly dangerous to life and property.
Category 1 hurricanes have wind speeds between 74 and 95 miles per hour. Even a Category 1 hurricane cause a lot of damage to siding and roofs. Category 2 hurricanes have wind speeds that range between 96 and 110 miles per hour. Category 3 storms have sustained winds as high as 111 and 129 miles per hour. A Category 3 hurricane can completely remove roof decking and gable ends. There are also stronger categories of hurricanes including Category 4 and Category 5. These are incredibly destructive.
Check out this video presentation from CNN explaining the dangers presented by various categories and under various scenarios:
LEARN MORE ABOUT ROOFING NEEDS SPECIFIC TO HURRICANE ZONES
Now, we certainly can’t help you prevent any damage from flooding or damage to your home’s siding, but we do know a lot about protecting roofs in even Category 5 hurricanes with superior product design.
Consider this: Even in High Velocity Hurricane Zones like Miami-Dade, the requirement for roofing products is still just for resistance to winds up to 130 mph. So, many roofing structures are simply not protected against Category 4 and Category 5 hurricanes. Yet, we really can do better. Stronger products do exist with design features that help resist these incredibly forceful winds.
Endureed products have been tested to withstand damage against even Category 5 hurricanes!
ENDUREED SYNTHETIC THATCH
Click a product icon below to learn more about our the specific hurricane-force wind resistant roofing materials we provide:
Click on a topic below to learn more about re-roofing in High Velocity Hurricane Zones or in any region susceptible to aggressive winds.
Learn more about Zone 4 Wind Speed Areas
Learn why tropical green builders prefer Endureed
Learn why Endureed is the most preferred synthetic thatch in the world
Learn how building codes are determined for roofs
Learn how business owners can deduct the cost of a roof for 2018 upgrades
Reminder: When you see a windstorm classification rating on roofing products, it’s talking about wind uplift pressures in pounds per square foot (psf). Here’s a link to a really handy website that lets you search by address or latitude and longitude.