Though you might not think of Texas as a state that is impacted by hurricanes, statistics prove that Texas is brushed or hit every 4 years by a hurricane. Just recently, in fact, five Texas counties impacted by Hurricane Karl are able to seek low-interest federal disaster loans. A disaster loan outreach center opened in Corpus Christi for those with property damage.
Because Texas is not as high-profile when it comes to hurricanes as Florida might be, residents don’t always think about installing rolling shutters or hurricane shutters. They should, however. Those who install roll-down shutters, bahama shutters, colonial shutters or the like are much less likely to incur storm damage to their home or property than those who don’t have no shutters at all.
And Texas has a long history of being slammed by hurricanes or tropical storms. You might not think of tropical storms as dangerous, but there is only one mph difference for a tropical storm to become a hurricane. The tornadoes that form near the eye and the outer spiral bands of the hurricane or tropical storm can be just as harmful as the hurricane itself. Just a few of the hurricanes that have hammered Texas in recent years:
Hurricane Alicia: Alicia was a small- to medium-size hurricane, but a powerful one. It reached Category 3 status as it hit land. Only a 60 mile section of the coast experienced hurricane force winds from Hurricane Alicia. Despite its small size, Alicia caused over $2.4 billion in damages.
Hurricane Gilbert: Gilbert was a Category 5 storm, but did not strike the coast of Texas. It did plenty of damage without it, though. Wind gusts of up to 83 mph were measured, though Hurricane Gilbert never made landfall in Texas. Gilbert spawned at least 29 tornadoes that were observed in south Texas, and they caused between $40 and $50 million in damages.
Hurricane Bret: Bret made landfall with 115 mph winds, making it a Category 3 storm as it hit the coast. Bret caused about $60 million in damage, but no deaths.
Hurricane Karl: 22 people have been confirmed killed by Karl, and preliminary losses from the storm are estimated at $3.9 billion.
Hurricanes and tropical storms hit Texas almost as often as they hit the coast of Florida, and they cause devastating damage to homes and properties. If you want to minimize the damage caused by these storms, you would be wise to install accordian shutters or their equivalent today.
