Re: Any bodt heard:
Just a few rain squalls, but the storm was so fast-moving that even they didn't last more than just a few minutes each.
Yes, such heavy devastation in Mexico Beach__entire blocks nearly razed completely, yet leaving some homes still standing with what looked like minimal (or no) damage.
Construction minimum standards changed a lot after Hurricane Andrew (8/24/1992) taking a major improvement for all houses built since 2002. After the 2004-2005 hurricane seasons with four (4) and six (6), respectively__with more lessons learned__resulted further upgrades to construction building codes implemented for 2007.
Before we committed to new construction, we looked for two (2) years at buying an existing home (it was a buyer's market 2009-2011) but only considered those built after 2007. Irma last year (9/10/2017) proved how effective those tightened building standards are when insurance studies revealed an approximate 72% reduction in damage (compared to Andrew).
Mother Nature is always going to have the upper hand, but compared to other places I've lived where there are tornadoes and earthquakes, I'm quite happy with the risk of hurricanes. At least they give you 4 or 5 days to leave town if you want to! Note, I can't speak about forest fires or volcanoes, never having firsthand experience with them (and I hope to keep it that way).
Thank you Keoke, for asking!