The experience of a man from the US state of Florida has attracted attention, after he managed to protect his home from devastating Hurricane Milton in an unconventional way, using sturdy plastic belts to connect your house to the ground and cover windows and entrances.
The idea began to take shape in Pedro Casares’ head after his previous experience with a hurricane in Puerto Rico, where his home was exposed to serious danger, which prompted him to implement an innovative protection plan in Florida using metal hooks embedded in cement and shipping belts with a huge weight capacity, which cost him about $22,000.
Protection plan
The Casares natives drove metal hooks into 8 feet of cement in the ground and used large plastic straps – the same type typically used to secure shipping containers on ships – attached to the earth hooks.
Specially designed cement anchors and straps, which cost Casares $22,000 (£16,833), were placed around the roof of the family home and are said to be capable of supporting a weight of 5,400 pounds (2,449 kilograms) .
Casares’ daughter posted a video on her account on the TikTok platform, in which she spoke about their house, which remained protected after the hurricane. She said: “We survived the second hurricane and we are lucky our house was not exposed. major damage. My prayers continue for those who are severely affected during this time, me and my parents. ” “About to drive around to see if anyone needs help.
@simplyuniquesmiles93 We survived our second hurricane and are fortunate to not have any insane damage to our home. My prayers continue to go out to those who are hit hard during this time. My dad and I are about to drive over to see if anyone needs help🙏🫶🏼🏠#HurricaneMilton#CentralFL#Orlando#FLhomegoesviral#homestrappeddown#homedepot#down#USCC#cargocontrolstraps#acehardware#CNN#wash2news#spectrenews#telemundo#univision#dailymail#abcnews#ukradiostation
These unconventional measures aroused the interest of social media users, as a photo of his protected house was circulated on the Internet, amid praise for his position and ability to cope with the hurricane.
However, Casares also faced criticism that protection costs were exaggerated, especially since some neighboring houses did not suffer significant damage.
Hurricane Milton ‘extremely dangerous’
Tornado hits Milton State of Florida As a Category 3 storm, with winds exceeding 150 mph, causing widespread destruction.
The human losses amounted to at least 55 people, in addition to the 120 injured who were treated in hospitals. More than 500,000 people were displaced from their homes, leading to the creation of emergency centers to shelter them.
As for property losses resulting from the hurricane, they have not yet been precisely determined, but preliminary estimates indicate that the total economic damage caused by Hurricane Milton could reach $15 billion, and this figure is expected to increase once the full assessment is complete.
Infrastructure was mainly affected, with around 20,000 homes completely destroyed and 200,000 buildings, including homes and businesses, damaged. Many streets and farms were flooded. More than 50 bridges are reported to have been damaged or destroyed, complicating travel in affected areas and crippling transportation across much of the state.
It is estimated that around 40,000 businesses were destroyed or severely damaged, exposing their owners to significant losses.
Expert Ways to Protect Your Home from a Hurricane
Stunning images of the massive devastation caused by Hurricane Milton and other catastrophic hurricanes may lead some to believe that there is little that can be done to protect property from such powerful natural disasters.
- Protection of windows and doors: Use of wooden panels or impact-resistant windows.
- Roof insurance: Install all loose parts and clean the gutters to drain water.
- Insurance for external purposes: Avoid leaving loose objects that can become dangerous projectiles due to wind.
- Use of internal premises: Avoid rooms with windows during a hurricane and seek shelter in interior rooms like the bathroom or closet.