UF study: Florida home repairs continue slowly after 2004 hurricanes

November 8, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Few homes escaped damage in the Florida counties most directly affected by last year’s hurricanes, and household repairs are continuing at a slow pace, a new University of Florida study shows.

“The 2004 hurricanes damaged 32 percent of the housing units for the state as a whole, but damaged 80 (percent) to 90 percent of the units in Charlotte, DeSoto, Hardee, Escambia and Okeechobee counties,” said Stanley Smith, director of UF’s Bureau of Economic and Business Research.

Although many homes sustained only minor damage, about half of the housing units in Charlotte, DeSoto and Hardee received major damage, he said.

“More than 32 percent of the residents of these three counties were forced to move out of their homes, at least temporarily,” Smith said. “Many were away for only a few days or weeks, but others were away for several months and some still have not returned.”

The study was based on telephone surveys conducted between March and June of 11,559 Floridians in 13 counties that were most heavily affected by the hurricanes.

At that time, only 35 percent of those with housing damage had completed their repairs, and 16 percent had not even started, Smith said. Repairs have been slowed by shortages of labor and building materials, as well as by lack of money, he said.

Damages were much greater for mobile homes than for other types of housing. More than 10 percent of mobile homes were destroyed, compared with about 1 percent of other types of housing, said Chris McCarty, director of the bureau’s survey program.

The study also looked at evacuation rates and patterns. Although a quarter of state residents were estimated to have evacuated at least once during the 2004 hurricanes, evacuation rates for the 13 counties in the study varied from 27 percent in Polk to 65 percent in Indian River, McCarty said.

“Polk County had a low evacuation rate because it is an inland county, and Indian River had a high rate because it is a coastal county hit by both Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne,” he said. “Differences among counties are caused by differences in geographic location, the number of hurricanes hitting the area, the strength of the hurricanes and several other factors.”

Nearly half the evacuees in the 13-county area — 47 percent — stayed away from home for three or fewer nights, and 75 percent were away for less than a week, he said.

About 56 percent of the people forced from their homes stayed with friends or relatives, 12 percent went to a hotel or motel, 8 percent rented a house or apartment and 7 percent remained on their property in a trailer, recreational vehicle or some other type of temporary housing. Only 2 percent went to a public shelter.

A follow-up survey in Escambia and Charlotte counties examined the reasons people did not evacuate. In Escambia, which was hit by Hurricane Ivan, 54 percent of those who stayed said they thought they could ride out the hurricane. In Charlotte County, which was struck by Hurricane Charley, 27 percent of residents who remained said they thought they ride out the hurricane and 26 percent said they thought the hurricane would hit elsewhere.

“Hurricane Charley was originally forecast to hit Tampa,” McCarty said. “When it veered to the south, many people in Charlotte County were caught by surprise.”

The experience highlights the importance of the media’s role in reporting the uncertainty of hurricane forecasts and emphasizing the wide area of potential effect, he said.

In both counties, 6 percent to 8 percent of residents who stayed home said they did not evacuate because they were concerned about leaving their pets, while another 6 percent to 8 percent of those who stayed said they were concerned about leaving their home unattended.

The report is available online at www.bebr.ufl.edu.