well it's that time of the year when we
all start to think about hurricane
season we should already be doing that
and how we are getting prepared last
year the damage across our state was
heartbreaking and especially costly for
thousands of homeowners especially those
in mobile homes several tornadoes
touched down during hurricane Norma
causing some mobile homeowners and
places like Palm Bay to lose everything
here's a look at when our marc layman
looked through the damage moments after
the tornado hit you can just see right
there that the home was completely
destroyed that's that's I believe is one
maybe two homes there but there's even
more as we go down the street here you
can see a more more damage down here off
in the distance you can see their roofs
were ripped off walls destroyed
everything that these people owned it
was just tall --sold around just a mess
and all that happened in a couple
seconds and I remember we were right or
what we were hearing about this yeah and
that's the thing with landfalling
tropical systems as tropical systems
approach they really are big tornado
makers and so that's something that we
all need to be aware of this time of
year so did you know that the state of
Florida has a program that is getting
results for mobile home owners News 6 at
9:00 reporter Karolina Cardona tells us
all about the state funded program and
Karolina this can actually help mobile
homeowners for free that's right you're
exactly correct Julie and actually you
know what this program does it's called
the mobile home tie-down program and it
enhances existing mobile homes like this
one for example that's from the 1970s
and what it does is that it improves and
it adds on more security by anchoring
them down well you know what I actually
want to show you something this overhead
this metal overhead that you see right
here it's the original one so look at
this if it moves well guess what so will
your mobile home hurricanes Charlie and
Katrina hit Florida hard in 2004 and
2005 leaving behind major damage
especially in mobile home parks that
devastation in Florida prompted state
officials to become proactive instead of
reactive since then
mobile homes manufactured before 1999
are getting enhanced at no cost to the
owner through the mobile home tie-down
program it has to be accessible so in
other words the skirting is removable we
have to be able to put at least four
components down to the ground Brett and
Meili with storm ready services tells us
the tie-down consists of several
components to keep the home from moving
back and forth and possibly toppling
over
anchors plate straps overheads and
Excise these are all components that are
used to tie the home down the anchor is
a four-foot metal device with a six-inch
helix at the end that's cork screwed
into the ground a strap is connected
from the they anchor head to the the
frame in order to keep the frame down to
the ground one significant element
that's made a difference a metal plate
placed in front of the anchor this is a
stabilizing device approved by the state
of Florida this plate keeps this anchor
in place so the anchor cannot pull
through the dirt back and forth Rob
Boulware has been servicing mobile homes
for 26 years that has a plate in front
of it that does not he says the original
tie-down method did not work properly
making the mobile homes more vulnerable
to powerful winds Perowne strap can move
east and west and north and south
because of the design called a belt
buckle
among the requirements to qualify for
the state-funded program your mobile
home must be at least 15 inches above
the ground the skirting must be easily
removable and it had to have been built
before 1999
well if you guys want more information
on how you can participate in this
program visit our website at click
Orlando comm now Candace and Julie last
year after Hurricane harm Irma thousands
of mobile home owners were calling and
asking questions very concerned about
their situation after being affected by
the hurricane hopefully this hurricane
season while many of them will take
advantage of this program once again the
name of that program is the mobile home
tie-down program so check it out