Effects of Hurricane Wilma in Florida - Wind Damage

Wind Damage

A Coral Springs man who was inspecting damage during the eye of the hurricane was killed by a falling tree, according to a Broward County official. Three more direct deaths were reported in Florida, one in rural Collier County and two in Palm Beach County, all due to wind-blown debris. In addition, a drowning was reported on Maule Lake in northern Miami-Dade County from a capsized boat. Wilma was also blamed for at least 26 indirect deaths.

In the city of Fort Lauderdale, in Broward County, several highrise office buildings suffered extensive damage, including One Financial Plaza, AutoNation Tower, Broward Financial Center, the 14-floor Broward County School Board building and the Broward County Courthouse, which was forced to remain closed for two weeks as a result of the storm. Broward County Public Schools also remained closed for two weeks, and some Miami skyscrapers and high-rises suffered severe damage during the storm. Even while the center of Wilma was still a long way away from Florida, its effects were felt from its expansive outer bands.

The Naples Airport was severely damaged by the hurricane, while areas like Immokalee and East Naples suffered extreme and widespread roof damage to numerous homes and communities. Out of the 170 signaled intersections in Collier County, 130 were destroyed. There was damage to the 90 high-rise condominiums in Coastal Naples, where some levels were blown out completely by the high winds brought by the storm (much like the damage in downtown Miami and Fort Lauderdale). Ninety percent of all mobile homes in East Naples were destroyed, while 30% of the mobile homes in all of Collier County suffered the same fate. Widespread roof damage was evident across the county even outside the City of Naples. At least three deaths were blamed on Hurricane Wilma in Collier County, and widespread wind and water damage is commonplace. Most schools in Palm Beach County had extensive roof and building damage. Also, power failure left schools closed for two weeks. In Boca Raton, a city in southeastern Palm Beach County, the local Boca Raton Airport suffered extensive damage, including the collapse of two hangars, planes that had flipped over, and hangar doors which had blown in. The airport reported $12 million in damages, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.