PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Dale and Carolyn Medley
of Pass Christian, Miss., weren't sure what they would find when they were
finally able to return to their home after hurricane Katrina. "I couldn't
believe it. I had to see it, because I have never seen anything like this
before and I hope I never do again," said Dale after returning home.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/deltec/24166/
The city of Pass Christian was nearly destroyed by Katrina. A 29-foot
tidal surge accompanied by sustained winds of over 145mph pounded Pass
Christian for almost twelve hours. As it turned out, most buildings in Pass
Christian and on the Mississippi coast were destroyed.
However, much to the Medley's surprise, not only did they find their
home intact, but in relatively good condition. The Medley's had chosen a
pre- fabricated home from North Carolina-based Deltec Homes.
Deltec Homes, located in Asheville, North Carolina, has been building
wind resistant housing for almost 40 years. "We have never lost a home to
high winds," said Joseph Schlenk, Director of Sales and Marketing for
Deltec. "We've known for years that our homes are wind resistant, but we
had no idea how they would perform against a 29' high wall of water,"
Schlenk said. Deltec's success in high winds is mostly attributed to the
shape of their homes. Deltec builds round homes.
The main damage to the Medley's home came from the 29-foot tidal surge,
which flooded the lower level of their two-story, 3,000-square-foot house.
"All of the windows held satisfactorily. Some of them got leakage from the
water being elevated but none of them got blown out or broken. No seam
ruptures, nothing at all wrong on the upper level," said Dale.
The Medley's insurance adjuster was even more impressed than they were.
"She could hardly believe it. She said she had seen a lot of houses in her
time, but she had never seen one stand like this one. The home is pretty
much structurally intact with not much wind damage. All the damage caused
by wind is this little bit of missing fascia board and some shingles from
the roof," Dale said.
"Deltec Homes aren't exactly round, they are polygons or multi-sided
structures. They are comprised of flat 8-foot-wide wall sections joined
together at the appropriate angle for that model size. The 8-foot-wide wall
panels don't have enough exposed surface area to allow wind to build up any
significant pressure," Schlenk said. "Our system allows for total design
flexibility, so our homeowners can have a very conventional floor plan or a
very contemporary one."
Because of their homes success against Katrina, Deltec recently
released a documentary style marketing film, which chronicles the success
of their homes against hurricane winds. The Medley's story along with nine
other homeowners are documented in the film. "After Katrina we contacted
all of our homeowners that were in her path. None suffered any structural
damage. Any damage was limited to either minor cosmetic damage or a few
missing roof shingles," said Schlenk.
When asked about the future of Pass Christian, Dale and Carolyn's
optimism shines through. "Some of our friends' houses that have been here
70-80 years are completely gone. There are no businesses left, most of the
homes are gone but everybody says we'll rebuild it. It was probably the
best place on earth to live."
SOURCE Deltec Homes
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Related links:
http://www.deltechomes.com
CONTACT:
Joseph Schlenk of Deltec Homes,
+1-800-642-2508, or jschlenk@buildingsmart.net
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