Performance of Manufactured Housing during Hurricanes Irma and Michael

Abstract

Manufactured homes historically have been some of the most vulnerable structures to earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes. More than 20 million people reside in manufactured homes in the US, leaving many at considerable risk across the country. Approximately 10% of the nation’s manufactured home stock is in Florida, where they were subjected to 2 consecutive years of intense hurricanes, including 2017 Hurricane Irma and 2018 Hurricane Michael. This paper presents posthurricane imagery and damage assessment of 279 manufactured homes assessed after each of these hurricanes in Florida. Predicted and mapped peak and sustained wind speed data were coupled with public database information of manufactured homes and parks in order to identify site locations with particular ranges of wind speeds in the impacted areas. Damage observations at the component- and system-level were presented based on post-Michael reconnaissance imagery. It generally was observed that manufactured home performance was consistent with historical observations, including 20% of surveyed homes classified as completely destroyed. These findings are intended to highlight the physical vulnerabilities of manufactured housing and to provide impetus for further research and updated standards for safer, affordable housing.