Commenter: "I saw a clip from an Antigua disaster official who indicated that Barbuda houses were not built to code. Not sure if that explains why all the roofs were gone or whether most houses were not built to withstand a cat 5 winds. It's impressive that the walls remained.
Hopefully Caribbean governments, esp. OECS countries will study the roofs that survived and determine whether the codes need updating. It seems like Hugo was the driver of [the] last major code updates.
Response: The last update of the OECS Building Code was in 2015. The problem that we're having right now is that some of the islands haven't passed it as a legal document (admittedly, including Montserrat). The islands within the Caribbean have specific windspeed thresholds related to where they're geographically located. The islands on the northern area of the chain have higher thresholds, while the ones on the lower end have lower [thresholds]. This is mainly because hurricanes tend to have trajectories that are more in the upper area of the island chain. That being said, the main issue we tend to have with our construction within the Caribbean isn't the code itself - it's actually the enforcement of the code. Some individuals choose no to submit plans for approval through the correct processes, and instead decide to build as they deem fit. Planning authorities sometimes are also influenced by the political electorate, and as such, issues sometimes slide under the table.
Commenter: "I have a few questions that I would love for you to answer:
Question 1: Will it be cost prohibitive to change the code for houses to be built to withstand cat 5 hurricanes? Although it [is] a rare occurrence, it is possible that it may become the new reality."
Answer: One issue [that the region is having] is that there are some older structures (even historical ones) that would need significant upgrading to meet the code. Of course, that would result in a conflict if they're protected under historical building regulations. Also, to retrofit some of the structures that were constructed prior to the introduction of the code would result in high costs, and a headache to attempt to retrofit. The other thing to note, is that there are different building classifications in each building code. Some categories have lower thresholds for wind speeds, while others have higher thresholds (meaning, not all building types must be designed to withstand a category 5 hurricane).
Question 2: "Are many houses in the OECS built with truss roofs? This is the first time I'm hearing that term and had to Google it. I was only familiar with the rafters."
Answer: Not many buildings (especially residential) are designed with truss roof systems. Some of the older structures do have them though. As I mentioned [previously], they can be costly, and many people tend to shy away from making grand investments in structures when the typical gable or hip roofs will do fine in areas that don't have frequent Cat 5's. In some instances, a truss roof system (alone) for a 2-bedroom unit can end up costing almost as much as an entire 2-bedroom building with the rafter roof.
Question 3: "Can you share a pic with a house with a Mansard Roof? When I Google Mansard Roof I'm seeing images of roofs I've seen on apartments in the US and I don't recall seeing those kind of roofs in the Caribbean. I'm hoping that Irma can start a dialogue regarding our building practices in the Caribbean. I know we love to boast that our houses are built from solid steel reinforced concrete and I'm thinking that we probably need to start focusing more on how our roofs are built. Thanks."
Answer: I've attached the Mansard Roof. We have a few Mansard Roofs within the Caribbean. Another name for it is the "gambrel roof". The designs would've been brought over from the French during the colonial era."
Image of a Mansard Roof is courtesy of:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-a-mansard-roof-definition-design.html
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