A picture of the tornado damage in East Texas on April 13, 2019 reminded me of the need for strict building codes and re-enforced garage doors we have in Florida.

The above picture taken by Meteorologist Doc Deason in Alto, Texas clearly shows a garage door failure leading to the total failure of the roof from underneath.  After that, there was total structural failure of the home.

I'm not a structural engineer but when I ran this by famed engineer/meteorologist Tim Marshall, he agreed. He said, "If wind gets in, it wants to get out!"

Here in Florida, because we are in one of the most hurricane prone regions in the world, our building codes have been strict since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.  There has been some effort in Tallahassee to soften those codes, which I think is a horrible idea.  Hurricane Michael last year may have taken some of the desire of our officials to weaken the codes.

In my 22 years in Florida, I've often heard people complain of the high cost of garage doors. They are heavy and expensive. There is a reason and it may save your home someday.

I've seen dozens and dozens of examples of garage door failure leading to  more structural damage.  There is even more you can do, kits can be purchased to install before a hurricane to strengthen you door.

Finally, in the beginning of my career I spent 8 years on TV in Central and East Texas.  My heart goes out to the people of Franklin and Alto, Texas who were impacted by the tornadoes on Saturday.  I hope they have a quick recovery.

Pictures of my garage door meeting current code with extra steel re-enforcement. Most other states do not require these, even in hurricane prone areas.