A Florida community built specifically to withstand high winds survived Hurricane Milton with barely a scratch and never lost power during the storm that battered the Sunshine State.
Babcock Ranch, a town about 25 miles northeast of Fort Myers, advertises itself on its website as “Tomorrow's Home,” a claim that ensures uninterrupted power for its roughly 10,000 residents. It is enhanced by ultra-durable construction and high-tech solar power facilities. .
All of the town's buildings are built to withstand winds of up to 150 miles per hour, and a 150-megawatt solar power plant and sophisticated An underground power transmission system continued to provide power.
To reduce flooding, 90% of the communities are built on preserved wetlands that naturally collect excess rainwater. This will help keep flood waters out as the town swells with 19,500 planned homes.
The community, which opened to residents in 2018 and is about the size of Manhattan, is home to about 2,000 Floridians seeking shelter during Hurricane Milton with only a few downed trees and traffic lights. I accepted.
“When Governor DeSantis announced Babcock Ranch was open, we saw a huge spike in evacuees,” said Sid Kitson, a former NFL player and town co-founder. new york times.
“Many lives were saved in a really dangerous area.”
During the storm, the town evacuated about 400 people to a K-12 school and another 1,600 to a 40,000-square-foot sports facility.
According to the outlet, during Hurricane Ian in 2022, the Babcock Ranch survived the Category 4 storm with minimal damage, despite nearby communities suffering $115 billion worth of losses. It is said to have shown off the infrastructure that has endured.
“Mother Nature is always going to take control,” Kitson said. “But what we're trying to do is reduce that risk as much as possible and make our community as resilient as possible.”
Boasting two schools, numerous parks, and nearly 6 million square feet of commercial space, homes in this community range in price from just under $300,000 to more than $4 million.
Kitson said the town is scheduled to be completed in 2035.
