Hurricane Preparation Options
from Hawk Home Plus!
(NOTE: Hurricane Preparation Options and Services are intended for Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch residents only.)
March 16, 2024
We are continuing our Hurricane Preparation Plan & Services for 2024 much as we had for 2023, but with one update to benefit those who signed up in 2023, a special Renewal option. Our overall preparation plan will again consist primarily of two parts: (1) Hurricane Preparation Enrollment, and (2) Hurricane Shutter Installation Services.
It all starts with our Hurricane Preparation Enrollment service plan:
Building on the experience gained during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and Idalia in 2023, we are offering a special annual enrollment plan to help us plan for the number of installations needed and ensure that the process of shutter installation, should it become necessary, is as smooth and trouble-free as possible. So, starting this year we are asking those clients who may need shutter installation in case of a storm to enroll in this annual plan by purchasing our new Hurricane Preparation Enrollment option as soon as possible prior to any storms impacting our area. Availability of the Hurricane Preparation Enrollment service may be limited due to labor availability - our limited teams will only be able to install shutters on a limited number of homes in the last couple days before a storm hits.
By purchasing this new enrollment option, you will receive the following two (2) benefits:
We are continuing our Hurricane Preparation Plan & Services for 2024 much as we had for 2023, but with one update to benefit those who signed up in 2023, a special Renewal option. Our overall preparation plan will again consist primarily of two parts: (1) Hurricane Preparation Enrollment, and (2) Hurricane Shutter Installation Services.
It all starts with our Hurricane Preparation Enrollment service plan:
Building on the experience gained during Hurricane Ian in 2022, and Idalia in 2023, we are offering a special annual enrollment plan to help us plan for the number of installations needed and ensure that the process of shutter installation, should it become necessary, is as smooth and trouble-free as possible. So, starting this year we are asking those clients who may need shutter installation in case of a storm to enroll in this annual plan by purchasing our new Hurricane Preparation Enrollment option as soon as possible prior to any storms impacting our area. Availability of the Hurricane Preparation Enrollment service may be limited due to labor availability - our limited teams will only be able to install shutters on a limited number of homes in the last couple days before a storm hits.
By purchasing this new enrollment option, you will receive the following two (2) benefits:
- Enrollment on our Hurricane Shutter Installation Service roster, guaranteeing that we will work to install builder-provided hurricane shutters on your home should a major hurricane impact the Sarasota County area (for an additional price); and
- An early-season Hurricane Preparation Inspection of your home that will itself include checking your home:
- To ensure availability of the builder-provided Hurricane Shutter Kit (including home installation guide, map of home and shutter numbering, pack of extra bolts, wing nuts, and drill bit for bolts);
- Determine number of wing nuts needed (if any) and ensuring the necessary wing nuts are available in the builder-provided kit;
- Inspecting the shutter bolts and/or screws on selected windows to determine if any are defective or need replacement or adjustment; and
- Survey exterior of home to identify furniture and other items that will need to be moved indoors in case of a hurricane or severe storm.
Because this enrollment option is intended to help us determine how many shutter installations will be required for any storm, it will also be removed from availability starting 72 hours prior to the expected landfall/impact of a major hurricane in the Sarasota County area. We cannot accept new, last moment enrollments as we will begin installing shutters on homes three days prior to a storm and cannot guarantee additional installations by our limited staff. After that 72 hour countdown has begun, you may contact us directly to inquire about installations at any time, and we will do whatever we are able to accommodate you for an added cost, or we will try to direct you to others able to help, but we cannot guarantee we can provide services without adequate pre-planning. Please note that this Hurricane Preparation Enrollment option and its price IS NOT the final and total cost to install the shutters themselves, it is purely a preparation enrollment or subscription service required ahead of the actual installation services themselves.
Hurricane Shutter Installation Service Pricing
The second part of our Hurricane Preparation Plan is the actual effort to install the shutters themselves in case a major hurricane is coming to the Sarasota County area. Pricing of the installation of shutters will be offered to clients who have enrolled in the Hurricane Preparation Enrollment on a graduated scale based on the size and type of home in order to account for the varying number of windows and sliding glass doors needing shutters. In addition, the cost to put up shutters versus to take down shutters has been adjusted to reflect the added difficulty of installing under a time constraint and inclement weather ahead of the storm as opposed to the more relaxed need to remove them afterwards. These fees will be invoiced only after installation is complete and then after removal is done.
We are currently planning* on the following pricing for one-story homes in Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch:
* Please note that pricing is subject to change due to labor availability and other factors. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
We are currently planning* on the following pricing for one-story homes in Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch:
- Vista Series one-story homes (attached villas - Cascade & Seagrove house-types): $220 to put up shutters, $180 to remove shutters;
- Scenic Series one-story homes (42' lots, single-family homes - Contour, Compass & Hallmark house-types): $240 to put up, $200 to take down; and
- Distinctive & Echelon Series one-story homes (52' and 66' lots, single-family homes - Prosperity, Mystique, Palmary, Prestige, Stardom, Stellar, Reverence, and Renown house-types): $270 to put up, $210 to take down; and
- Layton One-Story house-type (Echelon Series): $290 to put up, and $230 to take down shutters (this house type is over 3000 square feet in size).
- Trailside & Morris house-types (Scenic Series): $500 to put up shutters, $400 to remove shutters;
- Whitestone house-types (Distinctive Series): $520 to put up shutters, $410 to take down shutters; and
- Layton Two-Story house-type (Echelon Series): $700 to put up, and $500 to take down shutters (this house type has almost double the number of windows versus any other).
* Please note that pricing is subject to change due to labor availability and other factors. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Hurricane Information
The Atlantic and Gulf Hurricane season officially starts June 1st and ends November 30th. For the most up-to-date information about ongoing storms of interest, be sure to go the National Hurricane Center's website: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
We can also provide you with some basic information on hurricanes. Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes are classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). Those classes are as follows:
For reference, Hurricane Ian peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph early on September 28, while progressing towards the west coast of Florida, and made landfall just below peak intensity in Southwest Florida on Cayo Costa Island, directly south of Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island) and just north of North Captiva Island near Cape Coral and Fort Meyers. Ian made first landfall at about 3:05pm EDT with sustained winds of 150 mph, becoming the first Category 4 hurricane to impact Southwest Florida since Charley in 2004, which made landfall at the same location. Ian then made a second landfall just south of Punta Gorda near Pirate Harbor at 4:35pm EDT with 145 mph winds. As such, Ian tied with several other storms to become the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States. As a result of Ian, a reported 161 people lost their lives: 5 in Cuba, 150 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, and 1 in Virginia. The catastrophic damage from Ian left losses estimated to be around $113 billion. Much of the damage was from flooding brought about by a storm surge of 10 - 15 ft., especially to the south of the eye. The cities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples were particularly hard hit. At landfall, Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island took the heaviest of Ian's powerful winds and its strong storm surge, leveling nearly all standing structures and collapsing the Sanibel Causeway and the Matlacha bridge to Pine Island, entrapping those left on the islands for several days. To the north of Ft. Meyers, Sarasota County reported extensive tree and structural damage due to wind, as well as significant flooding in inland areas, specifically in and around Venice and North Port. Most of the southern portion of the county remained in Ian's northern eyewall for nearly five hours, subjected to extreme wind and over 20 inches of rain, which caused catastrophic flooding. This is what we saw here in Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch - high winds up to more than 100mph, and heavy rain and flooding, but no significant storm surge, which caused most of the damage to the south.
So, after last year’s experience with Hurricane Ian, we are rolling out a new set of services to cover Hurricane Preparedness, including Hurricane Shutter Installation.
Of course, there is one thing you can do right away to help yourself be prepared... Locate the builder-provided box with extras nuts, bolts and a screw drill bit, plus the shutter map and instructions, and make sure it is out and available either near the shutters themselves (in the garage) or in the utility room. The box and map should look something like the picture below. Please place it either in the laundry/utility room or in the garage near the shutters themselves.
We can also provide you with some basic information on hurricanes. Atlantic and Gulf hurricanes are classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (SSHWS). Those classes are as follows:
- Category 1: Sustained winds of 74-95 mph (w/ Storm Surge typically ~ 4-5 ft.);
- Category 2: Sustained winds of 96-110 mph (w/ Storm Surge typically ~ 6-8 ft.);
- Category 3: Sustained winds of 111-129 mph (w/ Storm Surge typically ~ 9-12 ft.);
- Category 4: Sustained winds of 130-156 mph (w/ Storm Surge typically ~ 13-18 ft.); and
- Category 5: Sustained winds of 157 + mph (w/ Storm Surge typically ~ 18+ ft.).
For reference, Hurricane Ian peaked as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 160 mph early on September 28, while progressing towards the west coast of Florida, and made landfall just below peak intensity in Southwest Florida on Cayo Costa Island, directly south of Boca Grande (Gasparilla Island) and just north of North Captiva Island near Cape Coral and Fort Meyers. Ian made first landfall at about 3:05pm EDT with sustained winds of 150 mph, becoming the first Category 4 hurricane to impact Southwest Florida since Charley in 2004, which made landfall at the same location. Ian then made a second landfall just south of Punta Gorda near Pirate Harbor at 4:35pm EDT with 145 mph winds. As such, Ian tied with several other storms to become the 5th-strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in the contiguous United States. As a result of Ian, a reported 161 people lost their lives: 5 in Cuba, 150 in Florida, 5 in North Carolina, and 1 in Virginia. The catastrophic damage from Ian left losses estimated to be around $113 billion. Much of the damage was from flooding brought about by a storm surge of 10 - 15 ft., especially to the south of the eye. The cities of Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Naples were particularly hard hit. At landfall, Sanibel Island, Fort Myers Beach, and Pine Island took the heaviest of Ian's powerful winds and its strong storm surge, leveling nearly all standing structures and collapsing the Sanibel Causeway and the Matlacha bridge to Pine Island, entrapping those left on the islands for several days. To the north of Ft. Meyers, Sarasota County reported extensive tree and structural damage due to wind, as well as significant flooding in inland areas, specifically in and around Venice and North Port. Most of the southern portion of the county remained in Ian's northern eyewall for nearly five hours, subjected to extreme wind and over 20 inches of rain, which caused catastrophic flooding. This is what we saw here in Talon Preserve on Palmer Ranch - high winds up to more than 100mph, and heavy rain and flooding, but no significant storm surge, which caused most of the damage to the south.
So, after last year’s experience with Hurricane Ian, we are rolling out a new set of services to cover Hurricane Preparedness, including Hurricane Shutter Installation.
Of course, there is one thing you can do right away to help yourself be prepared... Locate the builder-provided box with extras nuts, bolts and a screw drill bit, plus the shutter map and instructions, and make sure it is out and available either near the shutters themselves (in the garage) or in the utility room. The box and map should look something like the picture below. Please place it either in the laundry/utility room or in the garage near the shutters themselves.