An estimated 20 million people are living in mobile homes in America. By that statistic, we can see that people are taking an interest in this portable home.
The various reasons might get people to change their conventional way of living. It can be due to financial issues, or it might just be that they have to be on the move 24/7. Whatever the reason may be, it does make you wonder; how safe are these portable homes?
Vicious hurricane’s hit the USA now and then, endangering many. And the ones who are threatened the most by the storm are the people living in these mobile homes, or so we may think.
What Are Mobile Houses?
Yes, the term is exactly as it sounds. It is constructed on a fixed chassis in a factory or manufactured individually at a specialized site by professionals. Not all built manufactured houses can be as mobile as they might look.
There are a lot of types of mobile homes present in the market. Some are entirely mobile, and some are semi-mobile. Examples of entirely portable houses are RV, Trailer, Camper shell truck, converted bus, House-truck, Houseboat, Tugboat house.
The other semi-mobile homes are houses that are prebuilt in a factory according to customer’s preferences.
When it is built, the company will deliver it to a designated place with the help of trucks and cranes. If the house owner wants to shift the house to somewhere else, it is also possible to manufacture mobile houses.
How Can A Hurricane Be So Devastating?
In a tropical storm, when the wind reaches 39 to 67 miles per hour, it is called a tropical cyclone, but it is called a hurricane if the wind exceeds 75 miles per hour.
It can reach above 155 miles per hour, which is categorized as a category five hurricane, and it is the most active type of cyclone ever recorded. Each storm is named differently.
Hurricanes occur mostly from the mid of June to November; by then, it is the most suitable conducive weather to build up. Its diameter can range from 500 to 850 kilometers.
So, you can guess how big of a deal it is. It is estimated that 1.9 million animals have died over these two hundred years due to the storm.
How Safe Is It?
Safety is a word, which creates stimuli in our brain as a reliability factor. As I mentioned before, there are many different types of mobile houses which are present.
Here Is A Short Story of My Experience
When a storm reached the shores, high-speed winds and rain washed away everything. Never have I been this scared in my life. The trailers in the park were making rattling noises.
At the intense moment of the hurricane, I could feel our trailer bouncing 6 – 7-inches off the ground. In my eyes, I have never seen this much grief and grim. The majority of the containers were heavily damaged.
To some extent, a few trailer roofs were taken away by the storm. Point to be noted; this was decades ago.
The mobile houses back then were junk of metal scrapings. Safety measures were not focused on. Instead, mobile homes were considered a cheap alternative to conventional homes.
Present Day, Safety
Now, I am currently living in my own manufactured house, which can be also be addressed as a manufactured moveable house. I ordered this with my traits built-in.
I made this keeping in mind, as an eco-friendly, minimalistic, use of proper space management.
And most of it all, Safety! Nowadays the manufactured houses are way secured than the homes of the early time. In 1976, there was a law published to the public regarding the safety of mobile houses.
This corrected a lot of things that were not on focus when building a portable house. Modern-day mobile houses are getting digitally equipped with recent advancements.
Also, when it’s being constructed, the measurements and preciseness are on point. Few companies ensure safety regulations from time to time as they are providing after-sales services.
Common Three Types of Mobile Homes
1. RV
These are manufactured trucks with all accommodation features built inside, and everything is pre-built. Sports teams and artists vastly use it. During a hurricane, it is relatively strong than other mobile homes.
2. Trailers
Trailer-type mobile houses are usually carried by an engine-powered vehicle. It does not have a fixed chassis, so in the storm, it is advised to keep the trailer in a safe place rather than keeping it in an open field.
3. Manufactured Mobile Houses
This is the modern type of mobile house produced in a factory, and it is placed in a safe zone just like any other conventional home. These houses are considered the most reliable mobile apartments available in the market.
A strong foundation is piled up before placing the house. This prevents strong winds from disrupting the structure.
PROS
- It can be moved from place to place. (Mobility feature)
- More customization options.
- Cheaper to buy.
- Low maintenance cost.
- Eco-friendly.
- Takes up less space. (Efficient feature)
CONS
- It cannot be mortgaged.
- Needed to pay extra for safety in extreme weather condition.
- Needs extra precautions for thieves and robbers.
- It cannot be placed on softer grounds.
Final Thoughts
Humans tend to picture and address the word “unsafe” whenever we think of mobile housing. Well, that’s not true anymore. Modern technology has allowed us to make stronger and stronger mobile homes.
