WPTV reports nearly 700,000 of Florida’s 1 million-plus mobile and manufactured homes aren’t built to withstand today’s storms. Experts warn pre-1994 homes face greater damage risks; forecasters put the chance of a very strong El Niño above 90% in fall and winter 2026–27.
Rhode-Barbarigos said El Niño shifts Florida’s dry season toward stormier conditions, including strong winds, tornadoes, heavy rain and flooding. He said pre-1994 homes typically have lighter framing, weaker wall-to-roof connections and shallower tie-downs, and cited NIST post-storm analyses finding nearly 10 times the probability of structural failure under high wind loads compared with modern standards. The National Weather Service says mobile-home residents are 15–20 times more likely to die in a tornado than residents of permanent homes; it also reports 72% of tornado fatalities occur in homes, with 54% of those deaths in mobile homes.
Rhode-Barbarigos said Florida lacks precise data on older manufactured homes, complicating efforts to identify vulnerable structures, plan effective evacuations and direct emergency resources. Climavision vice president Tara Goode said many Florida mobile and manufactured homes lie in weather-radar gaps—areas 60 or more miles from a National Weather Service radar—where warnings may be missed or delayed unless gap-filling radar is installed. Rhode-Barbarigos advised residents to inspect ground anchors and secure loose outdoor items.
