Hurricane Michael: Rebuilding the Panhandle
September 10, 2022
Hurricane Michael: Rebuilding the Panhandle
Editor: Allison Braswell
In 2022, the Florida Panhandle is still recovering from the devastating 2018 Category-5 Hurricane, Michael, with Mexico Beach suffering the brunt of its fury. Nearly every house within this beach community was flattened, turning the coast into a 3-mile field of debris and ruins. Although the beach's recovery has come a long way in the past 4 years, there is still a long way to go before the area is fully restored. Due to the high demand of this undertaking Gulf Building Company, who is currently managing all subcontractors rebuilding these homes, decided to add their own pile driving division to their business. The new division officially began operations in early 2022 and ICE® was chosen to supply their newly established driven pile team with equipment.
Do not make assumptions that this new division is new to driven pile... This owner and team know a thing or two about deep foundations. As one of the most sought-after GCs for many re-construction projects, the Gulf Building Co team has always been an advocate for a proven foundation, which is always a driven pile foundation. Gulf Building Co wants to ensure structural soundness of these coastal homes, which depends heavily on the foundations that they are built.
A popular option for many beach houses is a pile foundation, where piles are driven for the house to sit above the base flood level. But this foundation is more than just pretty views. If the piles are installed to the proper depths, tied into the house framework, and installed to the engineered specifications, a house can withstand more forces from a tropical storm in unstable, sandy soil conditions. Understanding the importance of a proven foundation, Gulf Building wisely places value on using the most reliable pile driving equipment for these projects.
After ICE®'s demonstration of the ICE® I-19V2 Diesel Hammer, the contractor was excited to purchase this hammer to rebuild a family's home in Mexico Beach on 12in concrete piles at the engineered specification of 30ft below.
This is just one of the hundreds of homes on Mexico Beach left to be restored and so the journey back to normalcy continues. It is estimated that with the help of the I-19 that it will take next several years to finish the restore.
Congratulations to Gulf Building Co. on the growth of their business, as well as the purchase of a new ICE® I-19 Diesel Hammer for this amazing restoration project. ICE® looks forward to the time when Bay County can welcome back all affected families and small businesses to a community that is built from the ground up to be stronger and more resilient against future disasters.
Learn more about the ICE® I-19V2.
Media Contact-
Pollyanna Cunningham, MA, MBA
Director Marketing, Brand and Media Relations
ICE® - International Construction Equipment, Inc
Office - 704-821-8200
Email - marketing@iceusa.com