The newest structures fared a lot better than the older ones or those in unregulated areas. Today, all counties in South Carolina have building enforcement offices, and the state is working to implement the same set of international building codes that Georgia is adopting. In Georgia, the first series of international codes, dealing with plumbing and heating fuel, are currently being studied by state building code offices, and if approved, will take effect Jan. 1, 2000. The rest of the codes could take another year to be adopted by Georgia. All building codes provide minimum storm safety standards that are more of a balancing act between what can survive a hurricane and what is affordable than any sort of storm guarantee.
Home builders are free to exceed the minimum limits.
While voluntary, Anderson says many commercial builders do exceed minimum limits because of the need to protect inventories and benefits such as reduced insurance rates. Fort hurricane John Swindell's neighbors know where they want to be when a hurricane comes. Even Chatham County building inspectors have mentioned that once complete, Swindell's house off Whitfield Avenue will be one of the safest places to ride out a storm. Not willing to wade through a storm's aftermath to discover if Chatham County's building codes are enough, Swindell says after last year's close call, he decided the time was ripe for following through with his plan to build a stronger dwelling. This was the first time we had to leave the city, and that put quite a scare in me.