Not all hurricanes are equal. This was the most destructive hurricane to hit that region in recorded history (yet still weaker than the storm that took out Puer

Not all hurricanes are equal. This was the most destructive hurricane to hit that region in recorded history (yet still weaker than the storm that took out Puerto Rico a year ago). The Florida panhandle has mostly been an infrequent target for slow and rainy cat 1 hurricanes every 20 years or so. Those storms take down some trees and power lines, and sometimes cause minor flooding. This was a strong cat 4 with heavy forward momentum and a significant storm surge, a 200+ year storm for the area. Nobody builds for highly unlikely events like this, they buy insurance.