Florida Tests Mobile Homes in Category‑5 Winds, Reveals Anchoring Weaknesses

At Florida International University’s Wall of Wind, researchers exposed a full‑scale manufactured home to 110‑mph winds, the equivalent of a Category‑5 hurricane. The test showed the home’s anchoring screws sheared, causing the unit to roll and tumble. High‑speed video and sensors documented the failure sequence, revealing that many installation practices used in the U. S. do not meet federal code minimums and that common systems fall short of modern wind‑engineering standards. The study also tested new anchoring and wind‑load‑reduction devices that improved performance, and highlighted that FEMA‑built homes, designed at triple the code strength, survived the test when properly anchored. The findings underscore the need to update the 1988 federal building code and to adopt best‑practice installation methods to protect the 22 million Americans who live in manufactured homes.