What Does Hurricane Damage in Pensacola Really Look Like?

What does hurricane damage in Pensacola actually look like?
One week after a storm, most of what is left is cleanup. Debris hauled off, power back on, kids back in school. Some homes take real damage and a few take severe damage, but plenty of homes in our area come through with none at all.

I might get cancelled for this one.

The biggest question we get asked, by a mile, is some version of this. Christina, tell me about those hurricanes.

So instead of answering it from behind a desk, I grabbed my phone and walked down my own street on Pensacola Beach. One of the hardest hit areas. One week after the storm came through. You can see it with your own two eyes.

I am Christina Leavenworth, a local realtor, and my team helps hundreds of families move to Pensacola every year. I would rather show you the mess than talk around it.

Here is what I want you to walk away with. Hurricanes suck. They always do. But we clean up fast, this community shows up for each other, and this should not be the reason you cross Pensacola off your list.

What did the hurricane damage actually look like?

Sporadic. That is the word for it.

My neighbor's home took a real hit. Still livable, but he needs a new roof and some siding, and there are a lot of moving parts to sort out. My other neighbor had a little water get inside. Both were well into recovery by the time I filmed.

Up and down the street you would see one home with an entire sidewall taken off and the house next door with nothing worse than missing siding where the wind found an opening. Part of a balcony came off one place. Siding peeled off a chimney on another.

Then there is the random stuff. A grill sitting out in the open. A fridge. Things that clearly belong somewhere else.

Right after the storm, the streets were genuinely hard to get through because of all the debris. One week later, that was gone. Trucks had been running non-stop hauling it out. What was left was tree limbs, a layer of mess, and a long list of pressure washing and blowing.

How long were people without power?

This was the thing people complained about most. Not the damage. The power.

I had evacuated and was out of town. A lot of my friends and neighbors stayed. The storm came through on a Friday. Some of them did not get power back until Tuesday or Wednesday. My parents got theirs back Monday. A few pockets kept power the entire time, which is rare and not something to count on.

Day one was almost fun, from what everybody told me. No screens, everyone outside, playing the way we did in the 80s. By day two the shine was off. It is hot. There are no hot showers. The food in your fridge is going bad, and if you do not have gas you cannot cook, so you are eating whatever is in the pantry.

That is the real inconvenience of a hurricane here. Not drama. Just a few days of being pretty uncomfortable.

Did the roofs hold up?

Mostly, and that is not an accident.

A ton of properties got new roofs after Hurricane Sally in 2020. Insurance companies pushed hard on hurricane clips, which hold the roof down when the wind picks up. This time around we saw far fewer tarps than we did after Sally, and the tarps we did see were mostly on older roofs that never got replaced.

I walked past one roof with heavy shingle loss. That was the exception, not the pattern.

Worth knowing. Pensacola Beach took a harder hit this time than it did during Sally. Perdido Key got hit too. Before Sally, it had been many years since we had anything like it. This does not happen every year.

What is this going to do to Florida insurance rates?

Honest answer, I do not know yet. But I do not think it is going to be completely atrocious, and here is why.

Over the past couple of years the Florida legislature put real limits on when people can sue their insurance companies. That litigation was costing everybody a fortune and it is a big reason so many carriers did not want to be here. That has been reined in.

My insurance guy also tells me that a claim filed during a hurricane or a catastrophic event does not ding you the way a routine claim might. You are not getting dropped for filing after a storm like this.

The other thing nobody talks about. Hurricane deductibles are high enough now that a lot of people never file at all. The cost to fix the damage comes in under the deductible, so they just pay out of pocket.

We already lived through the volatile stretch right after Sally. Rates have settled down a whole lot since then. I would rather tell you that than pretend I have a crystal ball.

How fast does Pensacola get back to normal?

Faster than the news would have you believe.

By the time I filmed, everyone had power back. People were back at work. Kids had been out of school for a week and, if you ask my daughter, it was the greatest week of her life. The parents felt differently. Once the power came back on, the kids were out riding bikes and treating the whole thing like a surprise spring break.

The coverage you see on Facebook pages and major news outlets is the worst of the worst. That is what sells. One home with its entire side torn off makes a better photo than a street that has already been swept up.

I am not going to pretend everything turned out peachy. Some spots took major loss, mostly right on the water. One home near me lost an entire side. That is real and I am not hiding it.

But that was one home. There are plenty of homes in our area that had zero damage at all.

Should hurricanes stop you from moving to Pensacola?

Living in a hurricane zone is not fun. I am not going to sell you on that part.

Here is how I think about it. Everywhere beautiful comes with something. Wildfires in some places. Tornadoes in others. At least with a hurricane we get notice. We can make the call, get out, and come back. And we clean up rather fast.

When buyers ask me about storm risk, what actually moves the needle is the specific house. How old the roof is, whether it has been raised, and what that does to the insurance number. Those are questions with real answers, and we go through them address by address.

Pensacola hurricane FAQ

How often do hurricanes hit Pensacola?

Not every year. Our last major storm before this one was Hurricane Sally in 2020, and before Sally it had been many years since we took a hit like that.

How long does power stay out after a hurricane in Pensacola?

In this storm, most people were out a few days. It came through on a Friday and a lot of folks had power back by Tuesday or Wednesday. Some areas came back Monday and a few never lost it at all.

Does filing a hurricane claim get your insurance dropped in Florida?

According to my insurance agent, a claim filed during a hurricane or catastrophic event does not count against you the way a routine claim would. Confirm the specifics with your own carrier before you file.

Are homes on Pensacola Beach built to handle hurricanes?

Newer and rebuilt homes generally hold up well. Many got new roofs after Hurricane Sally and insurers pushed hurricane clips, which is why we saw fewer tarps this time. Older homes that were never updated are where most of the heavy damage showed up.

Do you have to evacuate from Pensacola Beach?

When a mandatory evacuation order is issued, yes, you should go. First responders are not coming out during the storm, and you can be landlocked for a while afterward until roads open back up.

Want the honest version before you move here?

Come ask me the hurricane question directly. Text or call us at (850) 786-3996, find me on Instagram @christinaleavenworth, or start at www.bestrealtorsinpensacola.com.

Does seeing a street one week later change how you feel about moving to the Gulf Coast?

Christina Leavenworth | REALTOR® | The Christina Leavenworth Team | Levin Rinke Realty