Dome Designed and Built for Hurricanes, Part 1

Valerie and Mark Sigler had a “Monolithic Dome” house built to withstand hurricane winds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Their prior dream home in Pensacola Beach, Florida was destroyed by hurricanes. The story of the Sigler family was aired on National Geographic Channel’s World Premiere Special, called “Hurricane Summer.”

Due to the safety of their new dome home, the Siglers had permission to stay on the island during the hurricanes of September 2004. They served as hosts to NBC News reporters during and prior to Hurricane Ivan.

During Hurricane Ivan, reporters stood outside the dome house until the wind was recorded at 65 miles per hour. Under such conditions, there was a high level of noise created by the winds, making it difficult for the reporters to be heard on camera while outside the house. More than four nearby houses were destroyed, according to Kerry Sanders, MSNBC.com correspondent.

After Hurricane Ivan, the smiling Mark Sigler was interviewed outside his rental dome home. Unlike the neighboring homes, his concrete dome house was still standing.

Resources:
National Geographic Channel’s World Premiere, Hurricane Summer: http://www.monolthicdome.com/thedome/index.html/

Hurricane Ivan, September 2004: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id6011773/