That is indeed why the deck was built 8' off the ground...had 4' to spare...this time! House was fine and I got off light...only about $1500-$1800 plus one full week of cleanup work for me. Fortunately, I plan for the worst and hope for the best so my family (except me) and our vehicle were all inland about 7 miles or so. Lawn mowers, bikes and such were up on the deck...mostly in the covered porch. The only real significant damage for me was my HVAC system that is located about 8" above grade in a small storeroom under the house...cost about $1000 to get that going again. The rest was replacing some tools and such.
Some of my other neighbors weren't so lucky (or planned as well) as some lost vehicles and others lost their entire house. I felt lucky and good about planning ahead.
Oh, and BTW, phones were back on in 2 days, electricity in 3 days and cable in 4 days...not bad at all for an area so decimated.
