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After Ivan Came Dennis: Dome of A Home fairs well and Florida Residents start to clean up

by Rebecca South

Looks like the Dome and its neighbors faired well through hurricane Dennis. The photo above is from the Pensacola News Journal photo archives.

Note: We will be updating this page as more information comes in.

July 11, 2005

Hurricane Dennis, which made landfall on Sunday afternoon on Pensacola Beach, Florida, did not pack the punch Floridians had feared. Thankfully, Dennis did not do as much damage as his big brother Ivan did last year.

CNN Reports:

In the western Florida Panhandle, where the storm crashed ashore Sunday afternoon with 120 mph winds and storm surges higher than 10 feet, the memory of last September's Hurricane Ivan tempered reactions, despite mountains of debris.

"Without the Ivan experience, we would have thought this was a terrible experience,"; said Hunter Walker, administrator of Santa Rosa County.

I have not yet heard from the Siglers as to the details of their home's state, nor the surrounding area, but from news reports and information from other sources, it looks like Dome of a Home is a-okay.

Thanks again to Tom Palumbo of Lodi, NJ. He pointed me to some photos from the Pensacola News Journal image archives and to the Sigler's discussion board.

July 10, 2005

Hurricane Dennis is due to hit Pensacola Beach, Florida in a matter of hours. Unlike last year, no one is risking it by staying on the beach during the storm. According to CNN, Hurricane Dennis is an even stronger, more dangerous storm than Hurricane Ivan. Their website reports:

Dennis (a Category 4 storm) is stronger than Hurricane Ivan -- a Category 3 storm which pounded the Gulf Coast after it came ashore last September near Gulf Shores, Alabama.

At 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Dennis was centered 65 miles south-southeast of Pensacola, Florida. The hurricane is moving north-northwest at near 18 mph. Its maximum sustained winds were at 140 mph. The storm was expected to keep turning to the north-northwest as it approached shore.

Thank you to Tom Palumbo of Lodi, NJ for sending me these interesting links this morning:

I received this email from Valerie Sigler this morning:

We are not staying in the house --- no media to help educate the public, so there is no point in risking anyone's life. After Hurricane Ivan, no one in the media seems too eager to stay.

When Jim Cantore (of the Weather Channel) says there is no way he is staying, that is good enough for me. Everyone is just devastated. And frustrated! Again! We have all depleted our reserves of energy, optimism, money, and physical ability to deal with the repeated hits. What is truly frustrating is the debris that will soon become flying projectiles, surfing concrete slabs, and dumpsters transformed into floating battering rams.

It is absolutely criminal that there was no official mandate requiring the removal of the dumpsters. Houses that have been repaired will be destroyed by this metal boats pounding the home over and over in the wave action. If FEMA is truly trying to mitigate further damage, they would require the removal of such items, not to mention all of the FEMA trailers still left on the beach.

Last month, to the day, we had a wake - up call with Tropical Storm Arlene. It was obvious then that we were not ready for a major storm. Was this trial run utilized? No, we still have so much debris to contend with 10 months later that essentially we would have major damage with even a minor storm. A minor hurricane will pick up the projectiles and float the debris and cause tremendous damage.

So, what we have here is the UNNECESSARY potential for something minor to become major because no one took responsibility to have the dumpsters and debris dealt with. Negligence beyond belief. My stairs were ready for their final coating. I hope they will fair better than last time, but if it is the stairs versus a dumpster, the stairs will be destroyed. I just don't know.

I do know each storm is so different, so we can only wait and wait. Media has been showing up as we prepare to leave. Several newspapers, news channels, even radio has contacted us. It is pretty routine by now. But, not near as interesting a story since no one is staying in it during the storm. Human interest is the key. I just hope we have a success story after the storm.

July 9, 2005

Valerie wrote the following letter to her much loved home and was gracious enough to share it with us.

My Dear Sweet Serenity,

As we once again prepare you to face Mother Nature's fury, I want to share a moment with you. So we can sit quietly together, I filled you with a beautiful sounds of peaceful music instead of fearful rhetoric I feel your Spirit of strength give me the courage to leave you alone to face the storm.

When people assume I want to stay only to protect my investment, they underestimate my love for you. You're my child. Such intense labor pains, but such a beautiful creation. I really feel like we were only midwives assisting the birth of a home destined to be.

Ironically, or maybe not so ironically, today is the memorial service for Jonathan Zimmerman, the architect that designed you. Last month, he succumbed to cancer. We were scheduled to be in San Francisco today to pay our respects. Instead, we're preparing you, his creation, to do what you were designed to do: not to compete with Mother Nature, but to work with her.

I have asked Jonathan to stand guard to protect you. Yes, I believe you have a guardian angel now. So, you really won't be weathering the storm alone. Jonathan will be there with you. I asked Granny and Grandpa to show up, too. So, I think you will not be quite so lonely. No partying. I do worry about that, you know. I mean, the lonely part, not the partying.

Serenity, I want you to know how deeply you're loved. Hundreds and hundreds of people tell us how much they love you, how you are their favorite house, how they drove miles and miles just to see you, how much fun they had vacationing with you. You even had guests from the UK fly all the way to Florida just to play the guitar and to resonate with your music. You are a celebrity.

How many people can boast of your media success in less than two years' time. The media from Saudi Arabia, the UK, Canada, Germany, and the United States has placed your picture across the globe, quite literally. You made your debut in so many venues: the Weather Channel, the Travel Channel, National Geographic, MSNBC news, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Scarborough Country, Discovery Channel, Good Morning America, ABC news, Fox news, and the list goes on. Your fame and reputation baqua square according to Feng Shui is the screened in porch that protrudes on the north side. It's definitely been working overtime. I need to place more emphasis in the wealth and prosperity area. What good is all that fame, if we can't afford to keep you?

Anyway, I just want to tell you that we and a lot of other people love you dearly. I love you dearly. We are all with you in Spirit. You have been an inspiration to be many, including us.

Love, Valerie

July 8, 2005

Less than a year after Hurricane Ivan ravaged the coastline of Pensacola Beach, Floridians are facing another evacuation, hurricane and possibly disaster.

In an email the Monolithic Dome Institute received last week from Valerie Sigler in Pensacola Beach, she said, "This area still looks devastated from last year's storms. I am grateful we built the dome. Feels like the safest place in town. We were under tornado warnings [July 5th] and [July 6th] from Tropical Storm Cindy's arrival. I just went back to sleep, not worried about it. What a wonderful feeling."

CNN Reports:

The three-day forecast projection for Dennis has the storm striking Sunday afternoon near Pensacola, Florida at either Category 3 or 4, depending on how much the storm strengthens over the warm waters of the Gulf.

Escambia County, which includes Pensacola, officials ordered evacuations of coastal and low-lying areas beginning 7 p.m. ET Friday, including the resorts of Pensacola Beach and Perdido Key. Ten shelters have been opened for evacuees.

Deja Vu

This must feel like Deja Vu to Mark and Valerie Sigler of "Dome of a Home." In September of 2004 Pensacola Beach , Florida was deserted due to evacuation orders, but the Siglers had permission to stay because of their Monolithic Dome home. The Siglers weren't alone. They served as gracious hosts to NBC News reporters on the day prior to the storm as they set up cameras in and outside the dome.

Reporters stayed through the night broadcasting live as often as possible. Before the eye approached, Pensacola reporters clenched railings on the front porch while reporting to America and gauging wind speeds as often as possible. At one point during the night, after recording a 65-mile an hour wind speed and practically yelling to be heard over the fierce wind, one reporter chose to go inside the dome to visit with Mark. It was obvious upon entering the dome that it was not only quiet and strong, but provided a safe haven from the storm. Mark gave the reporter an explanation of dome construction and bragged about the dome's strength, engineering and safety.

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