SteelMaster Building Survives Hurricane Harvey, “No Problem”

Tens of thousands of citizens are still trying to dig their way out of the destruction after the deadly Hurricane Harvey slammed into the coast of Texas. This massive storm completely obliterated buildings, flooded entire communities, left people stranded in their own homes, and claimed the lives of over 60 people. Among those affected by this horrific hurricane is Tom Deforest, who calls himself one of the “lucky ones.”

Tom lives in Bayside, Texas, which is a tiny town just a short drive north of Corpus Christi. Thankfully, his home was still standing as well as his SteelMaster building that he uses as a garage/workshop. Sadly, Tom could not say the same for his neighbors.

“Some people’s homes look like a bomb hit it,” says Tom. “Some people lost everything.”

Although he is happy that his home was still primarily intact, he did sustain major water damage. Tom says over a foot of water, mud, and disgusting sewage flooded into his home and SteelMaster garage. He’s taking the necessary steps now make his home habitable again.

While he was waiting the first few days after the storm, Tom says he took shelter in the loft area of his SteelMaster. He alternated between sleeping in his truck and the Quonset Hut. After the storm passed, the temperatures started to rise, so he had to relocate to another shelter.
Crews are slowly restoring clean water, electricity and cell phone service to the devastated area.

Tom received an email from SteelMaster and he wrote back telling us about his experience.

“My SteelMaster building survived Hurricane Harvey with no problems. I love my SteelMaster,” says Tom.

He says the building was in perfect condition when he returned home to survey the damage after the storm. Tom says the only thing the wind took was the plastic SteelMaster sign on the outside of the building.

He reached out to us via email to request a new sign and to inform us about the condition of his SteelMaster building.

His steel Quonset Hut was in perfect condition and so were his items inside of it. Tom says he has a few Harley Davidson Motorcycles as well as a vintage vehicle stored inside of the building. Everything was just as he left it after Harvey ravaged through his neighborhood.

Tom secured his Quonset with a 12 x 12 garage door, which he made even stronger by attaching ratcheting straps. The door was built to sustain 123 mph winds, and this hurricane sure put it to the test.

After getting his home back in order, Tom has plans. He is planning to retire and when he does, he’s going to put up another SteelMaster building.