Howard Johnson Hotel

Damage From Hurricane Frances

Hurricane Frances struck the property in 2004 and severely damaged the hotel. The storm tore the modified bitumen roof from the west guest wing. Sections of the roof were found in the swimming pool and parking lot.

With the roofing system gone, the underlying Tectum deck was fully exposed. Water entered the building and caused extensive damage throughout the guest rooms below.

The existing SPF sections installed by Whiting Construction did not suffer damage during the storm.

Rebuilding the West Wing

Whiting Construction installed a new coated SPF roof across the damaged west wing. Spray polyurethane foam adheres directly to the roof surface and creates a continuous system without the seams found in many conventional roof assemblies.

After the building was protected with the new roof, repairs began inside the west wing. The damaged guest rooms required rebuilding following their exposure to the storm.

A Second Hurricane Tests the Remaining Roof

The hotel was still recovering when Hurricane Jeanne reached the area. Once again, the existing SPF roof sections experienced no reported damage.

However, the remaining modified bitumen system on the east guest wing was destroyed. The damage closely resembled what Hurricane Frances had done to the west wing.

Whiting Construction then installed a coated SPF system on the east wing. With that work completed, all three sections of the hotel property were protected by coated SPF roofing.

This project offered an unusual side-by-side comparison. The property had different roofing systems exposed to the same major storms. The coated SPF sections remained intact, while both modified bitumen guest-wing roofs were destroyed during successive hurricanes.