Hurricane-proof town in Florida helps residents survive Milton

( NewsNation ) —  As many parts of Florida’s West Coast are still cleaning up in the wake of two major storms, one community has been called hurricane-proof and even helped shelter people from the wreckage.

Babcock Ranch , which opened in 2018, is located just north of Fort Myers, which was hit hard by Hurricane Ian two years ago and then delt with Milton last week. Every building in this town is built to withstand 150-mile-an-hour winds and runs entirely on solar power, with 150 megawatts on 700,000 panels. To mitigate flooding, 90% of the community is built on preserved wetlands, which can naturally collect excess rainwater.

Syd Kitson, the town’s co-founder, said on “NewsNation Live” that the plan is for Babcock Ranch to be the size of Manhattan, with 20,000 homes across 6 million square feet. Ultimately, the plan is to have 55,000 people living there, he said. Right now, there are about 10,000 residents, as well as two schools, parks and 6 million square feet of commercial space, according to the New York Times .

“From the beginning, we’ve really been focused on sustainability, resiliency and innovation, and we set out to prove that a new town and the environment can work hand in hand,” Kitson said. “I think when you look at these storms and what’s happened it’s really proved itself.”

Following Hurricane Milton, Babcock Ranch had downed trees and traffic lights — but never lost power, the New York Times reported. Not much damage was reported from Hurricane Ian, either.

A representative for Babcock Ranch told the newspaper 10% of its homes could be set aside for affordable housing. Home prices are currently set at between $300,000 to over $4 million.

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