It's been said that President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club, with walls that are 3 feet thick, will not move for any storm.
How well would it stand against potentially catastrophic Hurricane Irma, which strengthened Tuesday to a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph?
If you’re a resident of Palm Beach County, it’s likely you’re hoping that question will never find its answer.
The elaborate mansion-turned-private-club-turned-president’s house has weathered its share of hurricanes since it was completed in 1927. Its stucco-covered walls have remained standing after each hurricane, including the massive killer storm that wreaked havoc on South Florida’s east coast in 1928 and another that flooded the Estate Section and points south in 1947.
In 2016, Hurricane Matthew missed the island, not causing any major damage. Before that, the building withstood the double whammy of back-to-back hurricanes Frances and Jeanne in 2004 and, a year later, Hurricane Wilma, which surprised locals with its strength when it barreled in from the west.
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"This place will not move," Trump's former butler, Tony Senecal, told the Palm Beach Post in 2005. "That's why, during a hurricane, you'll always see me here. If it goes, I'll go with it."
Irma also raises the question: Will Mar-a-Lago require any extra security before or after the storm now that it’s the part-time residence of the president? Trump wasn’t elected yet when Hurricane Matthew threatened last fall.
Public Safety Director Kirk Blouin said Tuesday that he’s not aware of any extra storm protection efforts at the club.
Staff writer Darrell Hofheinz contributed to this story.
Cox Media Group
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