ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Hurricane Dorian barreling through the Bahamas and coastal Carolina cities is a reminder of the kind of destruction that unfolds from storm season.

And almost a year ago, another destructive storm — Hurricane Michael — ravaged the Florida Panhandle.

“The wind whistled by, you would see debris fly by. You would watch the eve of the roof literally seem to buck and shift,” said Dr. Lebron Lackey, who owns a home on Mexico Beach.

Lackey’s home surveillance video showed the chaos along Mexico Beach during that category four storm.

But when all was said and done, Lackey’s self-proclaimed “Sand Palace” still stood.

“So our house is concrete steel all the way from the eve, to 28 feet below ground,” Lackey said.

Lackey built the home six months before Michael hit, and every detail in the home was chosen to withstand a hurricane.

It’s something St. Petersburg contractor Bill Covington, president of StormFitters, says you can do too.

“In theory, what happens, is if the envelope of the building is breached, which means a window is broken or a door, the pressure during a hurricane is very low. The pressure rushes in, internalizes inside the building, and that’s what blows the roof off,” Covington said.

Covington says securing those openings with storm windows or doors is your best bet at minimizing damage, and there are ways to do it on a budget.

Dr. Lackey couldn’t put an exact price tag on the price of his hurricane upgrades, but he does have a word of advice for any other Florida homeowners.

“Consider the idea that paying a little bit more in the short-term over the long-term will have a return on investment for your home and energy costs, and savings on insurance,” he said.

And of course, Lackey said actually having a home to come back to after a hurricane is priceless.