They don't usually see anything beyond a Cat 1 or 2. So, they likely wrote the building codes based on that, and not on stronger storms. It's also a heavily republican area, where they don't like regulations, so they probably did the least they could get away with.

But in lots of the little counties in the Panhandle they are not much enforced.

That said, that area has NEVER had a storm this powerful.

No one goes back and brings things up to code otherwise.

None have been through a Cat 4, almost a 5, before.

unless all the tents are hiding migrant families in the desert

Are horrific. I went through Andrew in SFL, then several lesser storms here in Central FL. I've never seen anything like this.

But older houses probably don’t have them. Or if they do, only one side of the joist or rafter is tied. A house with double ties and 32 inch spaced sill bolts isn’t going anywhere with a measly 155 mph breeze.

The houses that came apart were never built to withstand that kind of wind, either because the codes back then didn’t require it, or somebody cut corners.