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Tips on how to protect your home
[Photo: AP (1999)]
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| Randy Taintor, left, and his brother Spence use sheets of plywood to cover the patio doors on their Key Biscayne home in advance of Hurricane Floyd in September 1999. |
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By Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 26, 2002
[Times photo: John Pendygraft 1998]
Dennis DeStefano walks away with his ladder after putting up plywood over the windows of his house in Pasco County in anticipation of Hurricane Georges in 1998. Using plywood sheets to protect your windows is inexpensive, but the boards can be difficult to handle.
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There are some specific actions you should take to make your home safer. To make some of these improvements, you will have to get up in the attic or crawl space with a flashlight. You may feel more comfortable with an experienced and licensed inspector, architect, engineer or contractor inspecting your home. Whatever choice you make, take time to do this well before the storm.
Roofs
If your roof was built before 1994 and is gabled, brace all gable end framing with horizontal and vertical beams. Also, make sure that there is wood sheathing (planks or plywood) behind the stucco of the triangular gable end walls.
Using a caulking gun, apply a 1/4 inch bead of APA AFG-01 certified wood adhesive along an intersection of the roof deck and roof support element (rafter or truss chord) on both sides of the beam. This technique can increase the wind uplift resistance by up to three times, but should not be used if you are going to re-roof in the near future.
Entry and garage doors
Entry doors are easily damaged by high winds. Bolt all doors with foot and head bolts with a minimum 1-inch bolt throw length.
Garage doors should be able to withstand hurricane wind loads and the impacts of flying debris. If yours does not, replace with a hurricane-resistant one that meets the Dade County building code (look for the product approval number). Approximately 80 percent of residential hurricane wind damage starts with wind entry through garage doors.
Windows
Protecting your windows is perhaps one of the most important factors in securing your home or office from total destruction in a hurricane or severe storm.
Make sure all doors and windows are properly caulked and/or weather stripped. Replace gravel/rock landscaping material with fire-treated, shredded bark to reduce damage. Cover all large windows and glass doors with securely fastened, impact-resistant shutters with proper mounting fixtures or replace them with impact-resistant laminated window and door systems, if feasible.
Some methods of window protection:
Plywood sheets (at least 3/4 inch) are inexpensive but difficult to handle and install. They should be premeasured, predrilled, labeled and stored where they can be installed quickly.
Window security film is becoming a popular method due to its "passive" protection Ñ once installed, it provides 24-hour protection from violent weather or possible criminal invasion. Some key factors to consider are a wind load rating of 400 pounds per square foot (ANSI standards); Dade County small missile impact testing (gravel, small branches, etc.); energy savings; and quality of installation.
Shutters offer good window protection, but make sure they are strong enough to withstand airborne debris. Steel panels are cost-effective and tend to be easier to handle and store than plywood. Colonial and Bahama style shutters offer convenience of minor preparation and no storage. Roll down shutter systems offer protection with little maintenance; however, a motorized system is more expensive than the alternatives. Choose shutters that pass both the small and large missile impact tests, especially on the first and second floors.
Building or remodeling
When replacing soffits, check for hurricane clips; install connections between roof truss and walls.
When repairing roof, check the decking. Make sure it is secure and nailed properly.
Install roof covering that is rated for hurricane force winds and (Class 5) fire resistance.
When replacing windows or doors, consider impact-resistant glass or some type of shutter/wind abatement system.
Replace your old garage door with a hurricane-resistant one.
For tips, go online to www.flash.org (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes)
Building a new home? Be safe and smart. Ask for a hurricane-resistant fortified home. For information, go online to www.ibhs.org, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, or www.tbrpc.org
For mobile home residents
Anchor mobile homes with tie-downs. Inspect tie-downs annually.
Never stay inside mobile homes to ride out the storm. Always evacuate to a friend or relative's home, hotel or motel or nearby designated storm shelter.
Generators
Fueled by gas, generators can run appliances and fans. Sizes range from 750 watts, which will run a fan and a light, up to 8,000 watts, which will practically run a house (except for the air conditioner). Refrigerators require 400-1,000 watts.
If you have lost power, don't connect a portable generator to building wiring (this could injure or kill neighbors or electrical crews). Plug appliances, etc., directly into the generator. Place generator outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Don't forget to check the oil every time you add gas.
Conserve fuel by alternating appliances. For example, refrigerators can be kept cool by supplying power eight hours a day.
About flood insurance
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) offers flood insurance to residents in communities like ours, which adopt appropriate standards and land-use controls.
The NFIP requires new construction and reconstruction in flood-prone areas to elevate at or above the Base Flood Elevation (BFE) to reduce the risk of flooding in the building itself. The NFIP also requires structures damaged more than 50 percent of the value to be rebuilt to current standards, including elevating the structure.
Make sure your insurance policy will cover the replacement costs of your home and belongings and any additional costs to rebuild. For information on how to flood-proof your home, call your local building or planning department.
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