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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 19, 2002
Here are things you can do to protect your home from a hurricane:
-- Prepare window protection -- get shutters or cut plywood to fit, and have fasteners ready.
-- Caulk and weatherstrip windows and doors so wind does not penetrate cracks.
-- Install bracing on garage doors, or replace an older door with a reinforced door.
-- Bolt doors with foot and head bolts with a minimum throw length of 1 inch.
-- Gather valuables and papers and place them in a safe deposit box or other secure location outside your home.
-- Prepare a detailed list of all possessions and their cost. Photograph or videotape your home, inside and out, and specific valuables and high-ticket items. Store in a safe place. Keep a camera handy so you can document damage to support an insurance claim.
-- Find your insurance policy; write down the name and phone number of your company and your agent. Keep these with you if you must evacuate.
-- When a storm threatens, tie down or bring inside loose items (furniture, sports equipment).
-- If your home has gable ends, seek the advice of an engineer or contractor about reinforcing them against the wind.
-- FLASH (Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, partnership of insurance industry, government agencies, nonprofits, businesses), www.flash.org: Preparedness information for hurricanes and other disasters, checklists. Related site, www.blueprintforsafety.com, offers technical recommendations for building and remodeling.
-- The Florida Building Code is online at www.floridabuilding.org.
-- The Florida Department of Emergency Management has a Web site at www.floridadisaster.org with tips on hurricane preparation and reinforcing your home.
-- The Federation of Manufactured Homeowners Association offers information on how to protect manufactured housing at www.fmo.org.
Here are cost estimates on some common forms of window protection for a window 3 by 5 feet:
Rolldown, nonmotorized aluminum shutter: $630-$1,100
Window film: $110-$120
Aluminum corrugated panel: $150-$165
Steel panel: $130-$150
Clear Lexan (polycarbonate plastic) corrugated panel: $190-$270
Aluminum accordion shutter: $400-$500
Stainless steel screening: $450
Colonial/Bahama shutter: $630-$700
"Shutterless protection in a box": Kit with double-faced tape, heavy polyester-reinforced vinyl: $1 per square foot
4 by 8 sheet of half-inch plywood (code mandates minimum of 7/16 inch): $10.35
-- Source: local retailers.