Preparing Your Home for the Storm
The best time to plan to protect
a building is during design and construction.
Roof pitch, structural fasteners, window size and placement all have an
effect on potential storm damage. Most
of us, though, are not dealing with construction plans; we are protecting
existing buildings. Here are a few things to consider. A “handy” homeowner can do many of these, but
they must be done before a storm threatens. Contact a building supply company, qualified
contactor or your Emergency Management office for more information.
The garage
door is generally the largest opening in the home and is often
overlooked when installing protection.
Reputable garage door companies can install bracing usually for less
than half the cost of a new garage door.
Brace roof trusses and gable ends. Proper bracing of roof trusses/rafters allows
the roof sheathing and trusses to work as a system to resist collapse. Hip-type roofs are less vulnerable to wind
than gable end roofs.
Structures built during the
last twenty years are required to have straps
or clips to attach the trusses/rafters to the joists and top part of the roof.
Adding straps where none exist or verifying that the existing straps/clips are
properly installed can make a huge difference when a hurricane strikes.
Windows are extremely vulnerable to wind and
flying debris. Tape does not protect windows. Never tape windows covered
with solar film. Window protection is critical to
protecting your family and home.
Protection systems, ranging from impact rated glass to plywood panels,
are available to fit any budget. If you
use plywood, a minimum thickness of 5/8 inch is recommended. Reinforce large panels and mark each board
for a specific location. Have fasteners
on hand! Newer homes may come equipped
with storm panels. Practice installing
them to be sure you understand the process and to be sure everything fits. If you have accordion or roll down shutters,
inspect them and make needed repairs before hurricane season starts.
Keep your home in good
condition. Replace rotted wood, seal
cracks in concrete block and other openings caused by wear. If replacing your roof, replace any
deteriorated sheathing and re-nail all sheathing to comply with current
codes. This is relatively inexpensive
and will improve the structural stability of older roof systems.
Become
familiar with removable equipment such as window air conditioners and roof
turbines, so they may be removed quickly and the openings secured. Know how to turn off water, natural or
bottled gas, and electricity at the main panel.
Cut
back dead vegetation and remove dead coconuts. Locate a safe place to store gas
grills and propane or LP gas tanks and tie them down. Any object outside should be considered a
storm threat; move it inside, tie it down or find another way to secure it.
Stock other supplies such as masking tape, duct tape, bleach, rope, caulk, canned fuel and plastic sheeting for protection against rain and immediate repairs.
BUILDING A SAFE
ROOM INSIDE YOUR HOUSE
Ř For a
hurricane shelter, the recommended amount of floor space per person is about 10
square feet. Necessities, such as water and toilet facilities, should be
provided.
Ř
If you are building a new slab-on-grade house and want to install a
concrete shelter, your builder must make the slab thicker beneath the shelter
to provide structural support and to help anchor the shelter so it will stay in
place even if the rest of the house is destroyed.
Ř In an
existing house, removing part of the slab and replacing it with a thickened
section is generally not practical. You can, however, build a wood-frame
shelter. A wood frame shelter can be
created from an existing room, such as a bathroom or closet, or built as a new
room in an open area in the house, such as a garage. If you plan to add a shelter to a
slab-on-grade house as a retrofitting project, keep the following points in
mind:
The walls of the
shelter must be completely separate from the structure of the house. This makes
it possible for the shelter to remain standing even if portions of the house
are destroyed. If you are creating your
shelter by modifying an existing room with wood-frame walls, the existing walls
and ceiling must be replaced with walls and a ceiling resistant to wind-borne
missiles and other effects of extreme winds.
The door must also resist the impact of missiles.
Remember, if the slab of the house is below the level of storm surge or
the level of flooding from any source, it is not suitable for a shelter. A possible alternative would be to build an
exterior shelter on a slab-on-grade, elevated on fill above the flood level.