As you Rebuild... Hurricane Proof your Home or Business

Wind entering your home will demolish the interior and its contents and can cause the roof to blow off.

When rebuilding your home after Ivan, take time to safeguard it against the fury of the next hurricane. Check your roof, windows, doors, shutters and garage doors for vulnerability to strong winds as these four areas can make the difference between a home that fails and one that survives the storm.

Examining the damage Hurricane Andrew caused in Florida in 1992, experts found that hurricanes tend to destroy houses in two ways – constant gnawing or sudden collapse. Constant gnawing begins with the hurricane getting a finger into the house – usually at the roof. The roofing material peels away at the gable ends or eaves, exposing the edges of the roof sheathing. Then, when the wind then picks off a piece of the sheathing, the ceiling gets soaked, letting the wind inside your home. While the structure might survive, the interior and its contents will be demolished.

FOR THE ROOF

Invest in hurricane straps or clips connecting the roof to the walls to reduce the vulnerability of your roof to strong winds. These straps or clips should be placed where the roof truss adjoins the exterior wall and should be strong enough to resist the uplift effect of the wind. Consult the Building Control Unit (BCU) in the Planning Department for specifications.

If you have a gable-end roof, make sure it is properly braced at the ends. Attach 2x4

Hurricane straps will reduce the vulneribility of your roof to strong winds.

or 2x6s to the gable end, perpendicular to the truss system. Use screws, not nails, to attach the braces, say building experts who studied the damage of several hurricanes in Florida. They also recommend installing steel angles to the gable end bracing to reinforce the gable ends.

While you can make some of these changes yourself, others require the expertise of an experienced contractor, especially installing the hurricane straps since it requires access to the inside of the roof underneath the sheathing.

Experts also recommend choosing metal roofing

Standing-seam metal roofs do well when properly installed.

or asphalt shingles instead of roof tiles. Standing-seam metal roofs do well if they are crimped together, using the manufacturer’s recommended machines. Inadequate installation can cause the roof to peel away. Asphalt shingles will also withstand a storm well if they are attached correctly. Roof tiles however can cause a lot of damage when they go airborne and need very specific installation methods.

FOR THE EXTERIOR DOORS & WINDOWS

Next take a look at all exterior doors and windows as these are the protective shell of your home and sudden collapse will occur if this shell is breached. It is safer to ensure that exterior doors open outwards, making it harder for them to blow in. If a door facing the wind blows in, the full force of the storm will hit the interior. Needing somewhere to go, the wind will then rip out windows, doors, walls or the roof. Even a small breach such as a roof tile bursting through a window, can have the same effect.

For added protection choose an impact-resistant glazing such as laminated glass when replacing windows, French, or sliding doors. Also, check all double entry doors. Secure the inactive door to the header and thresholds by adding reinforcing pins to the top and bottom of the door as well as by adding heavier hinges and more secure locks.

Make sure door and window frames are securely fastened to their rough framing and check that the header is held in the wall with steel strapping and not just a couple of nails.

FOR THE SHUTTERS

Shuttering is the most effective way to keep flying debris out.

The most effective way to protect your home against this is to shutter all windows, French, and sliding doors. The best option when installing shutters is to bolt them to the walls as strong winds tend to rip off plywood, roll-down, and louvered aluminium shutters.

However, homemade plywood shutters, if installed properly, can offer a high level of protection. For this you will need bolts, wood or masonry anchors and large washers. Pre-cut the plywood to overlap windows by at least four inches and number them so you will know where to fit them in case of a storm. Drill four holes in the centre area of the plywood to relieve pressure during the hurricane.

FOR THE GARAGE

Double garage doors need reinforcing.

Double garage doors are another weak point because they tend to wobble as high winds blow. These doors can pull out of their tracks or collapse from the wind pressure. Install bracing horizontally across the door. This can be done anytime as the bracing can remain on the doors year round. Use six to eight 2x4s or steel supports for this.

When installing a new garage door, buy a specially reinforced one and have it installed by a professional.

FOR THE SAFE ROOM

A saferoom may become a requirement in future.

Everyone should consider adding a safe room to their homes. Hiding in the bathroom provide little more than emotional cover, says building expert, as high winds can blow debris through the walls. Some counties in Florida are considering adopting a code that will require new homes to have one room that is projectile proof. These will likely be eight square feet with stud walls covered with four inches of plywood.

The Cayman Islands Planning Department is also considering proposing a similar safe room requirement that could be either a bathroom, walk-in-closet or other interior room. This room would have a concrete roof and reinforced concrete walls, says Director of Planning Kenneth Ebanks.

In choosing interior walls for your home in general, consider the fact that building inspectors found that framed walls with steel studs were typically destroyed when a window blew out, allowing the wind access to the rest of the house. Partition wall made of wood studs did far better, sometimes localizing wind and water damage to a single room.

When repairing your fence, leave spaces at the bottom instead of driving every panel into the ground. The spaces will allow winds to blow under the fence, rather than knocking it down. To protect your new porch, make sure the roof is bolted to the exterior wall of the house and attach the porch flooring to the house.

For all buildings damaged during Hurricane Ivan the Planning Department is offering FREE inspections for the electrical, plumbing and structural components. To have your building inspected please call 769-PLAN (7526) or fax. 769-2922.