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Hurricane Resistant Building

Bob meets Leslie Chapman Henderson from FLASH � the Federal Alliance for Safe Housing � to look at two houses in Punta Gorda, Florida, one of which survived the hurricanes of 2004 unscathed, the other which must be completely demolished. The differences, Chapman Henderson explains, come from building practices. FLASH tries to educate homeowners about best building practices so that their homes will withstand the damaging forces of natural storms. In hurricane zones, like Punta Gorda, the big enemy is wind. Chapman Henderson explains that in high-wind events the key to maintaining your structure is to keep the wind out and the structure tied together. Covering windows, doors, and garage doors is the best way to protect against penetration from debris and resulting wind entry that can implode a home. The other key safeguard is keeping the roof on, she says. Maintaining the roof and the connections from roof to wall and floor to floor will keep a house intact.

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Chapters from this episode

Inspecting the Steel Reinforcements before the Concrete Pour Now Playing

Inspecting the Steel Reinforcements before the Concrete Pour

One Homeowner's Experience with Hurricane Charley Now Playing

One Homeowner's Experience with Hurricane Charley

How Homes Survive Hurricanes Now Playing

How Homes Survive Hurricanes

Hurricane Resistant Building Now Playing

Hurricane Resistant Building

Building a Reinforced, Solid-Pour Concrete Wall Now Playing

Building a Reinforced, Solid-Pour Concrete Wall

Reviewing the Layout of the New Hurricane-Resistant Home Now Playing

Reviewing the Layout of the New Hurricane-Resistant Home

Rebuilding Florida After Four Hurricanes in 2004 Now Playing

Rebuilding Florida After Four Hurricanes in 2004

Discussing Stem Wall Construction Now Playing

Discussing Stem Wall Construction

Clip Transcript For:

Hurricane Resistant Building

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" Leslie Chapman Henderson is witnessed -- and she is with -- an organization called flash. We're gonna learn a little bit about what communities do in tragic situations like this you know Leslie the first thing the reason I wanted to stand in front of these two houses though is that. This gorgeous craftsman bungalow seems to be unscathed after all these hurricanes -- the house right next door to it is a tear down."

" That's right Bob and it's all about the building practices that's what we talk about it the federal alliance nursing homes helping homeowners understand that the way you build. For the way you rebuild right is going to make a difference in a disaster like a hurricane or anything else he's."

" And what are some of the things that homeowners need to know in terms of you know present day the hurricane season's about to start."

" The name of the game in wind is keeping the structure tied together and keeping the wind out so if you cover your windows your doors and your garage story you're halfway there. The other half is keeping the roof on and again that's all about the connections we don't want the wind in because once it comes in is gonna find its way out. And then along the process implode your home -- Take advantage of its weaknesses causing damage -- failures threw out all right well let's go to put it gorda isles and look at --"

" Well work is."

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Hurricane Straps, Clips, & Anchor Bolts

Your home's ability to resist the extreme force of wind is only as strong as its weakest link, so the only sure way to create a wind-resistant home is to secure all its connections: roof-to-wall, floor-to-floor and wall-to-foundation. The roof is your home's first line of defense from a storm. To make sure the roof stays in place when severe winds blow, securely anchor roof-to-wall connections by installing hurricane straps or clips at every wall-to-rafter connection to reinforce the roof. Even if re-roofing your existing home is years away, it is possible for roofing professionals to access and reinforce an existing home's roof-to-wall connections with hurricane straps and clips. These connections are critical in holding the roof together and will dramatically increase the homes overall resistance to wind. Along with roof-to-wall connections -- all joints in the structure -- floor-to-floor and wall-to-foundation -- must also be secured to create a "continuous load path" to the building's foundation. Secure floor-to-floor connections by making sure each floor is connected to the floor below with straps or clips in addition to any other code-required nailing schedule. Wall-to-foundation connections should be made through the use of anchor bolts or mud-sill anchors. Be sure to install all connectors following manufacturer's specifications.

Hurricane-Resistant Garage Doors

Ernie Hutto from DAB Garage Doors explains that the garage door is the largest opening into any home. Hurricane winds can twist and shred a door, bringing wind force and pressure vacuums into the home and causing building failure. Hurricane Master doors are made of 24-gauge steel to make them more resistant to failure. DAB Hurricane Master doors are strengthened with their patented Interforce system that reinforces the top and bottom panels to prevent door twisting and blow-in. Denver Miller and his crew install the panels starting at the bottom. Reinforcing bars are integral to the design of these hurricane-resistant doors. The Interforce bars are added to the top and bottom panels to give more strength during high winds. The garage-door tracks are also reinforced with seven brackets, a flag bracket, and a 14-gauge steel track. This prevents the tracks from pulling, twisting, and blowing in during a hurricane. The garage door opener is also installed but, as Miller points out, it need not be heavy duty because the strength of the system relies on the torsion springs not the opener. An opener's job is simply to guide the door, not pull it.

Hurricane Protection for Porches, Windows, and Doors

Ted Gower from Armor Screen is installing the hurricane-protection fabric that will make the lanai a hurricane shelter in case of a storm. There are bolts and clips at the top with clips along the side. The sides are locked down along the sides and bottom to resist the enormous wind pressure during a storm. This geosynthetic fabric serves in stead of plywood or other storm protection coverings. The fabric reduces 100 mile per hour (mph) winds to 3 mph and reduces it to 0 mph if rain sheets on the fabric, causing a complete wind barrier. This fabric stands up to winds and wind-borne debris, making the enclosed lanai a hurricane-safe shelter by code and by design. Armor Screen can be used on any door, window, or porch openings to protect homes from damaging winds and flying debris.

Building a Hurricane-Resistant Home

Bob talks with Leslie Chapman-Henderson from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) about the technologies involved in securing a roof. Chapman-Henderson explains the importance of keeping a roof secure in high-wind situations. Uplift force is explained as wind is that pulls on a roof, with a force that can tear the roof right off the home, causing catastrophic building failure. Keeping a roof secure involves affixing the roof decking, the plywood, so no new holes are created during a storm that would allow more wind to come in. FLASH standards specify plywood of a certain thickness, 5/8" minimum thickness with 6" inch nailing pattern, securely nailing into the trusses. Pneumatic nail guns, employed in a hurry to save costs, often miss the underlying truss. Simpson StrongTie straps are used to secure the truss to the structure. Tie-downs secure the roof vertically and horizontally. Bob and Chapman-Henderson review the Punta Gorda storm-ready project completed last season. The house in Punta Gorda was a monlithic concrete structure, poured in one solid pour with steel reinforcing bars embedded throughout. Steel fastenerstied directly to the exposed rebar to secure the roof. The roof decking and tie-down followed FLASH's Blueprint for Safety, just as the current roof does. Chapman-Henderson presents Bob with an award from the Governor's Hurricane Conference for his work to increase awareness of the need for storm-resistant homes. According to Chapman-Henderson reviews the governor's program that makes $250 million in Florida funds and $100 million from HUD to help people in Florida retrofit their homes to bring them up to code and make them storm resistant. The My Safe Florida Home is available to low- and modest-income residents. Eligible viewers are encouraged to call the 800 number or go to mysafefloridahome.com to begin the process.