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Coming Up...
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Storm Team 8 Hurricane Ready Guide You Are Here » Home \ Extra \ Hurricane Guide [View Printable Page] The following is from the Storm Team 8 Hurricane-Ready Guide Official Guide of the Tampa Bay Area PROTECT YOUR HOME By Steve Jerve There are some specific actions you should take to make your home safer. To make some of these improvements, you will have to climb 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 threatens. To withstand the forces of wind associated with severe weather remember your ABCs: Anchor your roof Brace entry and garage doors Cover your windows ANCHOR YOUR ROOF 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. BRACE YOUR ENTRY AND GARAGE DOORS Entry doors are easily damaged by high winds. Bolt all doors with foot and head bolts with a minimum one-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. Approximately 80 percent of residential hurricane wind damage starts with wind entry through garage doors. COVER YOUR 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 windows and glass doors with securely fastened, impact-resistant shutters or other, approved window protection systems with proper mounting fixtures or replace them with impact resistant laminated window and door systems, if feasible. Hint: You don't have to use the same system on every window. Reference: www.flash.org. AFTER A HURRICANE Don't dump debris in storm drains. Make temporary repairs to protect your home from further damage. Cover any holes with plywood and use heavy plastic on broken windows. If you can't make repairs yourself, check contractor's references with your insurance agent, Chamber of Commerce or Better Business Bureau. If you rebuild, get all estimate first. Discuss payment terms and keep any receipts. You need enough insurance to cover current construction costs and you may be required to meet new building standards. Your insurance company may be able to provide assistance for these additional costs. If you can't live in your home after a hurricane, you may be entitled to additional assistance for hotel bills, meals and other living expenses. This coverage is NOT available if damage is caused by flooding or storm surge. KEEPING THE WATER OUT FOAM To seal a doorway, apply expanding urethane foam to the outer edges where the door meets the frame, up to two or three feet above the ground SANDBAGS Use sandbags to anchor a sheet of plastic to protect a doorway. 1. Tape plastic to the wall and across the doorway, attaching a few feet up the wall and spreading away from the foundation on the ground 2. Place the first row of sandbags on the ground. 3. Stack on the second row covering gaps in the bottom level of bags. 4. Stack the third row of sandbags on top of the second row, in line with the first row. HURRICANE DEFINITIONS TROPICAL STORM WATCH Announcement that a tropical storm or tropical storm conditions pose a threat to coastal areas generally within 36 hours. TROPICAL STORM WARNING Warning that a tropical storm or tropical storm conditions will affect a specific coastal area within 24 hours or less. HURRICANE Tropical system with maximum sustained wind of 64 knots (74 mph) or greater. A hurricane is the worst and the strongest of all tropical systems. HURRICANE WATCH Announcement that hurricane conditions pose a possible threat to coastal areas generally within 36 hours. IMPORTANT NUMBERS
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