Is Your Home Hurricane-Proof?

While there's no such thing as a hurricane-proof house, here are a few tips to build a more resilient home.

Content provided by USAA

Survivors of natural disasters may stand amid the rubble and show fighting spirit. "We're not leaving," a hurricane victim might say. "We'll rebuild just like it was before."

But what if they didn't rebuild the same way? What if there's a better way to build so their homes could withstand Mother Nature's next onslaught?

As the building and insurance industries grapple with helping homeowners prepare for disaster, especially in the wake of Hurricane Sandy — a storm that walloped the Northeast in October 2012, which according to the Insurance Information Institute resulted in damages topping $50 billion, more than 1.5 million insurance claims and $18.8 billion in insurance payouts — a new idea has emerged: resilient building.

While there's no such thing as a hurricane- or wildfire-proof home, resiliency combines three things to help limit the damage:

• Updated building codes. Established in the wake of past disasters, these minimum thresholds provide a better starting point, and experts recommend homeowners consider even building above and beyond them — to a "code plus standard."
• New building products. As technology evolves, choices for various components offer more options.
• Smart consumer choices. Understanding risks and ways to combat them puts homeowners in a better position to make informed decisions.

Experts at the Insurance Institute for Building & Home Safety concede that a house in the direct path of the most powerful tornadoes can offer little resistance, no matter how well it's constructed. But resilient-building techniques can help limit damage from less powerful tornadoes and other disasters. "This is about giving your home a fighting chance," says USAA's George Drew, an assistant vice president of Property & Casualty underwriting. In the face of unrelenting Mother Nature, mitigating risk is your only weapon.

What's a Resilient Home?

Hurricane Sandy led to 65,500 claims by USAA members — the most from a single catastrophe in USAA history. The adjusters dispatched to the area saw firsthand how Jersey Shore residents banded together, determined to rebuild their homes, landmarks and boardwalks.

That kind of determination in the face of disaster inspired the transfer of the resilient concept to the building industry, making it the go-to term to describe how homeowners can strengthen existing or under-construction homes.

"There's no single thing that creates the resilient home. It's a system," says Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. She recommends starting with elements from current, storm-conscious building codes, gathering all the information you can, and then making smart choices for your style of home and your region.

"There's always a little more you can do to improve a home's chances for survival," she says, noting that such extra measures may be rewarded with incentives from insurance companies.

She also advocates for greater education about roof design among homebuyers. She notes, for example, that many people don't realize a hip-shaped roof is more secure in a storm than a gabled roof line.

"It's hip to be hip," she says, quoting a favorite line from the FLASH-sponsored interactive exhibit, Storm Struck: A Tale of Two Homes.®

The Insurance Information Institute points out that choosing the right kind of building material for your region — wind-resistant brick in the Eastern part of the United States, a wood-frame home in an earthquake-prone area — could lower your homeowners insurance premiums. By adding storm shutters, reinforcing your roof or modernizing electrical systems to reduce fire risks, you also could see premium savings — not to mention their potential life- and structure-saving value.

Hold it Together: Roof to Foundation

Shelter, by definition, implies protection from the elements. The roof covers the house and all its contents, but its position also makes it vulnerable. Uplift from high winds can rip it right off, hail stones can tear open holes, and blowing embers from wildfire can get through open vents into the attic.

If you're building a new home or re-roofing, you'll have an easier time complying with industry standards that help roofs weather storms, says Tim Reinhold, senior vice president for research and chief engineer at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Start by understanding best practices for the primary components:

• Roof sheathing. Use 8d ring shank nails to secure roof sheathing — the boards that fasten to the rafters on which shingles or other roofing material is laid. Research has revealed that this nailing standard improves the resistance of roofs to hurricane-induced wind uplift up to 130%, and it hardly increases the cost of construction. That's according to the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University, which was responsible for helping change the building code in Florida. Retrofit options that help secure the roof sheathing to the rafters or trusses include wood adhesive, spray foam adhesive and closed-cell spray foam insulation.
  Cost for ring shank nails: Minimal when building a new home or re-roofing. Reinhold paid just an extra $250 to get an entire roof re-nailed to ring shank standards during a re-roofing project already underway. Above all, "no staples," Reinhold says.
• Flashing. On low-slope or flat roofs, improve resistance by re-nailing flashing to fascia boards. Talk to your contractor to ensure the nails are not too far apart, too small or too few — common mistakes, according to the Division of Emergency Management in Florida.
  Cost: Minimal for labor, plus additional nails.
• Roof deck. Help waterproof the roof by sealing the roof deck, which provides the foundation for the roof system. Options include: Installing peel-and-stick tape over the joints or seams and then covering with a roofing felt underlayment; applying peel-and-stick membrane over the entire roof deck; installing a synthetic underlayment with all seams taped; or having a closed-cell spray adhesive (professional installation only) applied to the underside of the decking. In IBHS tests, damage to a duplex home where the roof deck on one side was sealed was one-third of that to the side where the deck was not sealed: $5,408 for the home with the sealed roof deck compared to $16,935 for the home without the sealed roof deck, according to an experienced adjustor's estimates. That's a difference of $11,527.
  Cost: Tape on seams, up to 50 cents per square foot; membrane over entire deck, up to $1.50 per square foot; professionally applied spray foam, up to $2 per square foot, according to Reinhold. Sealed roof deck options and costs vary based on the type of roof system you have, according to the National Roofing Contractors Association, which notes prices for individual components typically fold into total project estimates from contractors. The NRCA recommends getting at least three estimates before choosing a roofing professional.
• Connections to wall framing. Secure the roof to the walls with metal connectors called hurricane clips. A roof that firmly connects to the walls and, by extension, to the foundation, creates what building scientists call a "continuous load path," which helps hold the home together as it combats the uplift and other pressures put on it by high winds.
  Cost: About $400 on average to secure a 1,200-square-foot home.
• Vent covers: Prevent blowing rain and wildfire embers from entering your attic by:
  • Adding more nails or screws to better secure turbine vents.
  • Installing 1/8-inch metal mesh on vents to keep out embers.
  • Covering gable end vents with plywood.
  • Replacing nails in ridge vents with gasketed stainless-steel screws made for wood, or replacing older vents with ones that have passed wind-driven water-intrusion tests.
  • Securing soffit vents — those under eaves or overhangs — by making sure they are properly installed. To retrofit, use a nonyellowing sealant, called hybrid urethane or siliconized urethane, to bind the parts of the soffit together. In 2004 and 2005, by some counts, 75% of the homes that suffered significant hurricane damage had lost soffit material, which allowed in water, according to the Division of Emergency Management in Florida.
  Cost: Minimal. Prices for low-cost plywood, nails and sealant vary.
• Roof cover. Make sure the roof material you choose is rated for high winds. Options include asphalt shingles, clay and concrete tiles, metal and slate.
  Cost: Varies. Shingles tend to be less expensive, while metal and slate fall on the high end.

Once you secure your roof, maintain it by regularly checking eaves, soffit seals and the roof cover for signs of damage. For more on roofs, see the IBHS brochure "Eight Steps to a Fortified Roof."

As for the best foundation, age-old wisdom stands: Wise men build their house on rock instead of sand. But today's experts also point out that ideal types of foundation vary by region, and the key is to check local codes for specifications and all-important base flood elevations.

Around the House: Smart Choices

Whether for new construction or a retrofit, ever-evolving technology and research means that consumers seeking storm-resistant components for their homes have more choices than ever, including:

• Impact-resistant windows. The best type has two sheets of glass separated by a membrane similar to what is used in automobile windshields — but thicker. In this type of window, the glass may shatter when hit by debris, but it will stay attached to the inner membrane and the window frame. "You're trying to stop a 9-pound 2-by-4 coming 34 miles per hour," Reinhold says. "That's a good whack."
  Cost: Two to three times the cost of regular windows you could buy at a big-box store; 30% more than higher-end window prices, according to Reinhold.
  Storm shutters: Whether you choose a do-it-yourself shutter or have a pro install the prettiest model on the market, help protect your interiors from water intrusion. Here's a look at the options, according to the IBHS-recommended Shutter Selection Matrix, created for the Division of Emergency Management in Florida:
  • Plywood. Use 3/4-inch thick, available in 4-by-8 foot sheets, and consider predrilling the boards and installing hardware now for easy installation once the warning bells sound. Two sheets of 3/8-inch thick plywood are easier to handle and provide the same protection as a single 3/4-inch thick panel.
    Cost: $1-$2 per square foot DIY; $3-$5 per square foot if you hire a carpenter.
  • Corrugated steel. Often attached with anchors or track systems, these panels come in widths of 13 to 16 inches with lengths needed to span doors and windows. Overlap them as recommended to cover wide openings.
    Cost: $3-$5 per square foot DIY; $6-$12 per square foot for professional installation.
  • Aluminum accordion. This aluminum-slat folding shutter system moves horizontally and folds out of the way on either side of the opening.
    Cost: $18-$28 per square foot; professional installation required.
  • Roll-up shutters with extruded aluminum slats. Rolling out of the way, these provide an even more durable alternative.
    Cost: $28-$50 per square foot; professional installation required.
  • Colonial hinged shutters. Decorative shutters made of impact-resistant material fold back like traditional shutters and easily close to protect windows. This type is smiled upon by review boards in historic areas or high-end developments.
    Cost: $38-$50 per square foot; professional installation required.
• Doors: IBHS recommends letting them swing out, rather than in, so that wind pushes the door against the water seal and doorjamb. Let your builder know your preference during construction, and it shouldn't impact cost too much, Reinhold says.
  Cost: To rehang existing doors, you'll need to hire a carpenter (price will vary) and pay a minimal cost for new, burglar-proof hinges since they'll hang on the home's exterior. "You don't want a hinge that someone can knock the pin out of and enter the home," Reinhold explains.
• Paperless drywall: Made of fiberglass over gypsum instead of paper over gypsum like traditional drywall, this newer product combats mold growth after interior water damage. If you can't afford to use it throughout your home, at least put it in the ground floor where flooding is most likely.
  Cost: More than traditional drywall; about $1 more per sheet than mold-resistant "greenboard"; $10 to $22 per panel.
• Impact-resistant skylights: Required in Florida, this choice can benefit homeowners no matter where they live.
  Cost: $500 to $1,500 installed, depending on style and size and whether you purchase them from a retail store or from a dealer.
• Fiber-cement siding and composite decking: All-weather choices survive drenching rains better than wood. They're more expensive, but what you spend now may save you the cost of replacing wood decking or siding later.
  Cost: For siding, about $3.50 to $6 a square foot; for decking, about $8 to $10 a square foot.
• Impact-resistant garage doors: Choose from either a single-bay door or double-bay door.
  Cost: Several hundred dollars to more than $1,000 per door.

Do Your Part

Prepare yourself and your family to withstand disaster by following these tips:

• Create an evacuation plan and an emergency kit.
• Equip your mobile devices and smartphones with emergency tools. Download smartphone apps such as the USAA mobile app, which gives you access to your accounts and insurance, and Red Cross app, which may alert you to shelter locations. Check out other mobile disaster apps to help you before, during and after the next disaster.
• Take your smartphone and other mobile devices and their chargers if you must evacuate.
• Use USAA's Property Risk Assessment Tool (logon is required).
• Watch FLASH video tutorials for storm-prep weekend projects.
• Remember that flood damage may not be covered by a homeowners policy, but coverage is available through the National Flood Insurance Program. Visit floodsmart.gov to learn more.
• Beware of contractor fraud after a disaster. Check out the National Insurance Crime Bureaubrochure on disaster fraud.
• Learn how to protect your business with the Open for Business® program by IBHS.