Mitigation Activities at Home:

Homes can be destroyed by high winds. Flying debris can break windows and doors, allowing high winds and rain into your house. High winds can also cause weak places in your home to fail. Strengthen these areas in your house: roofs, exterior doors, windows, and garage doors. Other mitigation activities include clearing debris from the area and building a safe room in your home.

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Roof:
Gable roofs need additional truss bracing to make your roof system stronger. Truss bracing consists of 2x4s running the length of your roof and gable-end bracing consists of 2x4s in an X patter. Hurricane straps and clips can also keep your roof attached to your walls and are very inexpensive. For a 1,200 square foot house, hurricane clips might cost between $400 and $600. Learn more about protective measures from your local home improvement store or click here.

Exterior Doors:
Most double-entry doors have an active and inactive door. Check to see if the fixed door is secure enough. Some door manufactures provide reinforcing bolt kits or you can buy and install door bolt materials. Check with your local home improvement store or click here for additional information.

Windows:
There are many types of manufactured storm shutters or you can make your own plywood shutters. Plywood shutters should be made of 5/8 inch exterior plywood and installed using bolts and masonry anchors. Remember to cover all exposed windows and glass, even French doors and skylights. Hurricane shutters cost between $1.67 per square foot to $50.00 per square foot for motorized roll-up shutters. Check with your local home improvement store or click here for additional information.

Garage Doors:
Two-car garage doors pose a problem because they wobble in high winds and can blow out of their tracks of collapse. Some garage doors can be strengthened with retrofit kits. Installing horizontal bracing on each can reinforce some garage doors. Backing a car up against the inside of the garage door in the event of a hurricane can also help resist strong winds. Check with your local home improvement store or click here for additional information.

Clear Debris:
Clear debris away from structures, so they do not become airborne missiles. Check with local officials about tree pruning and clearing or click here for additional information.

Safe Rooms:
There are sevel options for building a safe room. A safe room made of concrete would have 8-inch mortar-filled tile walls and a 4-inch concrete ceiling, all supported with iron reinforcing rod. A wood-framed safe room would have doubled 2-by-4 studs, set 16 inches on center, faced on one side with ¾-inch plywood and on the other with 12-guage steel, and sheathed inside and out with ½-inch gypsum board. Go to your local library or click here for additional information.