For most, spring is a time of renewal and reawakening. Unfortunately, for some it may also mark a time when the threat of tornadoes looms largest. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), tornado season generally occurs from March through May, with the Midwest, South, and Southeast regions of the country the most susceptible to this natural phenomenon. The late March 2000 tornado in Texas was a prime example of the devastation that can and does occur.
Despite advanced meteorological tools and years of research devoted to tornadoes, they still have the capacity to destroy lives and homes. They strike with incredible velocity, with wind speeds sometimes over 200 miles per hour. The increasing number and severity of tornadoes and other natural disasters over the past decade demands that action be taken to reduce the threat that these devastating natural phenomena impose upon the nation's economy and the safety of its citizens. To this end, FEMA initiated its "Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities" program in late 1997. Project Impact is changing the way America deals with disasters and is helping communities dramatically reduce disruption and loss caused by natural disasters.
While tornado prevention is not possible, the good news is that much has been learned through Project Impact and related programs about how to prevent damage from the high winds associated with tornadoes. FEMA offers builders, remodelers, and homeowners the following tips to help limit tornado damage and loss:
- Securely anchor storage sheds or other outbuildings, either to permanent foundations or with straps and ground anchors.
- Plant trees far enough away from homes so that they cannot fall on the homes.
- Reinforce double entry doors by adding heavy-duty dead bolts, or slide bolts to the top and bottom of the door section that is generally not open. Replace hinge screws in doors and door frames with longer screws.
- Reinforce garage doors by adding stiffeners across the back of the door and by strengthening the glider wheel tracks.
- Brace gable end roofs, as they are much more susceptible to wind damage than hip or flat roofs.
- Protect windows with permanent storm shutters.
Tornado-Safe Rooms
Tornado-safe rooms can provide protection against winds of 250 miles per hour and against projectiles traveling at 100 miles per hour.
Popularly known as "Safe Rooms," these storm shelters are on the rise, with homebuyers in some parts of the country agreeing that the added costs for a Safe Room are worth the investment. Safe Rooms are specially designed and built to protect against high winds and flying objects.
Construction plans and cost estimates for residential Safe Rooms are contained in "Taking Shelter from the Storm, Building a Safe Room Inside Your House" (FEMA Publication 320). The same level of protection can also be provided by other residential shelter designs that use the National Performance Criteria developed by FEMA in cooperation with the Wind Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech University.
Funding assistance for homeowners wishing to build Safe Rooms is available through FHA-insured mortgages and through Small Business Administration disaster loans. In Oklahoma, Kansas, and Georgia, homeowners of single-family, residential homes and mobile homes are also eligible to apply for Project Impact Prevention Loans through any authorized Safe Room contractors. (Designs for Safe Rooms financed with FHA-insured first mortgages must follow guidelines developed by FEMA and must be consistent with the National Performance Criteria for Tornado Shelters.)
For More Information
The nationwide Project Impact initiative bases its work and planning on three simple principles: preventive actions must be decided at the local level; private sector participation is vital; and long-term efforts and investments in prevention measures are essential. Initially applying these principles to seven pilot communities, FEMA now has nearly 200 Project Impact communities across the country. Additional information about Project Impact and materials and techniques that can make homes more resistant to damage from natural disasters is available on FEMA's website at www.fema.gov.
The NAHB Research Center has also conducted research on high winds. Results of their research, plus other resources, can be found on www.toolbase.org under "Natural Disasters."