Hurricane consultant outlines mitigation steps
According to a consultant for the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, Florida’s building codes, which were approved in 2001, are working.
He also says that Hurricane Charlie was a “model” hurricane in the sense that it was exactly what the new building codes were designed to protect against.
William H. York, president of W.H. York Consulting Inc., told members of the Florida Association of Insurance Agents that mitigation steps can reduce losses to homeowners and lessen claims after hurricanes.
York spoke during the group’s convention in Orlando on “Florida Building Code and Wind Insurance Mitigation.”
According to York, building features addressed in the new building codes help control damage, while mitigation steps keep water out of structures to help reduce claims.
Mitigation discounts
Florida laws require insurance companies to offer Florida homeowners “discounts, credits, or other rate differentials …” for construction techniques that reduce damage and loss in windstorms. Insurance company wind mitigation discounts began taking effect in 2003.
The Florida Wind Insurance Incentives website describes typical construction features that reduce wind damage and loss. York outlined construction features engineered to reduce wind damage and loss including: roof deck attachment, secondary water resistance, roof covering, roof shape and bracing of gable ends, roof-to-wall connection, protection of openings and doors.
Various types of house construction features, roof styles and hurricane preparations enable residential policy holders to claim insurance company discounts and credits.
“The roof shape is critical as is roof construction and materials,” York explained. He described new shingle designs that promise to resist 160 mph winds, but cautioned that some brands are only warranted to 90 mph.
“The warranty doesn’t always mean the test speed and there are three different grades,” he said. “A lot also depends on how well attached the the roof and shingles are. There is a big difference between 2-inch, versus 2-1/2-inch nails.”
York maintained that 2-1/2-inch nails have two-and-a-half times the strength of 2-inch nails.
How a roof is connected to the walls is also very important Strapping methods have progressed since the 1970s.
Older houses
“It’s very difficult to redo an older house,” York explained. “Everything depends on how much space there is inside the attic. The time to place reinforced strapping on an older house is when re-roofing. The only other way to reinforce an existing roof,” he said, “is to remove the soffits.”
According to York, the garage door is the biggest, most susceptible opening in the house. He strongly advised reinforcing it.
He cautioned homeowners to stay away from windows and doors containing glass during a hurricane, even if they have properly prepared a property for a hurricane. External wind pressure, even behind shutters, can break glass and fatally injure the occupants of houses, he warned.