Hurricane or Storm Flooding damages homes - Recommended articles
American Red Cross - how to contact the Red Cross - for emergency relief: food, clothing, shelter. If you are in need of a shelter during a disaster, contact your local Red Cross chapter - enter your zip code on this web page.
BUILDING SAFETY HAZARDS GUIDE - we list major building & indoor environmental safety hazards, and we discuss how to detect and protect from safety & environmental hazards in homes and other buildings
DISASTERS: BUILDING INSPECTION & REPAIR SAFEY - advice for hurricane, flood, storm & fire damage assessment, safety, & contact information for American Red Cross or FEMA emergency services
Earthquake Chimney Collapse Dangers - chimney inspection procedures and provides examples of potentially fatal chimney collapse hazards in earthquake zones
Earthquake Damage to Foundations - How to Evaluate and Diagnose Complex Combinations of Foundation Movement Cracks, Bends, Leans, or Shifts in Foundation Walls
Mold Cleanup after Flooding: How to Prevent or Remove Mold After Flooding from Hurricane Ike and similar hurricanes, floods, storms
Mold Damage Control after Flooding: checklist of key steps to minimize mold damage after a building flood from earthquake, flood, or a hurricane or similar storm or disaster.
Hurricane Safety Preparation: immediate safety advice from FEMA & other sources
If a hurricane is likely in your area, you should
Listen to the radio or TV for information.
Secure your home, close storm shutters, and secure outdoor objects or bring them indoors.
Turn off utilities if instructed to do so. Otherwise, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
Turn off propane tanks.· Avoid using the phone, except for serious emergencies.
Moor your boat if time permits.
Ensure a supply of water for sanitary purposes such as cleaning and flushing toilets. Fill the bathtub and other large containers with water.
You should evacuate under the following conditions
If you are directed by local authorities to do so. Be sure to follow their instructions.
If you live in a mobile home or temporary structure—such shelters are particularly hazardous during hurricanes no matter how well fastened to the ground.
If you live in a high-rise building—hurricane winds are stronger at higher elevations.
If you live on the coast, on a floodplain, near a river, or on an inland waterway.
If you feel you are in danger.
If you are unable to evacuate, go to your safe room. If you do not have one, follow these guidelines
Stay indoors during the hurricane and away from windows and glass doors.
Close all interior doors—secure and brace external doors.
Keep curtains and blinds closed. Do not be fooled if there is a lull; it could be the eye of the storm - winds will pick up again.
Take refuge in a small interior room, closet, or hallway on the lowest level.
Lie on the floor under a table or another sturdy object.
Hurricane Damage Prevention Advice for Homeowners
Watch out: the first priority in event of a hurricane is getting out of your home and to a safe location. See Hurricane Safety Preparation - basic advice from FEMA & other sources
Storm shutters: storm shutters that have been properly built, installed, and maintained are important to avoid building damage during a hurricane. Weather, salt, corrosion can prevent storm shutter operation when needed by making the shutters jam and fail to close.
Impact-resistant "hurricane glass"- a more costly improvement (used by our mom in Boca Raton FL) is the installation of "hurricane proof" shatter-resistant glass. For people who are in a more remote location and who themselves may be unable to operate their storm shutters in an emergency this safety improvement may be appropriate. But
Watch out: hurricane-proof glass may not be all that "proof". The Espiritu Santo building in Brickell, the Four Seasons, and other glass towers in Florida all were badly damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Wilma. The large-object impact resistance of "hurricane glass" depends not only on the glass itself but the structure of the wall into which it is installed and the adequacy of the installation. See "Performance of Glass/Cladding..."
Exterior and yard items: make sure that all loose objects have been removed from your yard and stored inside or are securely tied down before a hurricane hits.
Garage doors: be sure that your garage door is closed, and that its mounting hardware is un-damaged and secure. If the door seems loose or insecure, back your automobile up until its bumper gently touches the garage door to help resist damage.
Insurance:
Consult your homeowners' insurance company for their hurricane damage prevention advice and also to review your insurance coverage. Many homeowners policies exclude coverage for water damage due to flooding caused by a hurricane, covering only wind damage. Insurance policies that do include water damage from flooding may include a deductible amount, covering damages only above insurance provided by the National Flood Insurance Program - NFIP.
Inventory: make a photo-inventory of all of your posessions as well as the features of your home, inside and out, and store the data in a backup-copy off-site or at an online internet data service
Wildfire Damage Prevention Advice for Homeowners
Trees, Shrubs, other Vegetation around the building:
Watch out: the first priority in event of a wildfire in your area is getting out of your home and to a safe location in time to avoid injury or death.
Plant fire-resistant shrubs
Clear brush around the property
Keep shrubs and brush a recommended distance from the building
Investigate use of fire-retardant coatings for roofing. Fire-retardant additives can be purchased to mix into building paints to provide a Class A Fire Retardant Coating Rating (12 oz. of additive per gallon of paint) - Watch out: be sure that the fire retardant and paint combination you are preparing is intended for exterior use, and follow the manufacturer's recommendations. [Fire retardant paint does not make a building fire proof. It retards flame spread and smoke.]1
Insurance
Consult your homeowners' insurance company for their wildfire damage prevention advice and also to review your insurance coverage
Inventory: make a photo-inventory of all of your posessions as well as the features of your home, inside and out, and store the data in a backup-copy off-site or at an online internet data service
Fire-resistant roofing
Class-A fire resistant asphalt shingles
Other fire resistant roofing: metal roofing, metal roof shingles, stone, slate, tile roofing
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Note 1. A Class A Fire Retardant Coating, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) "As applied to building materials, is a coating that reduces the flame spread to 25 or less, and that has a smoke developed rating not exceeding 200." A Class B Fire Retardant Coating, according to the NFPA, "As applied to building materials, is a coating that reduces the flame spread to greater than 25 but not more than 75, and that has a smoke developed rating not exceeding 200. The flame spread rating is expressed numerically on a scale for which the zero point is fixed by the performance of an inorganic-reinforced cement board and the 100 point (approximately) is fixed by the performance of red oak flooring ... FSI is a dimensionless value derived from the ASTM E 84 test standard. The higher the FSI, the faster the rate of flame spread across the surface of the material."
Ace Fire Retardant Solvent-Based Coatings, Ace Coatings Limited, 60 Little London Road, Sheffield S8 0UH, Britain, 44 (0) 114 221 3807- web search 06/26/2010 - http://www.acecoatings.co.uk/product/
ace-fire-retardant-solvent-based-coatings
"Hurricane Damage to Residential Structures: Risk and Mitigation", Jon K. Ayscue, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, published by the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado, November 1996. Abstract: "Property damage and loss from hurricanes have increased with population growth in coastal areas, and climatic factors point to more frequent and intense hurricanes in the future. This paper describes potential hurricane hazards from wind and water. Damage to residential structures from three recent intense hurricanes - Hugo, Andrew, and Iniki - shows that wind is responsible for greater property loss than water. The current state-of-the-art building technology is sufficient to reduce damage from hurricanes when properly applied, and this paper discusses those building techniques that can mitigate hurricane damage and recommends measures for mitigating future hurricane damage to homes." - online at www.colorado.edu/hazards/publications/wp/wp94/wp94.html
American Red Cross - how to contact the Red Cross - for emergency relief: food, clothing, shelter. If you are in need of a shelter during a disaster, contact your local Red Cross chapter - enter your zip code on this web page. - web search 05/31/2010
FEMA - how to contact FEMA - the Federal Emergency Management Agency - Telephone: 1 (800) 621-FEMA (3362), TDD: 1 (800) 462-7585, Fax: 1 (800) 827-8112 or http://www.disasterassistance.gov/daip_en.portal for online disaster relief application - Web search 05/31/2010
Hurricane advice original source - http://www.fema.gov/hazard/hurricane/hu_during.shtm
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Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
Diagnosing & Repairing House Structure Problems, Edgar O. Seaquist, McGraw Hill, 1980 ISBN 0-07-056013-7 (obsolete, incomplete, missing most diagnosis steps, but very good reading; out of print but used copies are available at Amazon.com, and reprints are available from some inspection tool suppliers). Ed Seaquist was among the first speakers invited to a series of educational conferences organized by D Friedman for ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors, where the topic of inspecting the in-service condition of building structures was first addressed.
Design of Wood Structures - ASD, Donald E. Breyer, Kenneth Fridley, Kelly Cobeen, David Pollock, McGraw Hill, 2003, ISBN-10: 0071379320, ISBN-13: 978-0071379328 This book is an update of a long-established text dating from at least 1988 (DJF); Quoting: This book is gives a good grasp of seismic design for wood structures. Many of the examples especially near the end are good practice for the California PE Special Seismic Exam design questions. It gives a good grasp of how seismic forces move through a building and how to calculate those forces at various locations.THE CLASSIC TEXT ON WOOD DESIGN UPDATED TO INCLUDE THE LATEST CODES AND DATA. Reflects the most recent provisions of the 2003 International Building Code and 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction. Continuing the sterling standard set by earlier editions, this indispensable reference clearly explains the best wood design techniques for the safe handling of gravity and lateral loads. Carefully revised and updated to include the new 2003 International Building Code, ASCE 7-02 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, the 2001 National Design Specification for Wood Construction, and the most recent Allowable Stress Design.
Defects and Deterioration in Buildings: A Practical Guide to the Science and Technology of Material Failure, Barry Richardson, Spon Press; 2d Ed (2001), ISBN-10: 041925210X, ISBN-13: 978-0419252108. Quoting: A professional reference designed to assist surveyors, engineers, architects and contractors in diagnosing existing problems and avoiding them in new buildings. Fully revised and updated, this edition, in new clearer format, covers developments in building defects, and problems such as sick building syndrome. Well liked for its mixture of theory and practice the new edition will complement Hinks and Cook's student textbook on defects at the practitioner level.
"Avoiding Foundation Failures," Robert Marshall, Journal of Light Construction, July, 1996 (Highly recommend this article-DF)
"A Foundation for Unstable Soils," Harris Hyman, P.E., Journal of Light Construction, May 1995
"Backfilling Basics," Buck Bartley, Journal of Light Construction, October 1994
"Inspecting Block Foundations," Donald V. Cohen, P.E., ASHI Reporter, December 1998. This article in turn cites the Fine Homebuilding article noted below.
"When Block Foundations go Bad," Fine Homebuilding, June/July 1998
Straw Bale Home Design, U.S. Department of Energy provides information on strawbale home construction - original source at http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10350
More Straw Bale Building: A Complete Guide to Designing and Building with Straw (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series), Chris Magwood, Peter Mack, New Society Publishers (February 1, 2005), ISBN-10: 0865715181 ISBN-13: 978-0865715189 - Quoting: Straw bale houses are easy to build, affordable, super energy efficient, environmentally friendly, attractive, and can be designed to match the builder’s personal space needs, esthetics and budget. Despite mushrooming interest in the technique, however, most straw bale books focus on “selling” the dream of straw bale building, but don’t adequately address the most critical issues faced by bale house builders. Moreover, since many developments in this field are recent, few books are completely up to date with the latest techniques. More Straw Bale Building is designed to fill this gap. A completely rewritten edition of the 20,000-copy best--selling original, it leads the potential builder through the entire process of building a bale structure, tackling all the practical issues: finding and choosing bales; developing sound building plans; roofing; electrical, plumbing, and heating systems; building code compliance; and special concerns for builders in northern climates.
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