Experts Meet in South Carolina, Discuss Making Homes Hurricane Ready

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Getting people back in their homes quickly is vital to hurricane recovery, the head of a national program to build more storm-resistant homes said at a conference in South Carolina.

“The faster you get the people back, the faster the community recovers — the faster it recovers economically and the community vitality comes back,” said Tim Smail, leader of the Resilient Home Program based at the Savannah River National Laboratory. “The longer they stay away, the less likely they are to come back.”

But getting people back faster means homes must be stronger, said Smail, standing outside the Center for Sustainable Living, an old Charleston, S.C. house renovated to show how people can make their homes better withstand disasters.

His comments came on the last day of a national conference on building stronger homes that was attended by about 75 government officials, builders, researchers and scientists from across the country.

At the same time, Hurricane Ike grew stronger in the Gulf of Mexico and estimates were released on how much Tropical Storm Hanna cost the state of South Carolina in lost tourist dollars.

Smail said several areas need attention, including more research on building materials. The Department of Homeland Security asked the lab to develop a program leading to stronger structures and less property damage and loss of life in a storm. There also need to be more incentives, perhaps insurance breaks, for those who retrofit older homes, and education, he said.

“There is so much information available but the hardest thing to do is figure out how to get it to the people,” Smail said.

Bryan Pratt, who owns Storm Resistant Homes Inc., of Murrells Inlet, S.C., said America needs to learn from other countries.

“Look at what they do in Bermuda,” he said. “They do not build plywood and 2-by-4 buildings. In Bermuda it’s all concrete buildings.”

Pratt’s company frames homes that are then finished by contractors. The frames include concrete walls, roof trusses, hurricane straps and other features to withstand 150 mph storms.

“By explaining to the insurance industry these structures will survive higher winds speeds and flooding and are prone to less damage, we should be able to see reductions in wind and hail (premiums) by 60 percent to 70 percent,” he said.

The Charleston house offers suggestions for those who want to strengthen existing homes.

It includes an L-shaped bracket between the wall and ceiling that strengthens the building and can be covered with molding. Window coverings include wood and metal shutters but also polycarbonate, like those used in jet fighters.

Hurricane season always increases interest in building stronger, said Scott Schiff, a professor of civil engineering at Clemson University.

“We have a yearly opportunity but the real motivation comes after seeing a disaster,” he said.

While there was little damage from Hanna, researchers at Coastal Carolina University said that the storm cost the state’s tourist industry about $22 million. Hardest hit was the lodging sector, which lost about $10 million, and restaurants, which lost more than $6 million. Coastal governments lost around $710,000 in taxes and fees, the study says.

“This substantial loss of revenue cannot be recovered easily and will require local governments to make adjustments to their current budgets,” said Gary Loftus, director of the BB&T Center for Economic and Community Development at Coastal Carolina University.
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Associated Press Writer Katrina A. Goggins in Columbia contributed to this report.