Nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes
(FLASH)® Raises Awareness of How Strong
Garage Doors Can Protect Roofs and Walls in Extreme Winds Up to 135
mph
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., May 6, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) annual
Is America HurricaneStrong? survey tracks past and
future consumer preparedness actions and levels of understanding
regarding safety, home protection, building codes, and insurance.
The 2024 findings identified a significant knowledge gap in
awareness of the relationship between strong garage doors and home
damage, specifically roofs and adjacent walls.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
evaluated longstanding post-hurricane engineering findings that
strong, reinforced garage doors can serve a vital and protective
role in severe winds. Their analysis of thousands of homes affected
by the 2011 Joplin tornado revealed a strong correlation between
homes with intact garage doors and undamaged roofs and adjacent
walls. The correlation remained effective in windspeeds up to 135
mph.
However, 60% of the #HurricaneStrong survey respondents
indicated that they were unaware that a strong, reinforced garage
door would help protect their roof and adjacent walls, even in
category two hurricane winds of 110 mph. Closing this knowledge gap
is critical as preventing roof and wall failure is one of the most
important ways to mitigate catastrophic and costly hurricane
damage.
"Garage doors are the largest and weakest opening on a home, and
our post-storm investigations show that more than 90% of the time
that hurricane winds and debris impact homes, garage doors are the
first elements to fail, leading to progressive damage or even
complete destruction," said FLASH President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson. "What the NIST
analysis validates, and this year's survey reinforces, is that we
need to help homeowners understand how an investment of less than
$750 can spare their home from the
most extensive and expensive damage. That is why we're spreading
the word that 'In 2024, it's all about the garage door.'"
Homeowners have three options to ensure their garage door can
withstand high winds.
- Construct temporary DIY 2-by-4 wood braces to reinforce
non-wind-rated doors, with materials costing around $150, plus installation expenses if
necessary.
- Install a ready-to-use garage door storm kit, including
purpose-built struts and braces, at approximately $200 to $750,
depending on the size of the door and the homeowner's DIY
skills.
- Replace and upgrade to a wind-rated or impact-resistant garage
door at an average cost of $2,000 to
$9,000.
Survey Methodology
Now in its fourth year, the Is
America HurricaneStrong? survey sampled 500 respondents ranging
in age from 18-24 (8%), 25-34 (16%), 35-44 (21%), 45-54 (20%), and
>54 (35%). The respondents were 58% female and 42% male and
resided in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New
York, North Carolina,
South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. View and download the topline survey
report here.
For more information on strengthening your garage door and all
the ways to prepare for a hurricane, visit FLASH.org or the
HurricaneStrong.org bilingual "Prep Center." The "Prep Center"
topics cover building codes, evacuation zones, home inventory,
hurricane shutters, insurance check-ups, power outages, pet safety,
sandbags, and tips for strengthening homes against flooding, high
winds, and lightning.
About FLASH
The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the
country's leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and
safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership
includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that
share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation,
including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management,
Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO - Verisk
Analytics, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew
Financial, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH
and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck:
A Tale of Two Homes in Lake
Buena Vista, FL. FLASH's signature program No Code. No
Confidence. - Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a
one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify
their community's building code. Learn more about FLASH and access
free consumer resources by visiting
www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling
toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on X,
and Facebook.com/federalalliance.
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SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)