Tornadoes cause terrible devastation across the United States every year. People are left homeless, and millions of dollars in damage is sustained. While all of the preparation in the world won’t save a home from a direct hit by an EF 5 tornado, there are ways to protect a home from damage from smaller tornadoes or from the wind damage from tornadoes that pass near the area of a home.
Foundation Anchors
When building a new home in an area that is prone to a high incidence of tornadoes, it is definitely worth the cost to install foundation anchors. Foundation anchors are bolts that are placed in the concrete foundation that come up through the frame of the home anchoring to the foundation. These bolts should be placed every four feet around the home’s perimeter.
Secure Roof Sheathing
If a home is in a tornado area, the roof sheathing material should be secured to a greater extent than is some other areas of the country. Along the rafters, nails should be spaced in the roofing plywood at six inch intervals. Nails should be placed at twelve inch intervals throughout the rest of the roof.
Use Hurricane Clips
In many homes, the roof is secured to the frame of the home by nails. This is weak protection for the roof in case of damaging winds. Hurricane clips attach to the frame of the house and the rafters. They provide ten times greater protection for the roof in the event of tornadic strength winds.
Secure Windows
In the event of a tornado, the winds will hurl debris for many yards at a high rate of speed. This flying debris can cause devastating damage and it can easily smash through ordinary windows endangering lives and causing damage to the interior of the home. Some companies now manufacture home windows that are capable of withstanding the force of tornadic winds generated by an EF 3 tornado. A company can provide a great deal of helpful information about tornado-safe window replacement.
Build a Safe Room
A basement or an underground shelter is the safest place to be in the event of a tornado. However, not every home has the luxury of having this type of safety. Homeowners can build a tornado shelter in their homes that will withstand a powerful tornado. These shelters are constructed using steel-reinforced concrete walls with reinforced steel doors.
These are just a few of the measures that homeowners can take to make their home safer in tornado country. Always heed warnings in the area, and take proper precaution.
