lana 



The Sound and The Fury 



By Sarah Friday 



She was no lady. But Marcus Rich will never 

 forget her. 



From his home in Wilmington, he watched 

 her run her mighty fingers through the pines; 

 marveled at her wanton power. 



Her breath was like a freight train's whistle 

 charging across the land. 



He'd never met a lady like this. And it left 

 him scared. 



Photo from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 



The lady was Diana, the fourth hurricane of 

 1984. Her visit to the Carolina coast convinced 

 Marcus Rich that homeowners can run from a 

 hurricane, but their homes can't. 



When Rich began construction of a new 

 home last year, he used building techniques 

 designed to increase the chances that his home 

 could survive next time. 



Hurricanes are inevitable. But the extent of 

 the damage left behind may depend on a few 

 simple, but fortifying building practices, says 

 Spencer Rogers, Sea Grant's coastal engineer. 



Rogers helped Rich decide just where those 

 fortifying touches were needed. 



"A lot of it's just overlapping— using a little 

 more wood, a few more nails," says Rich. "It 

 didn't make much difference financially, but it 

 did structurally." 



The whole idea behind making a house 

 storm-resistant is making sure it's well con- 

 nected. Houses near the coast should be tightly 



Continued on next page 



Photo by Sarah Friday 



Marcus Rich (above); Hurri- 

 cane Diana as she swirled land- 

 ward in 1984 (left) 



