Hurricane Resistance: 



Retrofitting, Storm Shutters Increase Safety 



By Ann Green 



lr\fhen the next warning goes out for a 

 hurricane in Wilmington, Spencer Rogers 

 won't have to worry about boarding up his 

 windows. 



His new plywood storm shutters will 

 keep flying debris from shattering his windows 

 — and the shutters are easy to install. 



"Plywood storm shutters that protect 

 windows during hurricanes have been in use 

 for many years and are one of the most cost- 

 effective ways to build shutters," says Rogers, 

 North Carolina Sea Grant's coastal construc- 

 tion and erosion specialist. 



"Storm shutters may not be the highest 

 priority for hurricane retrofitting. But as the 

 wind-resistance of a building is improved, 

 shutters become a top priority in high-wind 

 zones. For some homes, threatening sources of 

 debris may make shutters the first priority." 



Rogers says shutters prevent wind-blown 

 rain from going through a broken window. 



They also prevent the "increased internal 

 pressure on the building that results from any 

 large opening, such as a broken window on an 

 upwind wall," he adds. 



Rogers worked with South Carolina Sea 

 Grant, Clemson University and Blue Sky 

 Foundation in Raleigh to test the new shutter 

 design. 



Rogers' shutters are a prototype of a 

 design that, after prefitting, can be installed 

 from the inside of the home without a ladder 

 — even on a second story. 



For easier installation before a storm hits, 

 Rogers recommends precutting the panels to 

 size, attaching permanent fasteners on the 

 house and storing the panels. 



Even if the plywood shutters are 

 preinstalled, it can be hard work to put them in 

 before the storm, says Rogers. "It is particularly 

 difficult when a ladder is needed for installa- 

 tion," he adds. "Gusty winds and heavy rains 

 can make ladder work even more dangerous." 



Plywood shutters, which are relatively 

 inexpensive and easy to construct, aren't the 

 only type of retrofitting that Rogers has done 

 at his home. 



Over the years, he has elevated 

 water pumps and other equipment under 

 the house as high as possible and 

 dismantled wiring in a low-elevation 

 room. To better connect the roof to 

 walls, he installed better wind- 

 resistant asphalt shingles and 

 hurricane clips. 



Rogers says dismantling 

 the room under his house, 

 which is still used for storage, 

 has prevented extensive 



flooding. "In our recent / J 



binge of hurricanes, the / Ik 



room has been flooded / I Mi 



three times. It has / i r 



required nothing / / A 



more than a cleanup / / . 



with a broom and 

 hose," he adds. 



More recently, 

 Rogers built a strong room — 

 a small interior room offering 

 protection from high hurricane- 

 force winds — on the main floor of 

 his home. The room is a rebuilt 



Continued 



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Mi. 



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12 EARLY SUMMER 2002 



