Clemson University researchers used a huge crane and other equipment to "test to destruction" 

 a Horry County, S.C., home that was flood-damaged by Hurricane Floyd. 



They did this because they'd been flooded as 

 many as three times in the previous 10 years. The 

 costs averaged $1 1 ,000 to $15,000 per house. 



Most of the expense comes in replacing the 

 foundation and extending connections for sewer 

 and utilities. The higher elevation gives the 

 owner new space under the building for storage 

 or parking. 



An option is to move low-elevation utilities 

 such as electrical outlets and switches that would 

 short out and interrupt power to the rest of the 

 house if they were flooded. An electrician can 

 remove them and install them at higher 

 elevations. When equipment or appliances wear 

 out — air conditioners, water heaters and heat 

 pumps — you have an opportunity to raise the 

 elevation to prevent damage, Rogers suggests. 



New N.C. Program 



In Florida, the Institute for Business & 

 Home Safety (IBHS) has initiated a program of 

 optional upgrades called "Fortified for Safer 

 Living." The partners include the National 

 Network of Building Inspectors & Engineers, 

 the Blue Sky Foundation and the Florida 

 Alliance for Safe Homes. 



These new homes are adapted to high 

 winds, flooding and wildfires. The homes 

 include peril-resistant criteria that go beyond the 

 minimum requirements of local codes — from 

 protection of all openings and a secondary 

 moisture barrier on roofs to wind-resistant 

 roofing and specified fasteners on thicker, 

 plywood sheathing. 



So far, five fortified homes have been built 



in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. 



"It is a prescriptive program," says IBHS 

 fortified program manager Chuck Vance. "There 

 is nothing unusual about our program. It follows 

 basic coastal regulations and Federal Emergency 

 Management recommendations." 



If a hurricane strikes the Tampa- 

 St. Petersburg area, the five fortified homes 

 can be used as a comparison to existing homes, 

 says Vance. 



IBHS is extending the fortified program 

 to North Carolina and other states. 



"We are looking to work with builders and 

 emergency management officials," says Vance. 

 "We chose North Carolina because it is a progres- 

 sive state that has suffered from a lot of natural 

 disasters and is ready for the program." n 



RETROFITTING RESOURCES 



When deciding on retrofitting 

 options for your home, there are many 

 available resources. 



Clemson University and South Carolina 

 Sea Grant researchers are designing a strong 

 room that can be retrofitted into existing 

 buildings. Soon, a detailed description 

 about the new strong room will be 

 published. Because the strong room 

 does not meet a recently approved 

 national standard for worst-case tornado 

 storms, it is not cost-effective for new 

 construction, according to Spencer 

 Rogers, North Carolina Sea Grant's coastal 

 construction and erosion specialist. 



If you want to install plywood storm 

 shutters, researchers from South Carolina 

 and North Carolina Sea Grant, Clemson 

 and the Blue Sky Foundation have 

 designed a new type of shutter that can 

 be installed from the inside. The shutters 

 must be prefitted. Use a ladder to install 

 the permanent attachments for the 

 shutters. Later this year, a brochure will 

 be available on the new storm shutters. 



For more information about 

 retrofitting, contact Spencer Rogers, 910/ 

 962-2491 , or rogerssp@uncwil.edu. 



Following are some Web sites with 

 retrofitting information: 



North Carolina Sea Grant, www.ncsu. 

 edu/seagrant Follow the extension links 

 to coastal construction. 



South Carolina Sea Grant, 

 www.scseagrant.org. Follow the links to 

 extension and coastal hazards. 



Sea Grant's HazNet, www.haznet.org 



Clemson University's Wind Load Test 

 facility, www.ce.clemson.edu. Follow 

 the links to research and structural 

 geotechnical. 



Blue Sky Foundation, www.bluesky- 

 foundation.com 



Institute for Business & Home Safety, 

 www.ibhs.org 



— A.G. 



16 EARLY SUMMER 2002 



