How hard is it to tornado/hurricane-proof a house?

[Holding Pattern]

When looking at the devastation that comes after a major weather event, one of the things I always think about is... how would one build one's house to survive such a major event?

When it comes to floods, there are only 2 options that I know of, build on higher ground or... this...

But how about massive rains and high winds? Do you just pour enough concrete and call it good?

Or how about houses in historical fire zones?

Just something I was recently thinking about.

[jeders]

Monolithic Concrete Structure.

[THRAWN]

When looking at the devastation that comes after a major weather event, one of the things I always think about is... how would one build one's house to survive such a major event?

When it comes to floods, there are only 2 options that I know of, build on higher ground or... this...

But how about massive rains and high winds? Do you just pour enough concrete and call it good?

Or how about houses in historical fire zones?

Just something I was recently thinking about.

Only sure way is to not build in flood plains/hurricane prone areas/tornado alley/firelands/earth quake prone zones/areas of extreme cold and heat/Godzilla nests/volcano bowls...I think there are 4 or 5 counties in the US you can build in....

In all seriousness, I seem to remember FEMA putting something out in conjunction with either a large home builder, or engineering firm that set some pretty good standards on how to build a survivable structure. I might have it at home and if so, I'll post it...

[arajca]

In fire zones, flame resistant construction (shake shingles ain't), vegetation kept away from the house, trees trimmed - no low hanging branches, grass clipped and trimmings collected, proper shutters for the windows, a cap for the chimney are a few ways to start. Also, contact your local fire department. They should have more locale specific suggestions/requirements. If the fire department does Wildland/Urban Interface inspections, make sure to have one done and get a copy of the report. I know a few folks who took the recommendations to heart and got an insurance discount.

[Spam]

Well, this is a fun little topic, and maps to CAPs participation in mitigation phase DR work. Working in shelters and with displaced people over the years has sensitized me to this "Three Little Pigs" stuff.


Doing your homework on the threat is the first major step. Go start looking up historical data on your state's severe storm/flooding risk areas and tracks, plus any seismic or other threats. ORM for building, in short. For an example, see: http://www.kitsapgov.com/dcd/pc/Materials/2015/2-3/Title%2015%20Flood%20Code%20Update%20Staff%20Report_012615.pdf


Site prep and positioning is the next step. Siting: not on a flood plain, not on a ridge line subject to peak winds, not on cliffs subject to erosion or updrafts which might hit the structure. Positioning: orient the slopes of the roof such that prevailing severe winds won't tend to loft the roof, orient the house in the lee of hills, etc. A stable footing and erosion control planning will keep your house from becoming a mobile home.


Construction plans and standards, then. You could build it out of neutronium from a collapsar or FAA approved black box material, but key affordable factors to consider are static and dynamic loading on your structure and the reinforcement and fastening points on the joists to ensure that gusts don't loft the roof off. Once you let the roof turn into an aerosurface and lift up in the winds, your house is toast. When the winds open that can up and peel the roof back, you lose structural integrity and the house pulls apart. I've put additional (cheap, just a few hundred bucks) steel brackets in my attic to strengthen what my builder put in when they threw the house up (ah, modern construction).


See: http://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1538-20490-2983/fema499web_2.pdf


Then, maintenance, just as arajca says. Keep up with it, inspecting for rot/termites and foundation, and retain the mindset that no fortress is impregnable, and prayer is useful, but some days you just gotta get your butt out of Dodge when ordered to do so and seek shelter.


There is always man-made weather to consider, too, depending on how paranoid you are. When we moved back to Georgia years ago, I bought a place the other side of Kennesaw Mountain from my job at Dobbins AFB. After a year or two I fessed up to my wife that when looking, I'd factored in potential overpressures from a 3 megaton weapon blast on the base and a potential weapon laydown pattern on downtown Atlanta, Hartsfield, Fort Mac, etc. She thought I was absolutely nuts. Nowadays, with Cold War 2 in full swing and heating up and as we slide towards another war, maybe not so much, sadly.


V/R,
Spam

[RRLE]

There really is no such thing as a "hurricane proof" house if you are talking Category 5s.

For the most part, if you live in Florida (I don't know about other states), check to see if your house if up to the latest hurricane codes. If it is, or you "make it so", it should stand up to most Cat 3s and some 4s. There may not be much to save you from a Cat 5 and still be affordable but the Cat 5s are pretty rare.

Some things you will need to have or do:

Don't be in a flood zone. More damage to homes occurs from flooding than wind, so don't be in a flood zone or have flood insurance.

After flooding, the next largest source of damage is the roof blowing off. Note - OFF not in. If the wind blows in your doors, windows or garage door, it will blow your roof off the house and then the rain and wind gets in. So ----

Roofs tied to struts and rafters and that tied to the next "thing" and that tied ... (rinse repeat).

Hurricane shutters or "hurricane proof" windows.

Make sure the garage door (if there is one) is hurricane proof.

Then get lots of batteries, food and water for 3 to 5 days (my wife thinks that means chocolate and red wine but it makes her happy and calm), a radio and ride that baby out in the comfort of your own home. I have ridden out about 8 hurricanes since I moved to Florida.

Only one damaged the roof (removed tiles) but it didn't leak. Insurance replaced the roof.

[TexasBEAST]

Something else to think about is that you really only have the power, at most, to control your one building. But you can't storm-proof those of all your neighbors, or the roads, or the utilities. There are pictures of plenty of other well-fortified homes that seemingly made it through some of the super-storms of the last two decades, although none of the neighboring homes did. These decent-looking (from a distance) solitary homes were surrounded by filth and squalor as far as the eyes could see, and the nose could smell. The result was that there was no practical way to justify staying there in the house, if the entire surrounding area was going to be wiped clean and rebuilt from scratch. And with all of the rot and death seeping into even the fortified homes, it was hard to justify not going ahead and leveling those homes too.

What about moving to a community of hobbits, with hobbit-holes built into the sides of foothills?