Hurricane Shutters Go Inland By David Damon, owner JP Roberts and Company Inc., Hurricane Shutters
It has been a long list of hurricanes in the past few years. Names like Ivan, Dennis, Katrina, Wilma and Dean. They strike a nerve, a fear of a past event, or one of a looming disaster. We have watched Jim Cantorie on the Weather Channel as he broadcasts along a tranquil town on the Gulf Coast. Within 48 hours the place where he is standing will experience total devastation. A 25 foot wall of water will reach inland for many miles and destroy everything in it's path. One hundred and twenty-five mile an hour winds will blow windows out of homes and skyrises, leaving curtains blowing in the breeze. Glued to the radar screens we watch the agonizingly slow progress and hang on to words like wobble and jog, our new hurricane lexicon. We watch in shock and in disbelief, hoping that a hurricane like that will never hit our part of the coast. Over the course of days and weeks after a hurricane we see the complete and utter devastation that has completely changed the lives and futures for thousands of people for many years to come.
We once thought that this type of devastation was limited to coastal areas. Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne have forced homeowners and experts in this field to reevaluate their thinking. Each of these hurricanes crisscrossed the state leaving a path of destruction well inland. No longer can we feel any sense of safety living inland, all of Florida has become “coastal”. A billboard on Capital Circle South, in Tallahassee, sponsored by HaveaHurricanePlan.com perhaps says it best:
Occasionally, we look at our homes, and we wonder if we are as prepared as we should be. In most cases, the answer is "no." We may brush off these thoughts and rationalize that if the eye of a hurricane hits us, there is nothing that could help us. We often fail to recognize that the hurricane eye itself, might be only 30 miles across. Whereas, the path of destruction, particularly on the right side of the hurricane, is much more far reaching, and is very survivable for a well protected home. We may take some small comfort in that stack of warped plywood, which we are planning to throw up at the last minute; after all it's got to be better than the duct tape we have used in past years.
At a seminar in Orlando that was sponsored by the International Hurricane Protection Association, there was a great deal of discussion over which structures survive and which structures fail. FEMA officials were quoted as saying that they found virtually no structural damage to homes built to current codes with hurricane shutters installed. In older homes, the survival rate was much higher for those homes with shutters. Homes without shutters were much more likely to sustain serious water damage from windows and doors that were blown out, or otherwise compromised.
We have all seen the long lines at the “Plywood Depots” as people loaded up on plywood in an effort to board up windows and doors. It was found that in most cases, the homeowners used an insufficient number of screws or lag bolts to secure a piece of plywood to the house. As the winds rose, and the hurricane approached, the sheets of plywood became deadly projectiles hurtling through the air at 60 mph or more, creating even more destruction.
As we install shutters on homes, we have removed plywood from doors and windows put there by the well-intentioned homeowner. This plywood, usually only one half inch, is often held in place with a few sheet rock screws in each corner. After all, no one likes putting those screw holes in their siding and trim. To understand the reason why plywood, or similar solutions may not work well, we need to understand more about what goes on with the wind forces as a hurricane approaches and then passes by.
Scientist and engineers are doing a great deal of research into the cause and effect of damages from hurricane winds. Winds, we now know, have a pulsating effect. That sheet of plywood is not being pressed against that window with a steady, consistent, 100 MPH wind. The wind may be 60 MPH one-second, then a burst of wind at 120 MPH will hit. As the storm passes, the winds will constantly change direction and that sheet of plywood has very little chance of staying screwed to the wall.
That change in direction, when the storm passes, is why insurance companies now require that all openings must be covered in order to get a discount on insurance premiums. Positive and negative pressures are both working to dislodge that piece of plywood. For example: Let’s say, that for an hour, hurricane force winds are hitting the South side of your house. The wind is pressing against those walls, creating a positive pressure. As we experience a positive pressure from the South, we will have a negative pressure on the North side of the house. This negative pressure, pulling away on the North side may simply snatch your plywood protection off of your openings along with the window itself. Whether positive or negative pressure, once you loose your protection, you will likely lose a window or door. Now that the window or door is gone, you face serious water intrusion, or even total structural failure.
Total structural failure often begins with a loss of window and / or doors. Once lost, pressure builds and ceiling sheetrock and insulation won't last very long. Next, the plywood roof decking is blown off from the inside of the house, along with roofing material. In some cases the wind simply blows off the entire roof, as a complete unit. Needless to say, at his point, water damage, along with the structural damage will result in total loss of the home. These are the images we see on the news in the aftermath of an Ivan, Katrina or Rita.
What doesn't often make the news are the less sensational photos showing damage from water intrusion. In New Orleans we saw the affects of mold on a scale, which has never been seen before. In a “typical “ hurricane water enters the house either from the loss of windows or doors or wind pressure forcing water in through gaskets and seals. Water intrusion alone will often result in all or a portion of the house being stripped back to bare stud walls. In some cases mold and mildew can be so invasive that an otherwise sound structure may actually have to be torn down. Most experts agree that any water damage should be dealt with in two to three days to avoid mold problems. Without electricity, sometimes for weeks, it can be very difficult to use dehumidifiers and air conditioners to dry out an area that has had water damage. Oftentimes, under post hurricane conditions, a home is completely inaccessible for days or weeks as mold and mildew permeate the structure. The removal of mold from a house at this point should be done carefully by mold specialists to avoid spreading it further. Locally, after the rising waters from Hurricane Dennis, many coastal homes sustained serious mold damage. Some of these otherwise structurally sound structures were bulldozed; today many are vacant lots with “for sale” signs.
There are several types of hurricane shutters available that can prevent or minimize such damage. There are the Storm Panels, Accordion Shutters, Bahamas, Colonials and Roll-Up shutters. Generally rated for 140 MPH winds, any one, or a combination of these types can make a huge difference in a home's ability to withstand hurricane force winds. All shutters are designed for a specific opening. The type of window or door may dictate the type of hurricane shutter that can be used. The Storm Panels are the least expensive and are the only hurricane shutters suited for do-it-yourself installation.
The coastal real estate market has been hit hard between skyrocketing insurance premiums and rising property taxes. As the insurance industry continues to try and find ways to bring insurance premiums under control, there is little argument that installing hurricane shutters may be the number one solution. As the risk to the insurance industry is reduced with hurricane shutters, that reduced risk will lead to greater premium discounts for homeowners with hurricane shutters. This should in turn get insurance rates under control.
Many of us remember riding in our parent’s cars as kids when there were no seatbelts. Things have changed, today; we buckle up every time we get in our cars. Just like with seatbelts, we hope we will never need our hurricane shutters. Whether it’s due to climate change, global warming or a twenty-year cycle, hurricane shutters have found a new importance in our lives.
Hurricane Shutters – How to Beat the Storm By David Damon
Ivan, Dennis, Katrina and now Rita. They strike a nerve—a fear of a past event or a looming disaster. We watch Jim Cantorie on the Weather Channel as he broadcasts from a tranquil town on the Gulf Coast and—within 48 hours—the place where he is standing often experiences total devastation. A 25-foot wall of water reaches inland for miles and destroys everything in its path. One-hundred-twenty-five mile-per-hour winds blow windows out of homes and sky rises, leaving curtains flapping in the breeze. While glued to the radar images on the Weather Channel, we watch the agonizingly slow progress and hang on to words like “wobble” and “jog,” our new hurricane lexicon. We all watch in shock and in disbelief, hoping that a hurricane like that will never hit our part of the coast.
Occasionally, we look at our homes and wonder if we are as prepared as we should be. In most cases, the answer is “no.” We may brush off those thoughts. We rationalize that if the eye hits us, there is nothing that can help us. What we fail to recognize is that the eye, itself, might be only 30 miles across. Whereas, the path of destruction, particularly on the right side of a hurricane, is much more far-reaching and very survivable for a well protected home. We may take some small comfort in that stack of plywood that we plan to throw up at the last minute. After all, it is better than the duct tape we used last year.
At a recent seminar in Orlando sponsored by the International Hurricane Protection Association, there was a great deal of discussion over which structures survived and which structures failed in the 2004 hurricane season. FEMA officials were quoted as saying they had found virtually no structural damage to homes built to current codes with hurricane shutters installed. In older homes, the survival rate was much higher for those homes with shutters. Homes without shutters were much more likely to sustain serious water damage from windows and doors that were blown out, or in many cases, total destruction.
We all saw the long lines at the home improvement stores as people loaded up on plywood in an effort to board up windows and doors. It was found that in mostcases, the homeowners used an insufficient number of screws to secure a piece of plywood to the house. As the winds rose and the hurricane approached, these sheets of plywood became deadly projectiles hurtling through the air at 60 mph or more, creating even more destruction. As I install shutters on homes, I regularly remove plywood from doors and windows left from the last hurricane that was put there by the well intentioned homeowner. This plywood, often only one half inch thick, is usually held in place with a sheet rock screw or two in each corner. No one likes putting those screw holes in their siding and trim. To understand the reason why plywood— or a similar solution—does not work very well, we need to understand more about what goes on with the wind forces as a hurricane approaches and then passes by.
Scientist and engineers are doing a great deal of research into the cause and effect of damages from hurricane winds. Winds, we now know, have a pulsating effect. That sheet of plywood from the hardware store is not being pressed against the window with a steady, consistent, 100 mph wind. That wind may be 60 MPH one second, then a burst of wind at 120 mph will hit. As the storm passes and the winds constantly change their direction, that sheet of plywood has little chance of staying screwed to the wall.
That change in direction, when the storm passes, is why insurance companies now require that all openings need to be covered in order to get a discount on insurance premiums. Positive and negative pressures are also working to dislodge that piece of plywood. For example, lets say that for an hour hurricane force winds are hitting the South side of your house. The wind is pressing against those walls, creating a positive pressure. While you experience a positive pressure from the South, you will experience a negative pressure on the North side of your house. This negative pressure, pulling away on the North side may simply snatch your plywood protection off of your openings. Whether from positive or negative pressure, once this happens you will likely lose a window or door.
Now that the window or door is gone, you face serious water intrusion,or even total structural failure. Total structural failure usually begins with the loss of a window and/or door. Once lost, pressure builds inside the house and ceiling sheetrock and insulation won’t last very long. Now that the trusses are exposed, the plywood roof decking is blown off from the inside of the house, along with roofing material. In some cases, the wind simply blows off the entire roof as a complete unit. Needless to say at this point, water damage—along with structural damage—will result in total loss of the home. These are the images we regularly see on the news in the aftermath of major hurricane such as Ivan, Katrina or Rita.
What doesn’t often make the news are the less sensational photos showing damage from water intrusion. Water enters the house from either the loss of windows or doors or from wind pressure forcing water in through gaskets and seals. Water intrusion, alone, will often require that all (or a portion) of the house will need to be stripped back to the bare stud walls to allow for drying. In some cases, mold and mildew can be so invasive that an otherwise sound structure may actually have to be torn down. Most experts agree that any water damage should be dealt with in two to three days to avoid mold and mildew problems. Oftentimes, under post hurricane conditions, a home is completely inaccessible for days or weeks as mold and mildew begins to permeate the structure.
There are several types of hurricane shutters available that can prevent or minimize such damage. There are storm panels, accordion shutters and roll up shutters, both Bahamas-style and colonial-style. Generally rated for 140 mph winds, any one, or a combination, of these types of shutters can make a huge difference in a home’s ability to withstand hurricane force winds. All shutters are designed for a specific opening. The type of window or door may dictate the type of hurricane shutter that can be used. Single or double hung windows allow for more choices. In most cases, the choice for this type of window is the accordion shutter, although a roll up type of shutter will also work.
With casement-type windows or fixed glass, the roll up shutter is often your only choice, particularly with coastal homes on pilings. As long as a window can be opened and a shutter reached while standing inside, the colonial or Bahama-type hurricane shutter offers hurricane protection while also adding to the “curb (beach)” appeal of your home. To close the Bahama-style, colonial-style or accordion shutters, you simply open your window; remove the screen; and pull the shutter closed. Typically, hurricane shutters on an entire house can be closed in less than 30 minutes. The accordion shutter has a keyed lock, which has the added benefit of security when a house sits vacant. Such a system also makes it easy for neighbors or rental companies to close your shutters for you when you are away.
Whichever style of shutter you choose, it has become very clear that hurricane shutters are the best chance of protecting—what is for most of us—our largest investment: our home. In part two of “Hurricane Shutters,” I will discuss further the different types of hurricane shutters available and what would work in your home. We will also look into how a home can be designed to be hurricane shutter friendly.
For more information, you can contact the International Hurricane Protection Association at www.inthpa.com , or you can Contact David Damon, owner, at JPRoberts. (850) 251-4166, or email us at: HurrShutterInfo (then type in) @ AOL.com
Hurricane Shutters How to Beat the Storm By David Damon LS Mag~Sep 2005 10/25/05 8:26 PM Page 56 & 57
Choosing Hurricane Shutters by David Damon
In the winter 2005 issue of Living In Style magazine we discussed how hurricane force winds affect a structure, and why plywood is a poor substitute for hurricane shutters. We touched on the various types of shutters that are currently available. In this article we will discuss in detail the different types of hurricane shutters and how the type of windows in a home can affect your shutter choices. In the near future we may all be forced to deal with these decisions.
On March 15, 2006 a bill was introduced that among other things would require all panhandle homes without hurricane protection to have hurricane shutters installed. After the past two hurricane seasons, it has become clear that hurricane shutters do make a dramatic difference in the ability of a structure to survive hurricane force winds. Currently insurance companies give a discount to homeowners that have installed hurricane shutters on all openings. Soon this may not be an option. The insurance industry hopes to pass this legislation requiring hurricane shutters on panhandle homes in an effort to reduce the number of hurricane related claims.
For now, many homeowners are taking preventative measures on their own. For a homeowner, the choices of hurricane shutters may seem confusing. To begin with, let’s break it down to the four basic types of shutters available. I will list them in the order of their cost:
Storm Panels Accordian Shutters Bahama and Colonial Shutters Roll-up Shutters
Storm Panels
Storm panels are the least expensive type of hurricane protection but also require the most time and effort to install for the homeowner. Storm panels are available in three different types of materials: galvanized panels, aluminum panels and clear Lexan panels. There are a variety of ways that storm panels can be installed. Horizontally, vertically and with any number of track options. These three types of storm panels are similar in how the homeowner must install them before a storm. Individual panels, usually a foot wide, must be bolted to a track that stays permanently installed around the window or door opening. The panels overlap each other and overlap the sides of the openings. Storm panels take considerable time and effort, but give window and door protection at an affordable cost. For the do-it- yourself homeowner, storm panels and their hardware are available at larger home improvement stores.
Accordian Shutters
Oftentimes, after a homeowner has put up and taken down storm panels a few times, we are called back to install the more convenient accordion shutter. Accordian shutters are by far the most popular type of shutter that we install. There are several reasons for its popularity. Convenience, reliability and affordability are just a few. Accordian shutters look and function somewhat like vertical blinds, only mounted to the outside of the window or door opening. The Accordion shutter is built of heavy gauge aluminum with a baked on powder coated finish for durability. When designed and installed correctly, the Accordion shutter fits snugly around the window or door opening, but always out of view when standing inside looking out. Careful attention to design helps to blend the look of the shutter into the trim and window space, minimizing the impact of the shutter in the overall house design. Design considerations also include color choices, white, ivory, beige or bronze. To close the accordion from the inside, you simply remove the window screen and reach out to either side and pull them closed. Inside locks can be placed slightly below the center for easy locking from the inside. Typically a home with Accordion shutters can be closed up in about fifteen or twenty minutes. Accordian shutters are the most popular for weekend or rental homes as well. When leaving at the end of a weekend, it’s a simple matter to close all the Accordian shutters for security and peace of mind. As a hurricane approaches the Gulf, that neighbor, friend or rental company won’t mind closing your Accordion shutters. Anyone that has been through the plywood drill a time or two will truly appreciate the convenience of the accordion shutter.
Bahama and Colonial Shutters
These are the traditional style shutters similar in look to the shutters on homes in Charleston or an island home in the Caribbean. That is where the similarity stops. These shutters are built from heavy gauge aluminum, with a baked on powder coated finish, and are available in a variety of colors. In many cases we match the shutter color to the roof color, whether it be tile or standing seam metal. Bahama shutters are now available in a “full view” shutter with pivoting louvers, which allows a better view and still closes for complete storm protection. With Bahamas or Colonials, a locking bar secures them when in the closed position. Coastal piling construction with no exterior window access requires that the windows be either single hung or double hung in order to close and lock the shutter.
Roll-up
Roll-up shutters are similar in operation to a roll up garage door. They roll up into a can housing that is mounted above a door or window. When the windows are fixed glass or the casement type windows or inaccessible, the Roll-up shutter is sometimes your only choice. On smaller windows, the Roll-up shutter can be manually operated saving the expense of the motor and wiring costs. On larger openings, there is no choice but to make them electrically operated due to the increased weight of a larger shutter. On electrically operated shutters, an optional manual override can be installed. In the event of power failure, larger shutters can then be lowered before a storm hits. On smaller Roll-up shutters, a manually operated crank will work well.
At first, the shutter choices may seem confusing. As we have seen, the window type and the openings accessibility are the key factors in narrowing down your choices of hurricane shutters. Evaluations and estimates are available at no charge. When choosing a shutter company the installation is just as critical as your choice of shutter. Pay close attention to their past installations. A poorly installed shutter will do little to protect your home. It is critical that your installer have a good working knowledge of the framing and any other structural considerations of your home.
If you are considering building a new home, have your architect or builder contact our office for information on designing and building a shutter friendly home. We are glad to help with designing shutters for either new or existing homes, coastal or inland.
When it comes to hurricanes in Florida, there is little discrimination between coastal and inland homes. In January, while visiting Manatee Springs State Park, we were looking forward to seeing the manatees. The state Manatee Rescue Team was there giving talks on the manatees. They explained that due to the unusually warm winter they were having, water temperatures were a mild 68 degrees in the Gulf. Normally, the manatees would leave the cold Gulf waters and seek the refuge of the warmer springs and their comparatively warmer 70 degree waters. Along the Gulf, warmer waters mean more hurricane activity; the behavior of manatees may be just one more indicator of what the 2006 hurricane season has in store for us.
In the next issue we will discuss further the design considerations in new construction that will better suit hurricane shutter design and installation. Window choices can limit hurricane shutter options. We will look at which type of windows will work best, whether it’s new construction or remodeling. We’ll discuss hurricane preparedness measures, other than shutters, that can help us to be better prepared for the 2006 hurricane season starting on June 1st.
David Damon can be contacted at J. P. Robert Hurricane Shutters, Inc., Crawfordville, (850)926-4439 or cell # (850)251-4166. Email us at: HurrShutterInfo (then type in) @ AOL.com
This article reprinted from LIving in Style magazine on April 6, 2006.
Occasionally, we look at our homes, and we wonder if we are as prepared as we should be. In most cases, the answer is "no." We may brush off these thoughts and rationalize that if the eye of a hurricane hits us, there is nothing that could help us. We often fail to recognize that the hurricane eye itself, might be only 30 miles across. Whereas, the path of destruction, particularly on the right side of the hurricane, is much more far reaching, and is very survivable for a well protected home. We may take some small comfort in that stack of warped plywood, which we are planning to throw up at the last minute; after all it's got to be better than the duct tape we have used in past years. 
