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special report
Lessons Learned
The NHC looks ahead at its conference held in the city remembered for one of our recent worst disasters.
by Kerri Caldwell
The 2007 National Hurricane Conference was held April 4 and 5 at the Hilton Riverside Hotel, New Orleans, LA. The NHC is the nation’s leading forum for education and professional training in hurricane preparedness.
The goals of the National Hurricane Conference are to improve hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation in order to save lives and property in the United States and the tropical islands of the Caribbean and Pacific. In addition, the conference serves as a national forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve emergency management.
To accomplish these goals, the annual conference emphasizes the lessons learned from hurricane strikes:
• State-of-the-art programs worthy of emulation.
• New ideas being tested or considered.
• Information about new or ongoing assistance programs.
• The ABCs of hurricane preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation—in recognition of the fact that there is a continual turnover of emergency management leadership and staff.
INDUSTRY EXHIBITORS
Hurricane Protection magazine and the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA) were among those exhibiting at this year’s conference.
Other hurricane protection product/service organizations that participated in the 2007 NHC show include:
• ASI Building Products/CAT 5 (IHPA member)
• ASSA (American Shutter Systems Association)
• Crystal Shutters National (IHPA member)
• Donovan Advanced Hurricane Protection, Inc. (IHPA member applicant)
• FLASH (Federal Alliance For Safe Homes)
• Force 12 Protection
• International Code Council (ICC) (IHPA member)
• Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
• Hurricane Protection Industries (IHPA member)
• Hurricane Safe Products
• MetalTech, Inc. (IHPA member)
• Presray
• Protech Screens (IHPA member)
• Storm Smart Industries (IHPA member)
• US Aluminum Wholesalers
• Wayne-Dalton Corp (IHPA member)
Copies of recent issues of Hurricane Protection were distributed to those in attendance from the ASSA and Wayne Dalton booths.
LIVING IN HURRICANE-PRONE STATES
FLASH premiered “A New Tale of Two Houses,” a 10-minute video featuring a Code-plus, storm-resistant home that was built to replace a Punta Gorda, FL, home destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004.
Code-plus refers to building techniques that far surpass most state and local building codes. The construction project is the focus of a season of the popular show “Bob Vila.”
“We have never seen a better time for homeowners in hurricane-prone states to break the cycle of build, destroy and rebuild,” said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of FLASH. “The recent seasons, along with the promise of more to come, have given us unprecedented technological, programmatic and social policy breakthroughs to help in building stronger homes.”
Chapman-Henderson spoke at the conference’s closing session on the seven things homeowners should know about living in hurricane-prone states. They are:
1. Home Hurricane Rating Scales. Florida has developed a 0 to 100 rating scale for homes to help determine their windstorm readiness. This first-of-its-kind scale provides homeowners with insight into the strength or weakness of their homes and includes a set of improvement plans to help make it sturdier. The scale will soon be adapted for use in other states.
2. Windstorm Inspections. Developed first in Florida other states are now considering government and private sector partnerships to undertake large-scale windstorm inspection programs that identify a home’s strengths and weaknesses. Inspection data will be used in post-storm engineering studies to determine what works and what doesn’t.
3. Help for Homeowners. Following Florida’s lead, several states also are providing matching grants to help homeowners pay for retrofitting their homes against windstorms.
4. Code-Plus Building. While model building codes are crucial, it is important to remember that building codes are the minimum standard. Code-plus building techniques far surpass most state and local building codes, and can provide the ultimate protection from windstorms.
5. Rebuilding Provides Opportunity. For those building or rebuilding, now is the time to incorporate home-strengthening building techniques that are most likely not required by their local or state building codes. Homeowners can access free resources at www.flash.org.
6. Affordable Does Not Mean Disposable. Because windstorm-resistant building techniques increase building costs, there is concern that a home cannot be both wind-resistant and affordable. It is critical to understand that there is nothing affordable about a home that is destroyed after a storm. Slightly higher building costs up front will prevent “affordable housing” becoming synonymous with “disposable housing.”
7. When Houses Fail, We Fail. We know windstorm-resistant building techniques are doable and that they work. To not use these proven techniques in places susceptible to hurricanes leaves homeowners vulnerable, ensures widespread structure failure, and threatens community viability.
Mark your calendars for the National Hurricane Conference set to take place March 31-April 4, 2008, at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, FL, and visit www.hurricanemeeting.com for more information. |