Protecting Residential Structures From Wind

D. Allen Hughes, P.E.

Course Outline

1. Four Most Common Areas of Weakness
2. Roof Structure
3. Exterior Doors and Windows
4. Built Up and Single Ply Roofs
5. Composition Single Ply Roofs
6. Structural Bracing of Gable Roof Framing
7. Covers for Windows and Doors
8. Reinforcing Garage Doors
9. Metal Siding and Metal Roofs
10. EIFS Walls
11. Trees and Potential Windborne Missiles

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course, the student will have learned or been exposed to the following:

• Awareness that protecting the home does not decrease the urgency to evacuate;
• Awareness of the importance of protecting the building envelope;
• The common areas of weakness of residential structures during storms with high winds;
• Remedies for the common areas of weakness of the structure;
• Preparation of the home for high winds;
• Preparation of the property around the home for high winds; and
• The role that regular inspection and maintenance of the home can have in making the home more resistant to high winds.

Intended Audience

This course is intended for use by engineers, architects, contractors, and homeowners.

Benefit to Attendees

Engineers, architects, homeowners, and maintenance contractors will gain an understanding from this course of the benefits of proper preparation for high winds. Additionally, this course could be useful as a guide for implementing a storm preparation plan or a maintenance plan.

Course Introduction

During a hurricane, homes may be damaged or destroyed by high winds. Debris can break windows and doors, allowing high winds inside the home. In extreme storms, such as Hurricane Andrew, the force of the wind alone can cause weak places in the home to fail.

After Hurricane Andrew, a team of experts examined homes that had failed and ones that had survived. They found four areas of the building envelope that should be checked for weakness—the roof, windows, doors, and if you have one, garage door. In this brochure, we discuss some things you can do to help make your home stronger before the next hurricane strikes. You may need to make some improvements or install temporary wind protection. It is important that you do these projects now, before a hurricane threatens. While these projects, if done correctly, can make your home safer during a hurricane, they are no guarantee that your home won’t be damaged or even destroyed. If you are told by authorities to evacuate, do so immediately, even if you have taken these precautions.

Course Content

The content of this course is a compilation of several FEMA articles which all pertain to wind protection of residential structures.

Protecting Residential Structures From Wind

Please click on the above underlined hypertext to view, download or print the document for your study. Because of the large file size, we recommend that you first save the file to your computer by right clicking the mouse and choosing "Save Target As ...", and then open the file in Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you still experience any difficulty in downloading or opening this file, you may need to close some applications or reboot your computer to free up some memory.

Course Summary

This course demonstrates that some seemingly minor areas of weakness could provide a path for high winds to enter the home and cause serious damage. The course presents remedies for the most common weaknesses and the highest priority preparations for high winds.

Quiz

Once you finish studying the above course content, you need to take a quiz to obtain the PDH credits.

---

DISCLAIMER: The materials contained in the online course are not intended as a representation or warranty on the part of PDH Center or any other person/organization named herein. The materials are for general information only. They are not a substitute for competent professional advice. Application of this information to a specific project should be reviewed by a registered architect and/or professional engineer/surveyor. Anyone making use of the information set forth herein does so at their own risk and assumes any and all resulting liability arising therefrom.

---