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IRMA: LESSONS LEARNED; RESOLVE FOR A SAFER FUTURE

As we reflect on all the natural challenges we face as a Nation in 2017, especially the impact of Hurricane Irma in Florida, there are many questions we should ask ourselves at the beginning of this New Year:

1) Is my property fortify enough to face extreme weather events and ready to protect my loved ones?

2) What economic consequences will Irma bring to our 2018 budget?

3) What is the value of my property after Irma?

To answer these questions, it is important to highlight that 2017, will be remembered as the costliest and most destructive season in the history of the United States, leaving $ 368.66 billion (USD) in losses and 25.8 million people impacted and still recovering due to hurricanes Harvey, Maria and Irma. As a result of the damages caused by Irma in South Florida, homeowners will see a 10% increase in property insurance.

Fortifying your homes this year, will be your best resolution. After having inspected hundreds of houses impacted by Hurricane Irma in different counties of Florida, I was able to observed their deficiencies that compromised its integrity when facing extreme weather conditions. That is why I would like to share with you my experiences and lessons learned, with the purpose that you can identify the vulnerable areas in your properties and carry out the necessary transformations to make them stronger and safer to face future Natural disasters. These are the most important observations:

ROOF: All the roofs observed were old with missing shingles or cracked tiles, without roof straps or second water barriers. This caused structural damage, water intrusion, indoor damage, mold and mildew buildup poor indoor air quality compromising habitability conditions.

One of the best resolutions you can make in 2018 is to install a new roof. A new roof will bring you peace of mind knowing that your family will be safer and healthier. Also, you will save a lot of money in costly repairs, insurance payment and electrical bill adding value to the property,

WINDOWS: All the properties I inspected had single pane windows without any kind of protection. As consequence, some windows blew up during the hurricane exposing the property to a bigger damage. Also, I was able to see water infiltration through the windows and doors by the wind-driven rain causing a lot of water damage in the interior.

Installing high performance windows and doors would be a smart resolution for safety and also for savings. Windows and doors will protect your home during hurricane and will save you money by lowering your utility bill, and the insurance payment. Also that will improve the indoor air quality by eliminating condensation and humidity problems.

ELECTRICITY: Approximately 12 million of people in Florida were left in the dark in the aftermath of hurricane Irma. All the homes I went to, had power outages from 1 to 30 days. This interruption caused a lot of food and medicine to be damaged, air conditioning failures as well as indoor water damage in flooring and drywall as result of defrosted refrigerators.

To avoid this from happening in the future, consider buying a solar generator or even better, the installation of solar panels and a battery storage that will allow you to use power from the solar panels without being connected to the grid.

2018 will be, without a doubt, the year to build stronger properties and to fortify existing ones by implementing high-performance strategies that goes beyond the minimum codes required in construction. After all we learned from Irma, it is my hope that more people understand the importance of transforming their properties in 2018, not only to make them safer and healthier, but also to reduce the expenses associated with maintenance, insurance and electricity consumption, increasing as consequence its market value. The time to start, is now, many implementations take months to complete.

We are ready to help you from consultation to the complete transformation of your property including financing. For more information, please send me an email to info@HHDCgreen.com

By Maria Mercedes Hernandez

LEED AP ID +C / General Contractor/ Building Analyst

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ARE YOU READY? DON’T LET IT CATCH YOU OFF GUARD!

The Atlantic Hurricane season, officially begins (June 1st), and will end on November 30th, 2016. “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an above-normal 2017 Hurricane Season, with five to nine hurricanes — two to four of them Category 3 (winds at least 111 mph) or stronger. The forecast calls for 11 to 17 tropical systems (winds a least 39 mph).”

Nearly twelve years ago (2005), hurricane Wilma, was the last hurricane to strike South Florida making landfall near Naples. Wilma storm surge swept the coastal areas and high winds leashed Broward County for almost five hours leaving significant damage to residential and commercial buildings. Power outage was reported by Florida Power and Light (FPL) on more than 3,241,000 customers. Some areas in Weston were without power for 2–3 weeks after the storm hit. The damage in Florida totaled $20.6 billion. Wilma was the costliest hurricane in the state of Florida since Hurricane Andrew (1992) and is ranked as the fifth costliest storm in United States history.
Since then, more than three millions of people had moved to the Sunshine state, fortunately they had not gone troughs the experience of a major hurricane impact and its devastating consequences. But, their lack of awareness and knowledge of the risk and challenges associated to the hurricane season could represent a great burden if hurricane strikes and they don’t prepare.
Knowledge is power; by knowing your vulnerabilities, your property deficiencies, your community action plan, you can mitigate the effect of a hurricane disaster. Here, I share with you some vital information and tips on how to prepare:

COLLECT INFORMATION: Gather all the important documents store it on your computer or the clouds or thumb drive. Make sure to have original documentation stored in a waterproof container.

  • Household information: summary of personal information for your household. In the event of an emergency or if you are incapacitated, this information will help others get in touch with your family
  • Legal documents: Birth certificate, adoption papers, marriage license, divorce papers, social security, passports, green card, will, Power of attorney.
  • Property documents: Mortgage or real estate deeds of trust, property tax, Flood Insurance, Homeowners insurance, content insurance, property appraisal, pictures of your house and content.
  • Vehicle information: lease contract, car insurance, registration, ownership papers.
  • Financial information: Investment accounts, bank statements, credit card statements, retirement accounts, etc.
  • Tax statements: previous year information.
  • Medical information: health insurance, list of necessary medications, disability documentation, living will, etc.
  • Other important documents: Military ID, alimony, child support, government benefits etc.

MAKE A PLAN: Make sure your family has a plan before disaster strikes. It’s important that you write all the information on how to get in contact with each other, where will you go and what will you do in case of emergency. Include information about the different places you frequent and their emergency plans. Find out which are the emergency shelters open in your area and the evacuation routes. Contact a family or friend out of state and arrange your stay in case you have to be evacuated from the disaster zone.  Very important to include in your plan the special attention to people with disabilities, Childbirth, Infant Feeding and don’t forget your pets!

PREPARE A KIT: Prepare two emergency supply kits, one full kit at home and other one small on your vehicle. Just collect the basic items your household may need in case of a disaster.

  • Documents: get all the documents previously collect, camera, local maps and cash.
  • Food and water: One gallon of water per person per day, nonperishable food, three day supply, can opener.
  • First Aid Kit: with all the basic and also include antibacterial, prescription medicine, hand wash.
  • Emergency articles: battery or solar flashlight, radio and fan, waterproof matches, dust masks, zip-lock bags, batteries, emergency whistle, instant charger for cellphones and laptops.
  • Personal articles: change of clothing, hygiene items, sleeping bags.
  • Others: activities for children, infant formula, diapers.

PREPARE YOUR HOME: You can take some precautions to mitigate the impact of hurricane forces, but keep in mind that this won’t make it hurricane-proof, nor do these measures guarantee your safety.

  • Cover all of your home’s windows. Permanent storm shutters offer the best protection for windows. A second option is to board up windows with 5/8” marine plywood, cut to fit and ready to install.
  • Trim trees and shrubs around your home. I recommend doing it with a professional.
  • Clean rain gutters and downspouts.
  • Turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep its doors closed.
  • Fill the bathtub and other larger containers with water for sanitary purpose.
  • Reinforce your garage doors and roof structure.  I recommend doing it with a professional.
  • Turn off propane tanks.  Bring the furniture inside and garbage cans.
  • Install generator or consider a solar generator.
  • Retrofit your home to make it more climate change resilient.

PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT: One of the things we don’t consider before the hurricane strikes is the protection of the environment. Natural disasters generate tons of debris and produce hazard to the environment; we should not add an extra burden to these already extreme conditions. Check with your city to see if they have waste management options before the hurricane. You can implement practices to reduce the negative impact by paying attention to all the household hazardous waste in your home.

  • Keep all the chemicals like paints, cleaning products, pesticides, and drain cleaner in a proper container. Start buying green products.
  • Dispose paints, motor oil, and gasoline in a drop off locations.
  • Never throw needles, batteries, light bulbs directly into the trash.

GET INFORM: Public safety officials use reliable systems to alert you and your family in the event of natural disasters. Many communities also offer emergency alert notifications through their own systems.

  • Register on CODE RED: this Is a high speed telephone communication service for emergency notifications with instructions for action. For Weston residents go to westonfl.org
  • Consider purchasing a NOAA weather radio receiver.  Broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
  • Go to FEMA web site: ready.gov

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR BROWARD AND WESTON RESIDENTS:

We have been fortunate that no hurricanes have come our way, but as a disaster Inspector and Weston CERT, I want to I encourage you to be ready. Florida is long overdue, don’t let hurricane season catch you off guard.

Also, the time is now to start planning to retrofit your property and make it more resilient to hurricanes and climate change.  Prepare, be ready, Be safe! For information on how to retrofit your property or how to prepare for hurricane season, send an email to floridaleedap@gmail.com
THE TIME IS NOW, GET READY!

 

By: Maria M Hernandez, Disaster Inspector, CGC / LEED AP, Weston CERT

Ciudad Weston Newspaper

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