Specialists to Demonstrate Disaster-Resistant Building Methods 

Release Date: October 7, 2003
Release Number: 1490-37

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Raleigh, NC-Disaster specialists will be available in Elizabeth City, Washington, and the State Fair over the next couple weeks to demonstrate how to build or repair homes and businesses in a disaster-resistant way.

"If you believe your home is your castle, then make your castle safer," says Gracia Szczech, head of recovery operations for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in North Carolina. "We invite all North Carolinians to come look at the information our specialists have, and see if there are some practical steps you would like to take to protect your families and property."

Some safety steps are as simple as having a family plan for what to do in case of different kinds of disaster, and/or a family disaster kit packed ahead of time and always ready to go.

FEMA also offers free technical advice on construction and rebuilding techniques to make property safer and less vulnerable to violent weather events.

In flood hazard areas, FEMA encourages property owners to consider relocating to outside the floodplain or elevating structures above expected flood levels, and move furnaces, pumps, water heaters, circuit breakers and other essential equipment higher. In areas subject to tornadoes and hurricane winds, FEMA recommends fastening wall and roof components together as a single unit when rebuilding to add strength

The FEMA and North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) mitigation specialists will set up information booths at Lowe's Home Improvement stores as follows:

In addition, mitigation specialists from the American Red Cross (ARC) will be available at the Elizabeth City Lowe's Wednesday through Friday, October 8-10. The ARC specialists will display the Blue Sky Foundation's hurricane education trailer. The Blue Sky Foundation is a non-profit organization that promotes safer construction and disaster mitigation.

"The Blue Sky trailer offers a real hands-on experience," said Douglas Erickson, mitigation specialist with ARC in North Carolina. "You can see how rafters should be attached with hurricane clips or how the structure needs to be secured to the foundation."

Mitigation specialists from FEMA and North Carolina will also be at the State Fair in Raleigh from October 17-26, 9 a.m. to 9:45 p.m., to answer questions and offer advice.

Reconstruction is also an opportunity to incorporate fortified spaces called safe rooms that provide families life-saving shelter from approaching tornadoes and storms. Plans for such rooms in various types of structures are available from FEMA.

"There's no better time to include mitigation than when you are rebuilding or repairing a damaged property," said Dr. Kenneth B. Taylor, head of disaster recovery operations for the state of North Carolina. "Not only is it much less expensive, but the incentive to act on safety is strong because the image of the disaster is fresh."

To obtain a FEMA publication to guide you through a mitigation project, call toll-free 1-800-480-2520 and ask for copies of publications 320, 312 and 361. Information is also available on FEMA's Web site, www.fema.gov.

On March 1, 2003, FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. FEMA's continuing mission within the new department is to lead the effort to prepare the nation for all hazards and effectively manage federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates proactive mitigation activities, trains first responders, and manages Citizen Corps, the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration.

Last Modified: Tuesday, 07-Oct-2003 10:47:32