Rebuild Stronger and Safer: Free Advice Offered at Lowe’s Home Improvement Stores

Mitigation specialists have information and offer advice about making repairs, rebuilding and retrofitting homes and buildings to make them stronger and more resistant to future storm damage.

Protecting property from disasters can involve a variety of actions, from inspecting and maintaining a building to installing protective devices. Techniques include reducing mold and mildew; protecting electrical systems and appliances; to reinforcing structures against high winds.

Additional information is available online:

• Avoiding Hurricane Damage: A Checklist for Homeowners

Once a major storm hits, it’s too late to protect your home and property. But there are things you can do now to reduce damage from high winds and water from future storms.

• Protect Your Property from Flooding

Protecting your property from flooding can involve a variety of actions, from inspecting and maintaining the building to installing protective devices.

• Design Manual for Retrofitting Flood-prone Residential Structures

This report presents floodproofing techniques that can be used for existing residential structures.

• Homeowner’s Guide to Retrofitting Second Edition

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has prepared this guide specifically for homeowners who want to know how to protect their homes from flooding.

• Above the Flood: Elevating your Floodprone House

This publication shows how floodprone houses in south Florida were elevated above the 100-year flood level following Hurricane Andrew. Alternative elevation techniques are also demonstrated.

• Elevated Residential Structures

Flooding in residential areas is bound to happen in flood-prone areas resulting in property damage. This manual is for designers, developers, builders, and others who wish to build elevated residential structures in flood-prone areas.

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FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). For TTY call 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s temporary housing assistance and grants for public transportation expenses, medical and dental expenses, and funeral and burial expenses do not require individuals to apply for an SBA loan. However, applicants who receive SBA loan applications must submit them to SBA loan officers to be eligible for assistance that covers personal property, vehicle repair or replacement, and moving and storage expenses.