DFW Can Rebuild Safer, Stronger To Reduce Future Tornado Damage

Release Date: April 26, 2012
Release Number: R6-12-080

» 2012 Region VI News Releases

DENTON, Texas — Dallas/Fort Worth area residents and business owners who are repairing or rebuilding in the wake of recent severe storms and tornadoes face many choices and opportunities as they put the pieces of their homes, businesses and lives back together.

Federal mitigation experts offer several suggestions for measures to take to potentially reduce the risk of losses in future disasters:

Roofs Roofs are extremely susceptible to wind damage. When the roof lifts off it may collapse back down on the house. In both new construction and retrofitting, people should build to ensure the connections between the roof and walls are strong enough to resist the uplift effect of high winds.
Garage Doors Severe wind can severely damage a weak garage door, creating wind pressure that lifts the garage roof. If it’s hinged to the house, the garage roof can pull off part of the house or put pressure on the house roof, which then may lift off. Retrofitting older garage doors helps increase a home’s storm resistance, while new reinforced garage doors help to protect your garage and its contents.
Shutters and Doors  High winds and windborne debris can easily break unprotected windows and cause doors to fail. The most reliable method of protecting windows and doors is installing permanent storm shutters. Alternatives include temporary plywood covers, mesh or screen systems and impact-resistant windows and doors.
Foundations – Many homes are built on concrete pads to which they are only slightly connected. Severe winds pull the walls right out of the foundation. To resist high winds, structures must be firmly connected to foundations. Bolts set deep into concrete foundations and topped with a washer and nut should be used to secure the structure to the foundation.
Personal Safety – A safe room provides protection. It is designed to withstand extreme winds, with steel-reinforced concrete or steel sheathing to make the walls and ceiling virtually puncture-proof. It’s also a good idea to keep an emergency kit in the safe room.

For more information on building safer and stronger, visit go.usa.gov/yKL

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.

Last Modified: Thursday, 26-Apr-2012 13:12:15

Original article:

DFW Can Rebuild Safer, Stronger To Reduce Future Tornado Damage

President Declares Disaster For West Virginia

Release Date: March 22, 2012
Release Number: HQ-12-025

» More Information on West Virginia Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, And Lanslides

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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of West Virginia and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms, flooding, mudslides, and landslides beginning on March 15, 2012, and continuing.

The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Logan county.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the storms, flooding, mudslides, and landslides in the counties of Lincoln, Logan, and Mingo.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Deanne Criswell has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Criswell said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated county can begin applying for assistance starting tomorrow by registering online at http://www.disasterassistance.gov, by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Follow FEMA online at blog.fema.gov, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate’s activities at www.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

Last Modified: Thursday, 22-Mar-2012 22:58:11

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