| Safe in the Storm |
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Safe in the Storm
Protecting the homes of lower income families against hurricane force winds. Since Hurricane Katrina, there has been much activity in the area of hurricane readiness and wind abatement. There are code changes that require wind protection on new homes and remodels above a certain dollar value, there have been matching funds grants and homeowner incentive and credit programs. But none of these address the needs of the low income or fixed income home owner. Two full years after Katrina, we took a group of people to do home renovations in New Orleans. We gutted homes that were still left vacant in ghosttown like neighborhoods. We installed drywall, toilets, doors and fixtures. We painted and cleaned. And we walked through entire neighborhoods that were essentially abandoned. We fed and listened to the stories of the displaced and the homeless. Most low income homeowners do not have the insurance coverage to get them back on their feet. Even if they have decent coverage, they will never be able to cover their deductible or excluded values. But, for a few hundred dollars (not the thousands it costs for commercially installed systems), it is possible to provide a substantial amount of wind and storm damage protection. We are looking for partners to help us identify the best value in hurricane protection and provide labor free installation of wind protection. We have to move past our requirement for the highest level of protection to best protection available given our resources. We need help with: Contacts with code enforcement to meet reasonable standards of protection and meet permitting requirements. Determining the most economic yet practical protection systems. Access to "bulk purchased" materials to drastically reduce costs. Donations of money and equipment. People to identify and qualify homeowners. People to measure and plan installation. People to obtain the necessary materials. Lots and lots of people to install our wind protection solutions. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 29 July 2010 ) |