Hurricane season 2022: What can we expect, how to prepare

RARE LK OOINSIDE. IT’S A STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITY THAT WILL BLOW YOU AWAY. DURING INSTITUTE FOR BUSINESS AND HOME SETAFY CANES TT STRUCTURES LIKE NOWHERE ELSE. IT’S THE ONLY THING LIKE IT IN THE WORLD THIS 40 MILLION DOLLAR FACILITY IS FUNDED BY THE PROPERTY INSURANCE INDUSTRY AND IS LOCATED ON 90 ACRES OF LAND IN CHESTER COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA. IT’S THE ONLY FULL-SCALE RESEARCH THERE AND ’T'S DESIGNED TO SAVE LIVES. WE DO BUILDING SCIENCE RESEARCH UTONDERSTAND HOW WEATHER IMPACTS OUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES SO WE CAN BUILD BETTER STRONGER HOMES THAT ARE BETTER PREPARED FOR THE SEVERE WEATHER. IN PART OF THAT TESTING IS CREATING TNGHIS LIKE HAIL STORMS TO TEST ROOFS AND ULTIMELATY MAKE THELEM SS DESTRUCTIBLE. SO BACK IN 2012. WE STARTED SENDING A TEAM OUT IN STARTED SENDING A TEAM OUT TO THE FLD TO OBSERVE HAIL STOR6. 11 HOW BIG IS THE HAIL? WHAT’S ITS DIAMETER? HOAT’S ITS DIAMETER? W MUCHOE DS IT WEIGH? HOW MUCH STRENGTH DOES IT TAKE TO CRUSH ONE OFHO TSE HAILSTONES ANDHA TT ALLOWS THIS TEAM OF SCIENTISTS TO CREATE THEIR OWN HAIL AND RECREATE EVEN THE MOST EXTREME STORMS. THIS ALLOWS US TO SET UP OUR OWN COITIONDNS THAT CAN MIMIC WHAT HAPPENS IN THE REAL WORLD AND THEN WE CAN TEST IT OVE AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. THE HEART OF THIS FACITYLIS THE OVER 100 FANS THAT DRAW ENOUGH POWER EQUIVALENT TO 9,000 HOMES TURNING ON THEIR AIR CONDIOITNG AT THE SAME TIME ONE ADDITIONAL BENEFIT TO BEING IN THIS CHAMBER IS THAT WE NOT ON LY CAN JUST TEST RANDOM WIND SPEEDS. WE CAN ACTUALLYAK TEIN WD SPEED RERDCOS FROM PAST HURRICANES AND THEN PUT THOSE INT OOUR PROGRAMMING SYSTEM AND ACTUALLY MIMIC THE EXACT SAMEIN WDS THAT WE SAW IN SO FOR EXAMPLE, LAURA OR RITA OR FLORENCE ANY OF THOSE STORMS, WE CAN IMPORT THOSE WIND RECORDS INTO OUR SYSTEM. AND KIND OF SEE WHAT THAT IS GOING TO BE DOING TO A STRUCTURE AND THE RESEARCH HAS HELPED CREATE BUILDING GUIDELINES FOR EVERY SINGLE STATE AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR EACH AND EVERY HOME GARAGE DOORS ARE A BIG WEAKNESS FOROM HES THAT ALL TOWHE WIND IN THAT’S WHY HERE IN THE TEST CHAMBER. 'W’VE ACTUALLY PROVEN THAT HAVING A WIND RATED GARAGE DOOR CAN HELP TO KEEP THAT WIND OUTSID OEF YOUR HOME WHE YNOU LET THE WIND IN THE HOME. THAT’S WHEN I CTAN PUSH FORCES ON THE INSIDE OF THE BUILDING. ON THE ROOF THAT ROOF LOSS CAN LEAD TO OTHER FAILURES THROUGHO TUTHE HOME. YOU CAN SEE IF YOUR GARAGE DOOR IS RAT FEDOR HIG WHINDS SIMPLY BY CHECKING THE STICKER ON THE INSIDE AND IF ’T'S NOT RATED FOR WHEN DILLINGHAM RECOMMENDS MAKING THAT A PRIORIT AYND MAKE SURE YOUR ROOF IS FORTIFIED. WE HAVE THREE LEVELS OF FORTIFIED. FORTIFIED GOLD IS GREAT FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION WHEN YOU HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO ALL THE WAY AND LOOK AT ALL YOUR CONNECTIONS FR OM ROOF TO THE WALLS THE WALLS TO THE FOUNDATION. BUT SO MANY O UFS LIV IEN A HOME ALREADY THAT’S ALREADY BUILT. EVERY TIM YEOU RE-ROOF IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE YOUR HOME’S RESILIENC TEO SEVERE WEATHER THE OVERALL GOAL. IS THAT IF YOUR HOME IS HIT BY A STORM THE DAMAGE IS MINIMAL ENOUGH THAT YOU’RE NOT IMPACTED FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS ON END THAT YOU CAN STILL LIVE THERE BECAUSE MOST OF IT IS STILL INTACT WHEN WE THINK ABOUT SEVERE WEATHER AND HURRICANES, ESPECIALLY LIKE A CATEGORY 5 HRIURCANE LIKE MICHAEL WE OFTEN THINK THAT THERE ISN’T ANYTHING WE CAN DO AND JUST NOT THE CASE. THERE ARE THINGS WE CAN DO. I’M OFTEN COST A LTLITE BIT OF MONEY, BUT BY MAKING THOSE COST-EFFTIECVE MEASURES. WE REALLY CAN REDUCE THE IMPACT OF SEREVE WEATH AERND HURRICANES ON OUR LIVES AND ON OUR COMMUNITIES. SO THA HTURRICANES AREN’ TTHE ENDF