Windstorm Protection

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Homeowners Guide to Building Performance
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Residential HVAC Tech Brief
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The reasons why hurricanes damage or destroy manufactured homes is well-known. Of the manufactured homes destroyed when Hurricane Andrew hit Louisiana, 55% of the structural failures were caused by anchor and tie-down failure; 34% failed because either the roof or the roof and walls blew off; and 11% failed because of large missiles (building materials flying through the air) or falling trees. Hurricane damage and destruction is caused by the following structural problems, occurring in high winds.

• Connection of the home to the ground is insufficient to prevent movement, allowing the home to fall off its piers, roll over, or actually fly through the air, destructing on impact.

• Failure of joints between floor and walls and walls and roof allows the roof to separate from the wall or the roof and walls to separate from the floor.

• No structural wall sheathing,

• Siding not adequately attached so that when siding blows off the lightweight interior sheeting is exposed to winds and heavy rains. If the wind pops the interior sheathing off after blowing the siding off, the home could be further damaged from high wind pressure.

• A large window breaking could also cause high interior wind pressure.

• Roofing and siding not adequately attached blows off.

Preventing damage or destruction from high winds involves carefully inspecting and improving anchors and tie-downs, reinforcing the wall joints at the floor and ceiling, strengthening wall sheeting, and reinforcing the fastening of siding and roofing.

Consider the following specific retrofit measures to make your home more hurricane and tornado resistant. Success depends on strengthening all the weak areas because the wind will damage the home at the point of weakness.

• Retrofit your foundation to be more wind-resistant or construct a more permanent foundation.

• Strengthen the joint between the floor and wall.

• Retrofit your walls to be more wind-resistant.

• Install sliding storm shutters on all windows.

You can learn more about mobile home retrofitting and maintenance in my by book, Your Mobile Home: Energy and Repair Guide for Manufactured Housing.