Page 10 - Green Builder's Resilient Housing Design Guide 2018

Quake Readiness: What Homeowners Can Do

Loose Ends. As this illustration shows,
a lot of injuries to occupants can be .
easily avoided if homeowners take a Brace or replace
few preemptive steps. Securely fasten masonry
or relocate heavy
chimneys
pictures and mirrors
over beds
Strap down computers Strengthen garages
that have living
space above them
Secure ceiling fans
and hanging light
fixtures

Strap bookcases
and shelves to
walls to prevent
tipping

Know how and when
to shut off utilities

Know how and
when to shut off
utilities

Brace water heaters
Secure cabinets
to wall studs; use
Upgrade unbraced Ensure that latches to keep Strap down televisions
crawlspace walls gas appliances cabinet doors from Prevent rolling and other expensive
(or other foundation have flexible flying open during or tilting of or hazardous electrical
problems) connections an earthquake refrigerators components

to turn minor storm damage into a total property loss.
The powerful succession of storms and tornadoes in the last decade
have led to a lot better understanding of how and why homes “fail”
in storm winds.
A few years back, I visited the sites of both the La Plata, Maryland,
tornado and Hurricane Katrina immediately following those storms,
so I got a first-hand look at why things fall apart. In extreme winds,
homes typically go to rack and ruin because of either wind uplift
or pressure differentials as air enters the home.
Oddly enough, homes from the 1920s and ’30s sometimes fare
better than ones built in the 1950s. Those old homes were overbuilt,
mortared to their foundations, and so on, while homes in the age of
Levittown subdivisions were built light, with minimal connection
to foundations and no added straps or tie-downs.
Lots of recent research offers clear advice on how the homes and
Siding Test. A burning brand applied to a test wall assembly at UC Davis multi-family properties of the future can weather severe winds. Here
set alight the composite wood siding (left side), but the fiber-cement- are seven rules to live by:
covered wall did not ignite. 1. Remove or Reinforce Soffits. Windblown rain entering soffits has

10 GREEN BUILDER MEDIA Resilient Housing Design Guide www.greenbuildermedia.com