News Releases

Area Hardest Hit by Hurricane Charley Building Fortified…for safer living® Homes Contact: Wendy Rose (813) 675-1045 / (813) 486-8365 / wrose@ibhs.org Date: 6/21/2006 Tampa - Construction is underway on the first Fortified…for safer living® homes in Charlotte County, Florida, the area hardest hit by Hurricane Charley in 2004.  Tarpon Coast Builders, LLC, of Osprey has two homes under construction near Charlotte Harbor, and plans to build all its homes to this disaster-resistant standard from now on.  Fortified…for safer living® is the new-home construction designation granted by the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), a national nonprofit organization based in Tampa, FL.  The “Fortified” program specifies criteria that will increase a home’s overall resistance to natural hazards based on its location.  There are now about 2,500 “Fortified” homes completed, under construction or planned in ten states.  The Fortified…for safer living® homes in Port Charlotte’s Gulf Cove neighborhood will include added protection from high winds, flooding, and wildfire, the area’s three greatest natural threats.  Some of the “Fortified” features of the homes include: Engineered to withstand at least 130 m.p.h. wind speeds;  Better connections tying the roof, walls and foundation together;  Ring-shank nails to hold the roof in place and roofing materials that provide resistance to water penetration, high wind, and wildfire;  Higher pressure-rated windows and doors with all openings protected from impact; and Fire resistant exterior building materials. Tarpon Coast actually builds beyond the “Fortified” requirements, gluing the roof to the trusses and engineering homes to the stricter requirements of Florida’s High Velocity Hurricane Zone, where wind speeds are 150 miles per hour. President Mike Romig says, “We believe this is the way all homes will be built in Florida eventually.  Residents deserve better-built, affordable homes that also withstand the natural threats in this area.” According to Chuck Vance, IBHS Fortified program manager, “Our engineers analyze the damage caused by destructive storms and use that insight to craft the requirements of the Fortified…for safer living® program.  We need to shake loose the complacency about severe weather and build every home in this country to face what we know nature will at some point throw at it.” To learn more about the Fortified…for safer living® program, click here. IBHS works to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved construction, maintenance and preparation practices.