Preparing for and Responding to Hurricanes and Tornadoes

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Introduction

Though they are distinct disasters, hurricanes and tornadoes pose similar threats to historic resources due to high winds.  This document is designed to help property owners prepare for the threat of damage caused by hurricanes and tornadoes, and to recover after storms have hit.

The most critical resources relating to this topic are marked below with a check.

Critical Organizations

• Federal Emergency Management Agency 

Hurricane & Tornado Resources

A single home is left standing among debris in Gilchrist, TX.

Credit: Robert Mihovil, MIHOVIL PHOTOGRAPHY

Preparation

• Disaster Planning for Florida's Historic Resources (1000 Friends of Florida/Florida SHPO).
• Disaster Mitigation for Historic Structures: Protection Strategies (1000 Friends of Florida/Florida SHPO).  A guide to help building owners understand which protection and mitigation strategies maybe appropriate for their property based on its specific characteristics.
• Hurricane Preparedness: Are You Ready? (North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources)  A quick guide to preparing your home for an impending hurricane.
• Home Builder's Guide to Coastal Construction Technical Fact Sheet Series (free, FEMA)  A series of 31 technical fact sheets detailing such things as Using a Flood Insurance Rate Map, Moisture Barrier Systems, Coastal Building Materials, and more.
• Water-Resistant Design and Construction: An Illustrated Guide to Preventing Water Intrusion, Condensation, and Mold (McGraw Hill 2007, 286 pages).  An in-depth guide to preparing your home to withstand water intrusion threats from floods, hurricanes, and severe storms.  
• Prepare A Saferoom (Tornado only)(FEMA).
• Tulsa Partners: Tornadoes.  Tornado information from an Oklahoma-based organization dedicated to disaster preparedness.   
• Wind Damage Assessment (Section 4.3) (Minnesota SHPO).  From Minnesota's Thinking About the Unthinkable:  A Disaster Plan For Historic Properties in Minnesota talks about integrating an "uplift chain" to prevent penetrating wind from moving buildings.
• The National Hurricane Program

Response

• Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings (National Trust for Historic Preservation).
• Mold Removal Guidelines For Your Flooded Home (LSU Ag Center)
• Disaster Planning for Florida's Historic Resources (1000 Friends of Florida/Florida SHPO). 
• Coping With Water Damage (Heritage Preservation) is an informative video on how to re-enter flooded buildings and deal with damaged contents and collections. 
• Brief Guide to Understanding Repairs to Historic Homes Damaged By Hurricane Katrina and Other Related Floods (Preservation Trades Network) provides information on caring for masonry foundations and roofing, enhancing ventilation, all while keeping preservation in mind.
• How to Save Your Adobe Home in the Event of a Flood Disaster (Cornerstones)
• Rebuilding Historic Communities Through Historic Preservation (Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division [SHPO])
• Information For Owners of Damaged Buildings Following A National Disaster (North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office [SHPO]).  A series of fact sheets on dealing with the immediate and longer-term work associated with caring for a building after a disaster.
• After The Flood: Rebuilding Communities Through Historic Preservation, a video produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, talks about the state response mechanisms that acted to save historic resources after the historic 1996 floods in south Georgia.