Building hurricane resilient homes is a practice that has received a lot more focus in recent years and with the frequency of super storms in the region, it is now a science that has become imperative going forward for home and business owners.

Sustainable Development Consultant Colin John Jenkins, while speaking on state media, gave tips on how those persons who may already have built their homes can transform them into more hurricane resistant structures.

According to Jenkins, an inspection should first be carried out on the premises by experts so that they can provide a list of things that would need to be addressed.

He is advising persons to not wait a month before the hurricane season begins to prep their homes but to do so months in advance.

“You know, you may be thinking that hiring somebody as an expert to look on your property might be something that’s expensive and out of your budget, but not having that knowledge to understand what you need to do can be more detrimental to your pocket if something should happen; and so, we need to try and embrace the fact that we do need pre-emptive measures in understanding what risks are afforded to us and that sometimes can even save our lives,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins went on to share some tips.

“So, if we were to divide this in several parts, for example, we start with the roofs. Instead of nails, you can replace the nails with screws, especially for those wooden homes or even concrete homes that have their pitch roofs. You can look at replacing nails with screws. Screws are better for holding down the material to the roof. Even the spacing of the screws are important in terms of not having them too far apart. You might be trying to save a bit of a dollar or two, but the spacing is important that you have continuity throughout the roof in terms of the fasteners holding it down,” Jenkins said.

Adding hurricane straps internally to the rafters or “the members of the roof to the walls if you don’t have any currently” was another suggestion.

“In some cases, depending on the span of the roof or how wide it is, they may want to introduce some bracing internally, what some persons may call collar ties, for example,” he added.

In terms of the windows and the doors, he advised ensuring that there are no leaks or openings.

“You might want to get some marine silicone if you have identified where the leaks are and, you know, simply seal inside and outside of the windows and doors. In some cases where you have the windows as a part of the masonry, again, you check to make sure water is not an issue and if there is an issue, you may need a contractor to assist you to patch that,” Jenkins explained.

He went on to say that having shutters is important; no matter the type, they must be included.

Unclogging or even removing drains, ensuring the yard is clear of debris and even ensuring there are clear drainage channels within your yard were other tips shared by Jenkins.