NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — As severe weather events increase across Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky, so does the concern for damage to property and life.
With many people moving to the region daily, it’s essential to make sure you find a home that is designed to better handle the threats Mother Nature can, and will, throw our way.
From tornadoes to wildfires, and everything in-between, advances are being made to improve the quality of construction of our businesses and homes. And there is an organization that has made it their mission to research and promote these advancements…Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS).
IBHS is an independent, nonprofit organization developed to research ways to create more resilient communities in the face of natural disasters.
Dr. Ian Giammanco is the Senior Director for Standards and Data Analytics and Lead Research Meteorologist at IBHS, and he and I spoke about concerns we face in the Mid-South as our community rapidly grows.
With rapid growth, Dr. Giammanco stresses the importance of getting modern codes adopted very quickly so that they are in place when new homes are built. If we don’t, “we risk the fact that these homes may not have been built to modern codes, or inspected properly,” according to Dr. Giammanco. In such cases, this could lead to homes and businesses being extra vulnerable to natural disasters such as damaging wind and tornadoes…things all too common in this part of the country.
What about those of us who live in homes that are “old construction?” Dr. Giammanco recommends if you are in a position to re-roof your home, that is the time to make potential improvements to make your home stronger. According to Dr. Giammanco, “You can add better nails…a better nailing pattern to keep your roof deck down…you can seal that deck to keep water out should you shingles come off in a wind event.”
Another disaster that is becoming all too common in the area is wildfires. Two wildfires that come to mind within the last decade are the “Gatlinburg Wildfire” of 2016, and the “Hatcher Mountain” wildfire of 2022.
When it comes to fire threats there are things you can do to help lower your chances of wildfire impacting your home. Something as simple as landscaping…making sure there is no “fuel” within a five-foot radius of your home…can help lower the chances of wildfire impacting your home. Dr. Giammanco says minimizing what is in that “five-foot area” helps to prevent a potential “fuel source” for fire to start close enough to immediately spread to your home.
For more types on ways to help make sure your property is prepared for a natural disaster, you can go to www.DisasterSafety.org.
