“Hurricane Shutters” Google Search & Plywood Shutter Installation

High winds and debris can break unprotected windows and then enter your house. Once inside, wind and debris can cause more damage. Protecting windows not only helps you avoid damage to your house, it also reduces the likelihood that you or members of your family will be hurt by broken glass and debris.

Since so many citizens are using the web as a resource for hurricane preparedness information, A Big Wind wanted to see what came up on Google and Yahoo if you did a search for “hurricane shutters” or “hurricane shutter installation.” On Google, the link that came to the very top of the organic search results (i.e. not the Sponsored Links) – was an OLD NOAA link from 2000 with questionable information about shutter installation. The same link came up as #5 on Yahoo.

From what we have read, FEMA recommends using permanent storm shutters if possible. If you are using plywood – their latest recommendation for plywood shutter installation says to OVERLAP the window and there is NO mention of needing holes for pressurization.

This NOAA link at the top of search results for “hurricane shutters” however loads a page entitled, A Short Lesson in Building Effective Shutters. The info on the page was originally presented at the Impact of Climatic Variations on the Caribbean region Hurricanes Meeting, July 20-21, 1999 in Miami, Florida. There is information that is still consistent with the latest thinking that plywood shutters are an inexpensive alternative to commercial shutters, but it should be noted that they do NOT meet the specification of the South Florida Building Code and they do require a good deal of physical labor to manufacture and install them. According to the page:

“You should use at least 5/8 inch exterior grade plywood, which is substantial enough to sustain an impact by windborne debris, but which is also heavy and hard to work with. You should also buy heavy duty 3 or 4 inch barrel bolts, at least four per panel, more for larger openings. The better the quality of materials you use the less likely they will fail in a hurricane.”

Now here is the questionable part:

“There ought to be at least 2 inches inset of the window from the exterior wall since the plywood will be mounted inside this recess. For windows and doors without enough inset you may have to fasten the plywood to the outside wall, which makes them vulnerable to being pulled off by high winds.

Each window and door to be covered should be carefully measured and a piece of plywood cut to fit snugly inside the opening.”

We also found a local red Red Cross site that still had OLD instructions to relieve pressure during the hurricane:

“Cut the plywood to the measurements for each opening. Drill holes 2 1 /2 inches from the outside edge of the plywood at each corner and at 12-inch intervals. Drill four holes in the center area of the plywood to relieve pressure during a hurricane.”

Lesson: Don’t believe everything that is out there on the web, even from resources such as NOAA. Standards have changed and we learn more from every disaster. Make sure you have the most up to date information possible to protect yourself and your family.

2006 FEMA TIPS for installing temporary plywood covers:

• - You should always consider using permanent storm shutters if you live in an area where you know you will need to act quickly to protect your windows.

- If you decide to use temporary plywood covers, you may want to hire a contractor or handyman to make them for you. If you do the work yourself, you will need to cut the plywood and drill holes for screws or lag bolts in each cover and in the wall around each window. The screws or lag bolts should be placed along the top, bottom, and sides of each cover, and they should be long enough to penetrate the wall studs around the window, not just the siding or wall covering.

- Don’t wait until a hurricane warning is issued to make the covers; you probably won’t have time. Make them now so that you’ll be ready to install them quickly. Store the mounting screws or lag bolts with the covers, in a place where they are readily accessible — don’t stack heavy boxes or other hard-to-move materials on top of or around the covers. Use a numbering or lettering system that shows which cover goes with which window.

Are there any contractors or engineers out there that can validate this information? A Big Wind is going to help contact the owners of these old pages that are still out on the web and being indexed by search engines and recommend that they ar removed or updated. Old information that is circulating on the web could have negative effects that were never intended.

UPDATE: There is a lively and very informative discussion here that was started a year ago regarding plywood and other types of shutters and shutter products on Mark Treadwell’s blog. Mark is a self described “knowledgeable homeowner who just also happens to be an Aerospace Engineer as well as experienced in other types of engineering.” You can find all of his hurricane posts here. Great tips Mark – thanks!