Entries Tagged 'Hurricane Protection' ↓

West Palm Beach, FL — After any good sized storm, like our recent brush with Tropical Storm Ernesto, people in Hurricane effected areas become re-energized about improving their Hurricane preparedness. In itself, this is wonderful. People purchase hurricane shutters for the first time, install garage door braces, write hurricane plans, and some even buy high-end products like impact windows. All these things improve your chances of weathering the next storm with less risk to life and property. Unfortunately, the people who make their living by stealing people’s money know this all too well, and they step-up their efforts to separate you from your hard earned dollars in the weeks following a storm.

One of the main reasons we started our community at aBigwind is to call these scammers to your attention. The more we know about who these scam artists are, and what tricks they employ, the more likely we are to avoid them. Recently, we came across an online tool to perform background checks on companies and individuals that can help you with this.

It’s called PeopleFinders. PeopleFinders allows you to run an extensive range of background checks that will flesh out a lot of information about any potential contractor that you’re considering for a job.

Included in their options are a criminal background screening, company background check, and individual background check. Clicking on the Criminal Check link will take you to a page that shows the databases that will be searched, along with the kinds of criminal activity that PeopleFinders will search for. These include things like: Felonies and Misdemeanors, Offenses & Charges, Court, Conviction date and Risk Level.

According to PeopleFinders.com CEO Rob Miller

“Hurricane Katrina showed the world that terrible situations can still be made worse by greedy and uncaring individuals. “Scam artists love to prey on victims of a disaster because they know they are desperate to rebuild their lives and their homes,” Miller states.”

Although PeopleFinders stands to benefit from our paranoia about being defrauded, we think their tool, and our general paranoia about being scammed, are well justified. You don’t have to look very hard in places like Biloxi, New Orleans, or pretty much any town in Florida to see how common this problem is - news reports are filled with sad tales about Hurricane protection scams.

PeopleFinders offers a number of tips to Hurricane Protection consumers to use in avoiding contractor scams which we include here to add to your Hurricane self defense plan.

1. Online People Searches: You would be surprised at the wealth of information that an online people search web site like PeopleFinders.com can provide regarding a potential contractor or company that wants to repair your home. For individual contractors, a background check can tell you if a contractor is licensed, has a criminal record and even how long he or she has been working in your area. For companies, a business search can tell you if a business is legitimate by providing such information as which professional licenses a business holds, its location, who owns it and even what their office looks like.

2. References: Don’t take a contractor’s word for his or her quality of work. Just like hiring a potential employee, it is always a good practice to check references. If possible, make sure to visit these properties to see their work first hand. Also, you can always contact your local Better Business Bureau to obtain more information on a particular contractor or business.

3. Pro-actively Choose your Contractor: Avoid door to door contractors. To make sure that you are only hiring legitimate contractors, only select those from lists provided from state housing and contracting agencies.

4. Never Pay Cash: Paying for home improvements with cash should be avoided because cash is the toughest form of money to recover should there be a problem with your contractor. In addition, never pay for a job completely up front. Any payments should be made only after you have had a chance to review a contractor’s qualifications.

5. Comparison Shop: Make sure to get multiple bids on your repairs before having any work done. Price is not the only aspect of a bid to be considered when reviewing bids as business history, insurance coverage and proper licenses to work in your area or home must also be taken into consideration.”

Almost exactly a year since Hurricane Katrina, Tropical Storm Ernesto, is entering the same warm waters and will soon be 2006’s first Gulf of Mexico Hurricane.

The track certainly places New Orleans in the cone and while the exact path is obviously unknown - the irony is palpable. According to hurricane center meteorologist Robbie Berg,

“We don’t see a lot of outside influences that would cause the system to turn sharply or speed up or slow down.”

As Ernesto threatens - there is also a convention going on in New Orleans this weekend for people who want to learn more and do more to assist New Orleans’ recovery from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The Rising Tide conference will serve to dispel myths, promote facts, share personal testimonies, highlight progress and regress, discuss recovery ideas, and promote sound policies at all levels.

The organizers aim to be a “real life” demonstration of internet activism as the nation prepares to observe the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The conference will specifically look to address what they describe as the manmade disaster of the levee and floodwall collapses, and the incompetence of government on all levels.

According to an article from Nola.com today:

The head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conceded Saturday that despite aggressive efforts to repair the levee system in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, it was unclear whether the system would hold up to a sizable hurricane this year.

Lt. General Carl Strock, the commander of the Corps, said the agency was carefully tracking Tropical Storm Ernesto, which was spinning in the Caribbean and projected to reach hurricane strength by Monday. It was on track to head into the Gulf of Mexico, though it was unclear whether Ernesto would strike the southern United States.

Strock was confident the Corps had done all it could to repair and reinforce 220 miles of levee walls, but he said many variables would determine whether the levees could withstand Ernesto if it reached Category 3 status and struck near New Orleans, as Katrina did Aug. 29, 2005.

The latest advisory has Ernesto at or near hurricane strength by the time it is over Jamaica on Sunday afternoon.

These cautionary words today about Tropical Storm Chris, from Michael Black, a meteorologist with the federal government’s Hurricane Research Division on Virginia Key.

According to reports filed all over South Florida we’ve begun the official wait, worry and watch mode to see if Chris hits the Islands and continues on his way to South Florida where current storm tracks have him pointing. Since I just moved back to the water from 14 miles inland, just one block away from the Intracoastal waterway in West Palm Beach, I’m having no problem following along.

We actually moved away from this neighborhood just days before Frances tore the neighborhood apart in 2004. The huge Ficus tree across the street from my house crashed down in our park and was impressive enough to be featured days later on ABC’s national network news. Two years later, as I moved back in and went for my old walk along the waterway with my excitable Jack Russell Terriers I noticed in detail just how many homes and buildings were condemned or seriously damaged. Across the Intracoastal on Palm Beach, the summer season finds houses shut up tight with all kinds of hurricane protection. Is it my memory, or are a FAR higher percentage of those mansions shuttered up than before Frances?

While we’re keeping an eye out for Chris let’s all use this time to re-check our supplies, our hurricane plan, and plan for our safety with hurricane protection for your home or business. Got an insurance policy that needs to be updated? Remember, you can’t change your policy once we’re under a Hurricane Watch so act today for a little more piece of mind tonight. Likewise, if you DON’T already have shutters or some kind or impact windows, then now is a great time to get to your favorite home improvement store for the plywood and supplies you’ll need to shutter up your home. And don’t forget to protect your garage door.

Sophisticated, professionally installed home generators like these aren’t the problem.

As Hurricane’s come and go they leave in their wake destruction, death and…power outages. For any of us who have weathered a hurricane we’ve discovered that much of the inconvenience in the ensuing hours and days after the hurricane is due to our loss of power.

Generators like this one pump out significant amounts of deadly carbon monoxide.

It gets us thinking back to days when people survived year around without central electricity and makes us profoundly happy that we can normally conjure up a light bulb, A/C unit or the fridge without a thought.Generators have become increasingly popular with the greater incidence of hurricanes and super duty versions that run

on natural gas are now lusted after by hurricane country residents. For those of us on a budget, the simple Honda home generator from Home Depot is a little more within reach.

You’ve likely heard that generators create deadly carbon monoxide that kill people and yet there are reports every year about people dying from CO poisoning. Sure, some die because they’ve failed to follow common sense BUT did you know that people have died from CO poisoning from generators placed OUTSIDE their home? Generators can generate as much as 6-times the CO of an idling car and when these hogs are spewing their deadly carbon monoxide in close proximity to your home’s windows or a/c unit those fumes can find their way into your home. According to Popular Mechanics and a study conducted by the CDC:

“During hurricanes, however, many people move their generators into areas protected from wind and rain that they assume are well ventilated. A CDC report traced several poisonings to generators placed outside, but near windows or air conditioners.”

Read the full article from Popular Mechanics called Taking CO Seriously. And while you’re at it read more about how to protect yourself in this related story titled In the wake of the storm.
What else can you do? How about making the small additional investment of a CO alarm. You can pick one up for around $30. CO Alarms are available from many hardware stores and big box retailers like Home Depot, Target and many more. Since CO poisoning can come from many sources the warning they provide makes them a great safety device and value.

CO Alarms like this one can be had for as little as $30.

“GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The wind roared against the house. Shingles and tar paper flew off the roof, exposing bare plywood. The front window buckled, then shattered, shooting glass shards into the living room.” — Aaron Hoover, University of Florida News June 20, 2006

And this was just a simulation.

credit: FIU, Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research

As I’ve dug further into Hurricane protection research I’ve become increasingly frustrated by the lack of hard data that people reference when presenting their recommendations. Perhaps it is because I am a marketer by trade, a field dominated by hard-to-measure subjective information, that I am so focused on quantifiable facts. Is it too much to ask to see published information from reliable sources quoting specific studies that experts base their recommendations on?

If someone like me, who is trained in research and has already dedicated countless hours to actively researching Hurricane Protection information, has little to show in hard facts, what chance does the average consumer have of getting accurate, reliable information? Do we all need to become reporters in order to protect our homes and small businesses from the threat of Hurricanes?

That’s why I was particularly happy to find this University of Florida News page that has some great information on new ‘real-world’ testing that they’re involved with. UF is partnering with FIU and their Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research, Florida A&M, The University of Western Ontario (who knew), and The Institute of Business and Home Safety on this important project that is funded with a $190,000 grant from The Florida Department of Consumer Affairs. I do have to say though, given the millions upon millions of dollars that were squandered in Hurricane Katrina FEMA relief - 190k seems a little slim.

Regardless, what’s particularly great about this study is that the project participants are focused on what retrofits can help an older (pre Hurricane Andrew code) structure survive a Hurricane. That’s the majority of us in Hurricane Country. Even better, the studies are being conducted on real homes, rather than structured laboratory conditions that don’t always tell the full story.

Here are some quotes from the University of Florida News article.

“What we’re trying to do is evaluate how much we can reduce an older home’s vulnerability by applying post-construction retrofits,” said Kurt Gurley, lead researcher on the state-funded project and an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Florida.”

and this

“We want to quantify how much you reduce your vulnerability to wind with the various retrofits so that people can weigh the options,” Gurley said. “Some homeowners will have limited budgets, so we hopefully we’ll come up with a way for them to prioritize.”

and this

“Engineers have extensively tested building components and retrofits, but the work is usually done in labs, Gurley said. That means that while the results may have merit, they don’t necessarily match field conditions, where rusted nails, rotted wood and other conditions frequently complicate matters.

“That’s about the most important thing: We’re working in real conditions, capturing data from real houses,” said Forrest Masters, an assistant professor of civil engineering and director of the Laboratory for Wind Engineering Research at the International Hurricane Research Center at Florida International University.”

We’ll look forward to more information on how we can protect our homes and businesses as the study progresses.

- Big W