WMBFNews.com | Myrtle Beach/Florence, SC | News, Weather, SportsHomeowners prep for hurricanes

Homeowners prep for hurricanes

By Laura Thomas - bio | email

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The 2009 hurricane season is nearly halfway over, but it's never too late to prepare for a potential storm.

Brad Stone and Dan Bowden of Compass Designs are wind inspectors and took a look at Jeremiah Gentleman's home along Red Bird Lane in Horry County on Friday. Gentleman wanted to make sure his home was well-prepared for future storms, to make sure his family stays safe.

"Katrina was a real eye-opener," Gentleman explained. "I think everyone that lives near the coast is going to agree with that."

Stone and Bowden perform hurricane inspections all the time, taking a look at both the outside and the inside of a home and making suggestions to sturdy the structure. They started by going down a checklist, measuring the outside windows and doors for either plywood or hurricane shutters to help protect the home.

They measured the gables, the points of the roof. Bowden says that if the gables are taller than four feet, they need reinforcement. Bowden says it's also important to take a look at how your roof is nailed into the supports, as well as what kind of nail was used.

"When we renail a roof deck, we use eight penny ring shank nails every six inches throughout the whole roof," Bowden said. "That makes it almost impossible to pull the plywood from the tresses."

After the inspection, Bowden and Stone conclude that Gentleman's home could use some reinforcements, but they say that's the whole purpose of the check-up.

"You can always find room for improvement," Stone said.

Gentleman says it's worth every penny.

"There's a lot of memories here, especially when you have kids, your heart is in your home," he commented. "I would hate to be sifting through the rubble, trying to salvage what we had left of our memories. I just don't want to see that happen."

This inspection could also save some money in the long run, says Allison Dean Love of the South Carolina Insurance News Service.

"Through South Carolina Safe Home, you can find a wind inspector," she said. ". t's costs about $150 to have the inspection done, but it's a really small price to pay for the exchange of the peace of mind and the security of knowing that you're protecting your home and protecting your family."

Bowden and Stone do these types of inspections as a part of the South Carolina Safe Home program. For more information, go to www.scsafehome.sc.gov.

It is important to note that if a strong storm is in the area, there is nothing that can completely protect a home, but Bowden and Stone say it is a good idea to prepare as much as possible.

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