Shutting the bedroom door could save your roof during a hurricane, IBHS says

PR Newswire

RICHBURG, S.C., Sept. 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Shut the interior doors. Protect windows, doors, and the garage door. Clean up the yard. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS^®) offers simple precautions home and business owners can take to reduce stress on the roof and reduce avoidable hurricane damage.

Rigorous scientific wind testing on a full-scale 1,400-square-foot single-story home at the IBHS Research Center reveals that closing interior doors helps compartmentalize the pressure inside a home into smaller areas, reducing the force on the roof by as much as 30%, which gives the roof a better chance of staying intact.

As Hurricane Dorian nears the southeast coast, residents are urged to listen to local officials, heed all evacuation orders, and, where time allows, take last minute precautions to reduce the impact of wind on homes and businesses. With the uncertainty in Hurricane Dorian's track, residents are reminded it is better to be prepared as small changes in the path can have big impacts for coastal residents.

High winds, including those possible with Hurricane Dorian, make homes vulnerable to intense pressure and to dangerous flying debris that can puncture a hole in the home's windows or walls.

"It's not uncommon for me to be told 80-85% of catastrophic losses for residential homes start with damage to the roof," says Roy Wright, President and CEO of IBHS. "Reduce the chance for damage to your roof by closing all the interior doors to compartmentalize pressure in the event wind finds a way into a home through a broken window, compromised garage door, or other opening. Once inside, wind can create strong upward pressure on the roof that will try to pop the roof off. Closing the doors contains Mother Nature's fury, reduces the upward pressure on the roof, and gives you a better chance of keeping the roof on."

For other simple yet valuable steps to better protect your home or business, reduce damage, and ease any claims process, visit disastersafety.org/hurricane.

About the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS)
The IBHS mission is to conduct objective, scientific research to identify and promote effective actions that strengthen homes, businesses and communities against natural disasters and other causes of loss. Learn more about IBHS at DisasterSafety.org.

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