Hurricane Damage? How To Build Stronger Roofs In Tropical Areas

Hurricane Scale

The Secretary of Homeland Security visited Hawaii on Thursday, a week after Hurricane Lane began pounding Hawaii island. More than 3,900 FEMA workers and other federal workers were wither sent or already working in Hawaii.

Aid agencies are conducting damage assessments following flooding and strong winds by Hurricane Lane, which was just downgraded to a tropical storm just as Hawaii’s Big Island started bracing itself for more strong rain and winds from Hurricane Norman. Lane hit last week with high winds and powerful wind driven rain. Norman is still producing maximum winds of 140 mph.

In the aftermath of storms like these, residents and business owners look at roofing flaws that may be addressed during reconstruction to build stronger roofs to prepare for future storms. In a blog post this week, we discussed those flaws and offered a fantastic shingling solution as well.

Natural Thatch Inconsistent With Pitch Ideals

In places like Hawaii, businesses can really stand out with thatched roofs. One major issue with thatched roofs in hurricane-prone areas is that the ideal slope of a roof to withstand both wind driven rain and the sail effect from hurricanes is set at right about 30 degrees according to aerodynamics research. Well, 30 degrees isn’t a suitable slope for natural thatch. The ideal slope for natural thatch is 50 degrees, but that slope encourages hurricane damage.

Endureed Thatch Is The Perfect Solution For Hurricane Resistance

Endureed shingles can be used on roofs with extremely varied slopes. The 30 degree ideal is no problem for Endureed thatch, which incidentally can withstand Category 5 hurricane winds. Endureed shingles are wind rated and can tolerate extreme winds. Our products have survived Category 5 hurricanes and tornadoes. They’re rated for winds up to 174 mph. This is stronger than even many traditional forms of roof coverings.

Reminder: When you see a windstorm classification rating on roofing products, it’s talking about wind uplift pressures in pounds per square foot (psf). Here’s a link to a really handy website that lets you search by address or latitude and longitude.

Endureed materials are so strong and so resistant to hurricanes that on November 15th, 2016, our thatch became the only synthetic thatch to gain Florida Product Approval. This is not an easy accomplishment. Florida requirements are among the most strict roofing requirements in the world.