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With Hurricane Season upon us, we would like to focus this blog entry on how you can prepare your home for what forecasters are saying is going to be a very active hurricane season.
The good news? With over 23 years of field work and 12,000 installations, we have a wealth resources and experiences to draw from to help you protect your home during this season, and those ahead. Our storm solution products including: Rollshutters, VuSafe storm panels, and hurricane fabric are an excellent "first line" of defense during rough weather and heavy storms.
Although the U.S. has seen its fair share of damaging storms in the past, the Northeast has most certainly seen significant storm activity over the last two years. Hurricane Irene 2011, Hurricane Sandy 2012, Winter Storm Nemo 2013 along with several unnamed Nor'easters. With that said, what you can do now to keep safe and prepare for the current 2013 Hurricane Season?
How to keep your family safe:
-Download the Family Emergency Plan from FEMA to have important info ready.
-Know if you live in an evacuation area, and if you are vulnerable to storm surge, flooding and wind.
-Put together an emergency kit including: water, nonperishable foods, flashlights, and a first aid kit.
-If evacuated, wait until it is safe to return home to assess the damage.
On a lighter note...
Throughout the summer, its host to some great events, including for the first time, the U.S. Women's Golf Open Championship on June 27th. Check out their other great events here!
Did someone say warmer weather?!
With this beautiful weather finally here, we are all SO happy to be finally extending ourselves outside and soaking in the rays. Not only does that mean BBQ's on Memorial Day, beach outings and the occasional "sick" day off from work, it can also mean annoying bugs! Lucky for you, we have the solution in this issue!
-Keep the view, not the bugs. Instantly convert open porch space into an insect-free zone.
-Stay cool, and save money. Solar shading fabrics reduce glare and summer heat gain. You can reduce your energy bill by up to 50%!
Paul Craig was on hand for NECN news on Saturday to show how folks can and are preparing for Hurricane Sandy. Click on image below for the full story.
Exerpt from the CT Post on 10/26/2012
"Preparations for the impending storm began Thursday and are expected to pick up 
pace Friday as people head to supermarkets and home improvement stores and gather supplies.
Mark Legenos spent Thursday hauling, hammering and hanging motorized storm shutters over the front windows of Joseph Clomiro's home, facing Long Island Sound on Stratford's West Beach Drive.
"These are strong enough to halt flying debris and heavy winds from penetrating the windows," said Legenos, a manager at Shade and Shutter Systems in Guilford."
HYANNIS, MA (October 26, 2012) - VuSafe Industries LLC, headquartered in Hyannis, MA, manufactures a certified storm protection system which is easy to install and can be used multiple times by coastal homeowners in Massachusetts, Connecticut. Rhode Island and New York.
“As Hurricane Sandy poses a threat to properties along the east coast, we are reminded of the steep potential cost for not having our homes and businesses protected,” said Paul Craig, general manager of VuSafe Industries LLC and Cape Cod resident. “The weakest point of any structure during a storm with high winds are its glass areas.”
Manufacturing on Cape Cod since 2007, VuSafe Industries has been producing its proprietary storm-rated, easy to install, see-thru panel, as a cost effective alternative to plywood. At almost the same price as installing plywood just once, these clear panels allow homeowners to protect themselves - year after year, storm after storm.
Today, the Perfect Storm has the Perfect Solution to protecting every homeowner’s most valuable asset against wind driven debris, water leakage --- or worse, complete property loss. VuSafe clear polycarbonate storm panels will protect fragile glass areas against coastal storm damage and blowing debris in a fraction of the time it takes to install plywood.
Designed with the end user in mind, these transparent panels are safe, lightweight and easy for homeowners to install when weather warnings are issued. Homeowners can prepare their homes against multiple perils with this certified system that meets the most stringent building codes and insurance guidelines.
VuSafe Storm Panels and its sister company, Shade & Shutter Systems Inc. which is the local Cape Cod and New England distributor of hurricane rolling shutters, are preferred vendors of insurance companies nationwide.
Shade & Shutter Systems of NY is operated under a licensing agreement granted to Mike Buckley who, after several years of working at headquarters on Cape Cod, wanted to have a dealership of his own. Mike is extra fortunate to have the full time efforts of his mother, Lyn Buckley who spent many years handling customer service and scheduling for SSSI, Inc. A beautiful new showroom at 446 Edwards Avenue in Calverton NY nicely shows off the range of products available to Suffolk County property owners looking for solutions for storm protection and sun control. Mike oversees project sales and installation while Lyn manages the showroom and administrative tasks. In the new showroom you will see full scale examples of all of our products designed for weather protection and sun control. Self storing shutters which roll-a-way into a cassette housing permanently installed above window openings and always ready for action. These rolling shutters are rated and approved hurricane protection shutters. Rollshutters also prevent intruders from getting in and save your money on insurance and reduced energy loss through the vulnerable glass areas of your home. Hurricane fabrics from Wayne Dalton, Storm Smart as sensible alternatives to plywood for storm shuttering and building code compliance. Retractable Habitat Screens from Talius Mfg. These roll up screens feature an edge retention for high wind screen performance and can be used for sun control and protection from mosquitoes. Retractable Awnings featuring wind and corrosion resistant frame designs and durable fabrics from Sunbrella, Dickson and other leading brands. Shade & Shutter Systems, Inc has been the regions leader in weather protection and sun control for over 21 years and we welcome the continuing contribution to that success through the efforts of Mike and Lyn Buckley.
Paul Craig President, CEO |
The Summer seemed to take forever to get here this year, but it is finally here. Officially the Summer season doesn't start until June 21st, however, something else does start today. The 2011 Hurricane Season.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting a very active season with 80 named storm days, 16 named storms, 9 hurricanes with 5 major hurricanes. It doesn't sound like high numbers, but compared to the average: 
Probabilities for at least one major hurricane to make landfall on the U.S. coastline: 72% (average for last century is 52%). Probabilities and statistics all point at the change from the relatively inactive hurricane seasons of the past few years to a very active hurricane season in 2011.
You've heard it, read it, even thought about it. But have you done it? 
Preparations can take the panic out of what would be a very stressful time should a Hurricane Warning be posted for the Cape & Islands. Here are a few ways to prepare your business, your home and your family. FEMA has joined with DisasterAssistance.gov and Citizen Corps to host the Ready.gov website. It's an interactive planning guide that can be made for business, home or your family. Even kids can help with the planning with a site specially made for them.
Once you have your plan set, there is one other thing that Cape & Islands residents and visitors should know:
Bourne & Sagamore Bridges
Once wind gusts reach 70mph: Restricted access (Emergency Vehicles only) onto Cape Cod at Routes 6 (Sagamore Bridge) and 28 (Bourne Bridge). All rotary traffic will be one way - no cross traffic. Meaning, if you go over the Bourne Bridge, Route 25/ 495 is the only way you can go. Same with traveling over the Sagamore Bridge- Route 3 will be your only option. This is to improve the traffic flow off the Cape and to keep it moving.
Once the sustained winds reach 70mph: both bridges will close for ALL Traffic. All remaining Cape & Islands population will be instructed to find shelter within their homes, at a local Mass. care shelter, a Red Cross Shelter, or as a last resort, the retrofitted barracks on the Mass Military Reservation until the storm passes.
In closing, we all hope that we don't have to face a hurricane this year, or any year. If we do, the best defense that you can have is to be prepared. From protecting your home with Rollshutters, VuSafe Panels or Hurricane Fabric, to knowing where and when to evacuate. Be ready, just in case.
Additional Links:
Red Cross Shelters of Cape Cod & Islands
Cape Cod Commission: Emergency Preparedness Handbook
Hurricane Awareness Tour - P3 Orion 'Hurricane Hunter' Aircraft at Otis AFB in Falmouth, MA on Monday May 2, 2011
NOAA / National Weather Service 2011 Hurricane Awareness Tour is coming to the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR) in Falmouth on Monday, May 2, 2011. This tour is based around a visit from the P3 Orion 'Hurricane Hunter' Aircraft that flies research and reconnaissance missions into the eye of a hurricane. The crew that flies the plane will give tours of the aircraft. Meteorologists from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service will be also be present.The Hurricane Awareness Tour is an integral part of an annual campaign to raise public awareness and preparation for the Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs from June 1st through November 30.
The tour is comprised of several parts including an educational portion for local 4th and 5th graders and a public portion where the general public will be invited to tour the aircraft and explore informational booths located on site. These information stations will include representatives from:
- NOAA / National Weather Service Taunton
- Northeast River Forecast Center
- Museum of Science - Boston
- Blue Hill Observatory and Science Center
- Cape Cod Medical Reserve Corps
- University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography
- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
- UMass Lowell - AMS/NWA
- FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) - Region 1
- WQRC Radio - Hyannis
- Shade & Shutter Systems, Inc.
Amateur radio operators from Rhode Island and Massachusetts will provide live communications directly to the National Hurricane Center in Miami as well as communications support throughout the event.
Public Tours will be Open from 2:30pm to 5:30pm
We hope you will join us!
Please click on the link below for directions to the event:
View Larger Map
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| Spring Crocus |
Spring has sprung loose from the binds of Winter! Shoots of vibrant spring colors unfurl with sleepy gazes at the warming sun. The hearty residents of New England pull back the curtains and open doors to look at the newly awakening world around them, glad to have made it through another cold and snow bound winter. Even as the chill of the winter still lingers in the memory, something else is coming along with the enjoyment of the warmer weather. The 'season' is rapidly creeping up on New England. The 2011 Hurricane Season. Something no one wants to think about. As folks open their homes to the warm sun and breezes, the extra glass storm windows used for instillation changed out for the screens, as each section is taken down, take a moment to look through your windows. It's home. A place to retreat to from the outside world.
"What would happen if the windows broke in a wind storm or worse yet, a hurricane?"
"What are the chances of it happening?"
Who wants to even think about that. Unfortunately, it is something that does need to be addressed. As of 8 December 2010, the Extended Range Forecast of Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Activity and Landfall Strike Probability for 2011(Full Report), from the Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University,
"We foresee an above-average Atlantic basin tropical cyclone season in 2011 and anticipate an above-average probability of U.S. and Caribbean major hurricane landfall."
Probabilities for at least one major hurricane landfall:
- Entire U.S. coastline - 73% (avg. is 52%) - Up from 69% in 2010.
- U.S. East Coast Including Peninsula Florida - 49% (avg.31%) - Up from 45% in 2010.
- Gulf Coast from Florida Panhandle westward to Brownsville - 48% (avg. is 30%) - Up from 44% in 2010.
- Caribbean - 62% (avg. is 42%) - Up from 58% in 2010.
Worrisome? Certainly something to think about. The updated predictions come out on April 6th, 2011. Either way, it's going to be an interesting season.
A wind field is the term used to describe wind speed and direction over a geographic area associated with a storm event. The Great New England Hurricane of 1938 provides a sobering example of how far inland hurricane force winds can be experienced. This category 3 hurricane had a very fast forward speed, estimated to have been 70mph, as it approached Long Island, NY from the southeast. Interestingly, the storm became a hybrid storm as it made landfall. It had begun to transition from a tropical storm into an extra-tropical event. Extra-tropical transition marks a change of the cyclones primary energy source from the release of latent heat of condensation, to baroclinic processes associated with the boundary between air masses of different temperatures. The storm was drawing energy from 2 sources. During extra-tropical transition, a storm may tap into both energy sources simultaneously which explains why tropical cyclones can sustain their strength above colder water. Extra-tropical storms generally have a larger footprint and their characteristic high forward speeds mean that the most damaging wind speeds are more pronounced to the right hand side of the track.
Could a Katrina type storm happen here in New England? Damage across NY, RI, CT, MA, and farther north into NH, VT and ME was comparable to that experienced in Louisiana and Mississippi in the main foot print of hurricane Katrina in 2005. If such a storm were to repeat this path today, it is estimated that insured losses could reach 40-55 billion dollars. High wind pressure acting on a structure can be catastrophic. Building failures occur when the protective envelope of the building is breached. The most vulnerable areas of your home are the glass areas which, for the most part, are not designed to withstand severe wind pressures or the impact of air borne debris. This is why shuttering your windows and doors is an essential protective measure.
Recovering from storm damage can be a costly hassle for property owners. This scenario can be avoided by taking steps to install weather protection measures which could have the added effect of saving you money on insurance premiums and expensive wind deductibles. Some product solutions also have further benefits such as energy conservation, filtering of UV light entering your home, enhanced perimeter security and noise abatement.
For more information: www.shadeandshutter.com, www.disastersafety.org, www.vusafe.com
