The new and updated version of The Texas Homeowner’s Handbook to Prepare for Coastal Natural Hazards is here! Whether you’re retrofitting an existing home or repairing or rebuilding a home that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey, a publication available from the Texas Sea Grant College Program at Texas A&M University can provide some helpful information.

The handbook includes general information about hurricanes and tropical storms, including preparation and evacuation, but it also describes ways to build or retrofit a home to make it more resistant to wind and rain. The handbook includes sections on roof stability, keeping water out and power issues, as well as a section on wind and flood insurance.

The publication was produced through a partnership with the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the Texas General Land Office, Texas Sea Grant, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was modeled after a similar publication produced by the University of Hawai’i Sea Grant College Program.

Since Hurricane Harvey, Texas Sea Grant staff have already distributed over 7,500 copies of the Texas Homeowner’s Handbook to 30 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Recovery Centers and 7 Texas A&M AgriLife Extension county offices around the state, and to the FEMA Joint Field Office in Austin.

 

By Cindie Powell, Kimber De Salvo