Lessons learned: New NJ homes are built to be hurricane-ready

Many newly constructed homes in New Jersey are built to withstand the damage from a storm such as Sandy.

News 12 Staff

Jul 10, 2019, 9:51 PM

Updated 1,995 days ago

Share:

It has been nearly seven years since Superstorm Sandy devastated New Jersey.
Many Sandy victims say that for each new hurricane that develops, they are reminded of what they have lost from that storm. There are still hundreds of people who are not back in their homes which were destroyed.
But the silver lining is that many newly constructed homes in New Jersey are built to withstand the damage from a storm such as Sandy.
“They've included things such as hurricane clips, load-path strapping, clips for plywood. All of these things help to make a structure more resistant and sustainable during high wind conditions,” says Stephen Jones, with the International Code Council.
News 12 New Jersey visited some homes under construction in Hillsborough Township, which sport some of these advancements.
But even with new construction advances, experts say that there are still some things a homeowner can do to minimize hurricane damage.
“Keep an eye on the grates in front of your house. Make sure that they’re clean so the water can drain properly,” says Jones.
Jones also says to make sure that home gutters and drainage pipes are cleared out, and to make sure that tree limbs and overhead wires aren’t hanging over the home.
Officials say that with these updates to building codes, New Jersey has become one of the most hurricane-ready states in the nation.