1. If you are building a new house, try to get as much natural protection as you can. Locate the house well above the levels reached by storm surges and high seas. 2. Roofs that are fairly steep - at least 30 degrees in pitch - attract much less wind suction during a hurricane than a flat roof. 3. Make sure that all major elements of your building are securely fastened together from foundation to roof. 4. Avoid creating extra large windows by going close to the roof line. This will weaken the ability of the roof to withstand strong winds or vigorous shaking in an earthquake. 5. Short eves and overhangs make a roof more resistant to hurricanes. 6. If you live near the sea, protect metal reinforcing bias and hurricane straps from corrosion by salt air. Use recommended paints and other products to ensure that these metal components remain strong. 7. By making a small investment in hurricane straps, you can save much bigger investments when high winds come. 8. Pay close attention to the design of roofs, windows and doors since these are the locations that often fail during a hurricane. 9. The end wall of a house with a gabled roof faces tremendous force during a hurricane. If you have a gabled roof, make sure the end walls are properly braced. Installing additional truss bracing can make your house much stronger. 10. Regardless of your roof design, there are hurricane straps that can help to strengthen it. Get appropriate advice about the use and installation of hurricane straps. 11. Roof failures usually occur during hurricanes because the connection between the roof and the exterior walls is poor. Pay careful attention to how your roof is attached to the exterior walls. 12. Improperly reinforced masonry walls fail during hurricanes. Pay careful attention and have proper inspections done to ensure that your masonry walls are properly reinforced. Reinforcing bars must be placed at all intersections and corners. 13. Poor mortar joints between walls and slabs, lack of tie beams, poor horizontal reinforcing or missing tie anchors can lead to wall collapse during hurricanes. Make sure your construction follows the recommended procedures. 14. Improper splicing of timber and improper notching of timber can weaken a timber house. Make sure your builders join timbers properly. 15. Hurricane winds can exert great pressure against the walls of an elevated house. Unstable columns and weak footings can make a house collapse during a hurricane. 16. Hip roofs have been found to resist hurricanes better than other shapes. They do not present any flat surfaces to wind whatever the wind direction. 17. It is recommended that total windows and door openings cover no more than 30 percent of the wall area. 18. A tie beam of reinforced concrete should be placed in all walls unit masonry, at each floor or roof level. The vertical height of masonry wall should not be greater than sixteen (16) feet. 19. Proper roof design and use of hurricane straps can go a long way towards making an entire building resistant to hurricanes. 20. Re-roofing your house allows you the opportunity to strengthen your roof against hazards such as hurricanes. 21. Small houses that have a simple shape such as a square or rectangle are more resistant to hurricanes than buildings with L shapes. 22. Make sure all the materials used in constructing or repairing your house meet the standards required for that purpose. 23. Galvanize sheets that are not properly fastened to the roof framing can be easily blown away. 24. Making a house resistant to hurricanes cost much less than you might think-especially if it is designed that way in the first place. 25. If you are repairing or rebuilding a large house make sure that you design at least one room as a save haven in case of a natural disaster such as a hurricane. 26. A new house may be the biggest investment you make in your lifetime. Make sure it is designed and built to last a life time. 27. Most building failures can be reduced by providing appropriate bracing, clamping and anchoring of framing components in wooden houses. 28. The use of good quality concrete, concrete ingredients and adequate steel reinforcements, especially in foundations, can make buildings resistant to natural hazards. 29. If you plan to extend your house into an L shape, it is advisable to separate the two units by a corridor or walkway which, if possible, should be a separate self-supporting structure. 30. When wooden posts are used instead of concrete blocks or columns foundation, make sure the wood is properly treated and buried deeply in concrete. Source: Ministry of Social Development, in collaboration with the Housing Authority of Grenada