Gov’t urges use of hurricane straps during roof construction

As Jamaicans begin to rebuild in the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl, the Government is encouraging the use of hurricane straps during roof construction.

A Hurricane Roof Strap Expo, organised by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, was held at JAG Myers Park in Black River, St Elizabeth on Friday.

It involved collaboration with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

Hurricane straps are metal connectors that are installed during the construction of roofs to minimise the risk of blow-off during extreme weather events.

In an interview with JIS News, Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, underscored the importance of sensitising citizens, particularly those hardest hit by the passage of Hurricane Beryl, about the use and benefits of the straps.

“What we are doing here in Black River is the first in a series [to show] what the Government is doing and what the residents themselves can do in order to prevent certain damage during the hurricane season,” he said.

McKenzie told JIS News that in 2008, ODPEM commenced a Resilient Roofing Project, which included the use of hurricane straps, and the exercise was being relaunched to “encourage Jamaicans who are going to be rebuilding their roofs …to ensure that they use the proper tools.”

He said citizens must be cognisant that Jamaica is prone to earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, land slippage and drought “so we must become more disaster conscious [in terms of] where we live, how we build and the risks that we take.”

Acting Director General of ODPEM, Richard Thompson, noted that the Resilient Roofing Project, which started after the passage of Tropical Storm Gustav, not only focused on hurricane straps, but also resilient roof design.

“In terms of hurricane resilience, using hip or gable roof is better to minimise the impact of wind damage,” he pointed out.

“So, you will have a flat roof and what will happen is that the wind will be able to get under the roof itself and lift the zinc sheeting. The hip roof, depending on the degree of slope, gives you better resilience as the wind blows onto the roof itself and does not get under the roof,” Thompson outlined.

Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South West, Floyd Green, hailed the expo as a “wonderful initiative” and commended McKenzie and his team for bringing the information “directly to the people”.

“Clearly, to bring intervention directly to the people in the hardest hit parish is something that we truly appreciate. A number of our citizens are looking to rebuild, are looking to recover, but they need some support and what we want is to ensure that when they rebuild, they build back better,” he told JIS News.

He noted that over 2000 households were impacted by Hurricane Beryl in terms of roof damage.

“So, it's critical that as they seek to rebuild, they do it in a different manner, they do it in a more sustainable manner, so if another event of this nature comes, we can fare a little better,” Green said.

During the expo, citizens were given hurricane straps and tarpaulin.

Participating entities included Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB), HEART/NSTA Trust, Social Development Commission (SDC) and Sherwin Williams.

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