Gearing Up For Hurricane Season

If you are a Florida Homeowner, you can still qualify for a MySafe Florida grant which provides a matching grant of up to $5,000.

2. How much is available?
Individual homes will be eligible for matching grants of up to $5,000 each to make specific home improvements as recommended in the inspection report. A "matching grant" means that for every dollar of the homeowner's own money spent on a wind resistance upgrade recommended in the official inspection report, the Program will provide an additional dollar to help pay for the upgrade, up to a maximum grant of $5,000.

For example:

• If the recommended improvements you have done cost $3,000, the state would pay $1,500 and you would pay $1,500.
• If the recommended improvements you have done cost $20,000, the state would pay $5,000 and you would pay the other $15,000.

Low-income homeowners will be eligible for $5,000 grants with no match required. The My Safe Florida Home program is working with local governments and the Volunteer Florida Foundation to offer low-income homeowners the opportunity to strengthen their homes against natural disasters.

3. What must the money be used for?

Matching grant funds are available only for wind-resistance improvements in seven specific categories, as follows:

1. Improving the strength of your roof deck attachment. For example, if your roof consists of shingles nailed to plywood sheets, the inspection may reveal that the plywood sheets are not adequately nailed to your roof trusses, and that additional nails and/or longer nails need to be added to prevent the plywood from being blown off in a hurricane.
2. Creating a secondary water barrier to prevent water intrusion. For example, using strips of "peel and stick-on" material that cover the joints between the plywood sheets on your roof to reduce leakage until repairs can be made if a hurricane blows off your roof shingles.
3. Improving the survivability of your roof covering. For example, upgrading to thicker and stronger hurricane-resistant roof shingles, attached with properly sized and properly applied roofing nails, to reduce the susceptibility of your roof shingles blowing off in a hurricane.
4. Bracing gable-ends in your roof framing. This is usually done inside your attic to decrease chances that your roof will collapse under hurricane wind loads.
5. Reinforcing roof-to-wall connections. For example, installing metal tie-down straps that attach roof rafters to wall studs to decrease chances that all or a portion of your roof will simply lift your house during a hurricane.
6. Upgrading exterior wall opening protections. For example, installing hurricane-rated window shutters.
7. Upgrading exterior doors. For example, replacing a standard garage door with a hurricane-rated garage door.

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