Eight tornadoes touched down in Massachusetts in 2023 alone.
The powerful storms can leave a path of destruction, like the one that peeled the roof off a motel in West Yarmouth in 2019.
This interactive map from the Tornado Archive shows where tornadoes have left their mark in New England over the last 70 years. But homebuilders around the country are looking at new ways to help buildings withstand nature’s fury.
Jim Powell saw the destruction firsthand. Nearly 500 homes were damaged and 59 were destroyed as a powerful EF-4 tornado with winds of 170mph tore through his Ohio community. His goal was to develop a tornado-resistant home.
“The start really came from the review of the general knowledge of steal constructed homes,” Powell said. And, the first house is just the beginning.”
Powell continued, “Several ideas came in and tried to perfect the prototype. The house contains all the amenities of a modern house, but with added structural integrity. The skeletal structure being steel beams really was the start of making it safe. The steel roof and some of the guttering are really very strong.”
The wood frame is thicker than a standard home. All to make this home capable of withstanding some of the strongest winds.
“The steel structure and roof, 150 mph to 170 mph. They are tornado resistant to that level,” Powell said.
Tornado resistant to 170 mph, which is the same as an EF-4 tornado. That is the big selling point for real estate agent Veronica Bedell-Nevels.
“When the tornado first happened, I had a couple of people who wanted a basement. They were fearful, their children were fearful, so we had to find them a specific type of ranch home with a basement,” Bedell-Nevels said.
This type of tornado-resistant home is providing new housing options. But it may not appeal to all homeowners.
Homeowner John Rindler said, “Not to me, no. I have had my house for 36 years and it is an old 200-year-old brick house, and it isn’t going to blow over anytime soon.”
According to Sandra Hall, “Tornado safety comes to my mind anytime, whether you are in a new home or an old home. It is safety that counts. Safety is what I value 24/7.”
As for Powell, he believes these homes would be an investment in your family’s safety.
“We thought that would be top of mind and people would want their family as safe as possible,” Powell said.
Of course, you don’t need a new home to find the safest space where you currently live. That is the lowest level in an interior room. Ideally in a basement if you have one. Click HERE to see where tornadoes have touched down close to your community in recent years.
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