‘Safety counts’: How to tornado-proof your home before the next one strikes

eight confirmed tornadoes touch down in Massachusetts last year alone they can leave a path of Destruction like this one that peeled the roof off of a motel in West Yarmouth back in 2019 that's right and Boston 25 meteorologist Tucker antio shows us the new way homebuilders are helping buildings without and withstand Nature's Fury the spark really came from the tornado that happened in late May uh 2019 Jim Powell saw the destruction firsthand nearly 500 homes damaged 59 destroyed as a powerful ef4 tornado with Winds of 170 miles per hour tore through his Ohio community his goal now developing tornado resistant housing he says this first house is just the beginning several ideas came in and then tried to perfect uh the Prototype the house contains all the amenities of a modern home but with added structural Integrity the skeletal structures in steel beams really was the is the start of making it safe the steel roof and some of the guttering is is is really uh very strong and even the wood frame is thicker than a standard home all to make this home capable of withstanding some of the strongest winds Mother Nature can throw at it the uh ratings uh for the roof and the steel structure are about 150 to 170 so they're tornado resistant to that level tornado Tado resistant to an incredible 170 mph that's the same as an ef4 tornado and it's a big selling point for real estate agents I did have a couple of people who wanted a basement they were fearful their children were fearful and so we had to find them a specific type home ranch with a basement this type of tornado resistant home is providing new housing options but it doesn't appeal to all home buyers not to me now I've had my house for like 36 years and it's an old 200y old brick house and that's not going to blow over anytime soon well Tor safety comes up to my mind at any time whether you're a new home or a old home safety is safety and that's one thing I do value is my safety 247 Powell says he believes these homes are an investment in your family's safety we thought that that would be topof the mind and people would want their family safe as possible well you don't need a new home to find that safe space where you currently live that is the lowest level in an interior room ideally in a basement if you have one we shared an interactive map of tornadoes that hit Massachusetts in the last 70 years you can find that on our website Boston 25 news.com