On March 1, the students visited the State Farm® Technology Research and Innovation Laboratory (TRAIL) in Bloomington, IL, to face the ultimate test: Could their student-built roofs stand up to the State Farm Hail Simulator, a piece of research equipment designed to mimic the wrath of Mother Nature herself.

Around the room, the students’ sample roofs made of asphalt shingles and metal – and even one built with ecologically sustainable materials– were getting final tweaks. Then, with nervous excitement, the students placed the roofs below a tower of tubes loaded with steal ball bearings that simulate the impact energies of free-falling hail. Some roofs held up better than others. It is all part of the learning process.

The students were also treated to a demonstration of an ice launcher that is used by State Farm researchers to study the performance of roofing materials. 

Doug Dewey, Senior Research Analyst, State Farm Enterprise Research, worked with the Metcalf students prior to the big test day. “I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to participate. What a wonderful group of students who truly have a passion for physics and science”, said Dewey. “I especially enjoyed my discussions with each of the project teams and their thought processes in developing their real-world roofing solutions to combat wind and hail.”

With Doug’s guidance, the students absorbed a rainfall of knowledge about roofs, the science behind hail and how it ties to being prepared for severe spring weather. “We have an incredible group of researchers here at State Farm with decades of experience”, says Laurel Straub, Assistant Vice President of Enterprise Research at State Farm. “Anytime we can leverage our internal expertise to help educate our community, we get excited to be involved.”

Prepare for hail by being weather aware

If weather conditions turn severe, consider these tips to help prepare for severe weather.

• Now is the perfect time to call your insurance agent and review your coverage. After a hailstorm is not the time to find out your coverage is outdated.
• Update your home inventory by taking pictures and video of your property for a detailed digital record. This can help with the claims process should damage occur.
• Stay connected to forecasts when severe weather threatens and listen to warning signs issued by authorities.
• Personal safety is the number one priority and if you are indoors when a hailstorm hits, stay there. Hail can shatter windows so close drapes, blinds or window shades to reduce the amount of broken glass that might blow inside.
• When building or remodeling, consider impact resistant roofing to help reduce hail damage to your home. State Farm currently offers insurance premium discounts to eligible homeowners in many states with qualifying impact-resistant roofing products.

Don’t forget your vehicles

While nothing can stop hail from falling, there are steps you can take to help protect or reduce damage to vehicles.

• Plan ahead. If a storm is forecast, plan to park your vehicle under cover in a garage or carport, delay your trip or use an alternative mode of transportation.
• Raid the closet - If your home doesn't have a garage, cover the car with any thick blankets, comforters, or even large towels that you have on hand. The more layers the better to add as much cushioning as possible.
• Avoid parking under trees as branches could fall on your vehicle.
• If you are driving when hail is predicted, head for the closest parking garage to ride out the storm in safety. If you can't reach it before the hailstones hit, safely pull under a gas station canopy or a similar spot that can help protect your car from hail damage.

After the storm

• After a hailstorm, visually inspect your home for structural damage, take pictures and, if possible, move your personal belongings to prevent further damage.
• State Farm policyholders are encouraged to make temporary repairs to prevent further damage. For example, board up holes with plywood and cover leaks with plastic sheeting.
• Policyholders should save receipts related to home repairs, vehicle towing, temporary housing, meals and other living expenses. Expenses may be eligible for reimbursement after any required deductibles are met.
• State Farm customers who have damage can start the claim process by contacting your agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, filing online at statefarm.com® or on the State Farm mobile app. 

Our Claims Central Coordination Group springs into action any time a potentially catastrophic storm begins to form - establishing a three-phase response plan.

During phase one, the group meets several times daily. They discuss the National Hurricane Center’s and AccuWeather path forecasts. They assess variances in the predicted path and rework plans as the storm’s cone of uncertainty changes. This includes projecting where to stage catastrophe services assets and evaluating potential claims response center sites. They also bring together resources from across the company.

Communication is also a key focus in phase one. This ensures our associates are aware and ready to take care of our impacted customers and handle their claims. We also communicate storm preparedness information to customers and the media in the potentially impacted zone.

“There is nobody who does it better or is more prepared than State Farm,” Claims Section Manager Taylor Van Loon said. “We can’t plan for everything because issues come up. But, when something does come up, we are prepared and ready to respond because the foundation is in place.”

When State Farm begins the planning for these major events - whether it’s a hurricane along the coast, the ongoing wildfires on the West Coast, a tornado outbreak or winter storms - preparation is key. We talk to our team about things like agent business continuity and give virtual claims handling demos. It’s all about building confidence in everybody involved that we have the ability to respond no matter the storm's strength.

Phase two will begin when Delta makes landfall and phase three will come after the storm – once Catastrophe Services has been fully implemented.

“We are in comfortable spot,” Taylor said. “There are no nerves. We are prepared and ready because we have done this before. Now it is a matter of executing the plan we have in place.”

More than 35,300 insurance claims were filed with State Farm in the week following the Laura’s landfall. Residents across Louisiana and Texas continue reporting damage to their homes and vehicles as impacted areas become more accessible. State Farm catastrophe response drone teams are assessing damage for customers across Lake Charles and other impacted areas.

Please continue to monitor local information. When it is safe to do so, make (or have a contractor make) temporary repairs to prevent further damage to your home or property. Save receipts if you purchase items such as tarps, plywood or other repair supplies. Take photos/videos of damage for claim documentation.

To get the claims process started, you can file your claim online, call 1-800-SFCLAIM (800-732-5246) or contact your State Farm agent.

We're continuing to gear up claims resources in response to #HurricaneLaura. We're balancing health and safety with our commitment to customers, we’re working virtually and in person, practicing social distancing with protective equipment.

The State Farm Weather and Catastrophe Team is being dispatched to the hardest hit areas.

Face-to-Face protocols, adjustments and staffing during COVID-19

• First and foremost, we are committed to the health and safety of our customers, the communities where we live and work, and our claim employees.
• Our claim operations remain open and available to service your claims. We are monitoring this changing health issue and continually evaluating our response.
• Virtual claim inspection options are available in most states if legally permitted.
• Claims can always be submitted and managed by calling or emailing your State Farm agent, calling 1-800-SFCLAIM, submitting a claim through our mobile app or through our website at statefarm.com/claims.
• Continuous innovation and adaptation have positioned State Farm as the insurance industry leader. The pandemic is a rapidly changing situation and the decisions we are making balance health concerns with our obligation to continue to serve you.

More tips and resources:

• Avoid driving if possible. If you have to travel, turn around if the road is flooded or blocked by debris.
• Stay away from downed power lines. Anything touching the power line can carry a charge. Report the downed line and avoid the area.
• Simple Insights: Hurricane disaster cleanup after the storm

In the News:

• KADN-15: State Farm Using Drones to Assess Damage (9/4/20)
• The Times-Picayune: State Farm insurance claims hit 24,800 for Louisiana homeowners after Hurricane Laura (9/1/20)
• CBS-42: Like good neighbors, Alabamians are there (8/27/20)
• WVTM-13: Hurricane Laura relief staging in Birmingham area (8/27/20)
• The Weather Channel: CAT 2 Laura Moving Inland (8/27/20)
• Houston Chronicle: Season's first hurricane gives Texans a taste of how COVID has shaped insurance claims (8/4/20)
• AccuWeather: Now is the time to prepare for hurricane season (6/1/20)

In 2018, State Farm paid more than $2.7 billion for more than 280,000 auto and homeowners insurance hail damage claims.

Here are some tips from the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to keep you and your family safe during a hailstorm.

In an Automobile

• Stop driving. If you see a safe place close-by (like inside a garage, under a highway overpass or under a service station awning), drive to it as soon as you can. Make sure you pull completely off the highway.
• Do NOT leave the vehicle until it stops hailing.
• Stay away from car windows. Cover your eyes with something, like a piece of clothing. If possible, get onto the floor facedown or lie down on the seat with your back to the windows.
• Put very small children under you and cover their eyes.

In a Building

• Stay inside until the hail stops.
• Stay away from windows.
• Account for all family members, building occupants, pets, etc.
• Do not go outside for any reason.
• To avoid the danger of electrocution from lightning, avoid using phones and electrical appliances during a severe storm.

Outside

• Seek shelter immediately. If you can’t find something to protect your entire body, find something to protect your head.
• Stay out of culverts and lowland areas that may suddenly fill with water.
• Seeking shelter under trees should be a last resort. It is common during severe storms for trees to lose branches.

The shareable, interactive image below shows more hail facts when you hover over the "+" signs.

If weather conditions are likely to produce hail you can take steps around the home like moving cars, boats, RVs, lawn and patio furniture into a covered area.

Personal safety is a number one priority and if you are indoors when a hailstorm hits, stay there. Hail can shatter windows so close drapes, blinds or window shades in an attempt to reduce the amount of broken glass that might blow inside. Stay away from skylights and doors.

Although lightning is weather-related, and not a preventable event, opportunities exist for claim mitigation. Damage is generally caused by power surges carried by electrical wiring, TV cable, or phone lines serving the home or business and usually involve one or more electronic items. Use surge or current protection devices and appropriate grounding systems as most claims are surge or power related.

In 2016 there were 38 lightning deaths in the United States, compared with 26 in 2015 and 2014. From 2006 to 2016, on average, about 31 people died each year from lightning strikes in the United States, according to the National Weather Service. Florida had the most lightning deaths in 2016 with nine, followed by four in Louisiana and New York, according to statistics from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Mississippi reported three deaths, and Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas had two lightning deaths. Arizona, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin each reported one death.

• Number of lightning-related homeowners insurance claims up in 2016, but severity down.
• Top 10 states for the number of lightning strikes: FL, TX, GA, LA, NC, CA, AL, IL, AR, VA.

See the Insurance Information Institute (III) Lightning Awareness Week press release for State Farm lightning claims statistics by year and state. 

Interesting Lightning Facts, Tips and Resources from Leading Organizations

The National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS)

• Taking shelter under trees is dangerous. Recent studies of lightning victims showed several highly-vulnerable situations and activities. But the one that stood out was taking shelter under trees.

• National Weather Service lightning safety media resources.

• Visit the NOAA website to learn how to stay safe and get insight into the science of lightning. You'll find animated books about lightning, safety tips for all kinds of situations, games for kids and resources for teachers. You'll learn about lightning victims and survivors. 

Insurance Information Institute (III)

• Lightning infographic

• Lightning facts with State Farm claim statistics

The Weather Channel

• Lightning temperature: up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit

• Number of times lightning hits the Earth per second: 100 (an estimated 8,640,000 times a day)

• Distance lightning can strike away from a thunderstorm: 5-10 miles

• 75% of U.S. lightning deaths occur in June, July, and August

• Lightning causes 30,000 house fires in U.S. per year

• Central Florida leads the nation in lightning strikes. Meteorologists have dubbed an area stretching from Tampa to Titusville as “Lightning Alley”. This is because several times a year abundant moisture in the atmosphere combines with high surface temperatures to produce strong sea breezes and violent summer storms.

Lightning Protection Institute

• Consumer Alert: The Dangers of Shoddy Lightning Protection System Installations

• 30% of U.S. businesses suffer damage from lightning storms.

• 85% of lightning victims are children and young men ages 10-35 engaged in recreation or work.

• 20% of lightning strike victims die and 70% of survivors suffer serious long-term effects.

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)

• Lightning is an underrated danger and the second leading cause of storm-related deaths in the U.S., exceeded only by floods.

• Lightning can travel 90,000 miles per second.

Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS)

• A whole-house surge protector is the best starting point for reducing the risk of damage or a fire.

• Install additional protection for important or expensive electronic equipment. This should include localized surge protection for power cords to electronic equipment and any telephone and cable/satellite TV lines connecting to the equipment.

• Whole house surge protection will not protect you from a direct strike on your house. For added protection from a direct strike, you would need to add receptors on the roof and cables that would help direct the strike away from the interior of your house.

• IBHS: Lightning Storm Time Lapse

Underwriter Laboratories

• Lightning strikes the U.S. 25 million times a year on average. This causes an estimated $1 billion per year in structural damages in the United States alone. This does not include the large costs associated with loss of business, downtime and liability.

• Adding a lightning protection system to a building increases protection from physical damage and reduces the possibility of fire. Many insurers now require the installation of lightning protection systems. This is found in commercial buildings, schools, hospitals, historic landmarks and public venues.

Generac

• Severe weather storms can produce hail, wind gusts, heavy rain, and lightning. These can cause flash flooding, wind damage, downed trees and utility lines and widespread power outages. Be prepared!

There’s the Emily who loves theater, dancing, and performing the National Anthem at professional sporting events.

Then there’s the Emily who is fascinated by atmospheric physics, like the omega equation that determines buoyancy and lift in the atmosphere.

Some might call that a split personality, but as the first female meteorologist to work at KFOR-4 in Oklahoma City, and WCYB-TV in Bristol Tennessee/Virginia, Sutton prefers to describe herself as someone who just refused to choose.

Fusing fascinations

“As a little girl, I always enjoyed the fine arts. But I was also fascinated with weather and science,” said Sutton. “Tornados, in particular, were both fascinating and terrifying.”

While at the University of Missouri to obtain a journalism degree, Sutton’s life was changed in 2004 when she joined the school’s storm chase team and witnessed her first tornado.

“It was a weak tornado in a farm field in Oklahoma,” she said. “I was thrilled by the experience. One month later our team watched five tornados tear across Kansas. That was it. The next day I added meteorology to my field of study. ”

ATMOS 100: Intro to Meteorology

Meteorology is standing in front of a green screen on TV, pointing at a smiley sun face and scary clouds with lightning coming out of them, right?

Not quite.

Meteorology is the scientific study of the atmosphere. Meteorologists use scientific principles to observe, explain, and forecast our weather. They often focus on atmospheric research or operational weather forecasting. Research meteorologists can cover several sub disciplines of meteorology including: air quality, atmospheric physics, and climate change.

Breaking Barriers

Sutton immediately noticed something unusual about her calculus, physics, and other science classes. There were hardly any women. A worldwide study done by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development found girls generally outperform boys in science – except in the United States. The gap is thought to be due to gender roles being formed and reinforced early in life, and the incentives different countries offer for pursuing math and science degrees.                                         

Photos by Leia Smethurst Photography

In the past, the meteorology field has been a career path dominated by males. As the first female meteorologist in her two previous positions, Sutton learned quickly that she is seen differently than the others on her team.

“From the start of my career, I noticed that some viewers were obsessed with little things like my clothes and the length of my hair,” she said. “I had to focus on lowering the pitch of my voice so I sounded more calm and professional.”

On The Bright Side

These are barriers that many female newswomen and meteorologists face. But Sutton has also found that there are advantages to being a female in her field.

“I love teaching kids about the nerdy science parts of weather and how it impacts us,” Sutton says.

One of Sutton’s best pieces of advice is aimed towards girls who are forced to choose between fine arts and literature or math and science.

“Why can’t we have both?” she says. “Girls need to explore options and try different things. Don’t let anyone tell you that you must choose between one or the other. You may end up excelling in theater and calculus.”

Click here to watch Emily share her experience with a close call tornado.

Emily Sutton and several other female meteorologists shared their experiences and perspectives at the 2016 National Tornado Summit in March. The summit site shared this about Sutton’s session:

“Being a meteorologist and predicting potentially deadly weather isn’t a job for the faint of heart and some would argue it’s even more difficult for those that are female. Get the forecast wrong, and you’re liable to be labeled just a weather girl, but over the decade’s women are increasingly taking on the role of meteorologists and making strides in the fields of science and meteorology.”

State Farm is proud to be a sponsor of the 2016 National Tornado Summit and encourages both girls and boys to follow their dreams.

A hail research field study isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of romantic. Swapping candle lit dinners for life on the road chasing storms probably wouldn’t work for most couples. But Dr. Tanya Brown and Dr. Ian Giammanco are anything but conventional.

Dr. Tanya Brown is the lead research engineer and director of hail research for the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS). She conducts a major field study on hailstorms with a team that includes lead research meteorologist Dr. Ian Giammanco.

In addition to their research, the pair also happens to be dating.

Giammanco and Brown met while attending graduate school at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX, where they worked on several thunderstorm and hurricane field research projects. Since then, amid week-long beef jerky binges and of course the storms, Giammanco and Brown found some common ground.

The Research

IBHS develops safety research that can be translated into real world solutions, and the hail study is no exception. Giammanco and Brown seek to improve weather forecasts and influence the design of roofing products to be better prepared for hail damage.

Their hope is to leverage this study to decrease property losses caused by hail. The the work is being done in the central plain region of the United States. They study hail characteristics such as size, shape, density and hardness, so they can come as close as possible to Mother nature when they produce hailstones at the IBHS Research Center.

Love at First Hail

According to Brown, “We definitely did not have a love at first site kind of relationship. We had known each other for at least a year before we really ever had a conversation more than just saying hi while passing in the hallway.”

At the time they met, years before the hail field study had begun, they realized they both had a passion for field research.

It takes a special kind of love not only to be research partners, but also life partners. Brown explains, “I’d say our dedication to field work is what really ties us together.”

Bonded by a common goal that will eventually benefit the common good , their relationship is the perfect blend of uniqueness. “There’s not a lot of people out there that will basically give up their whole life for weeks or even months at a time to live in crummy hotels and eat fast food every meal of every day, not to mention braving the wind, hail, rain and storm surge, and actually enjoy doing it and get to do it with their significant other,” says Brown.

Benefits of the Study

The pair remains motivated; they believe in the good that this study will be able to produce. According to IBHS, as the population increases and the spacing between buildings decrease, there has been a significant uptick in damage due to hailstorms. In fact, from 1999 to 2011 hail was the number one cause of losses for Texas homeowners coming in at $10.4 billion according to The Texas Department of Insurance.

State Farm supports the work of Dr. Brown and Dr. Giammanco and believes in the good that can come from this kind of research. Besides studying hail, researchers also test hail resistant roofing material in the hopes of preventing damage. The field study also seeks to improve weather forecast models and hail detection.

Ups and Downs

But working with a loved one isn’t always easy, “we do disagree sometimes about the project, but ultimately we will arrive at what is best for the project, and that is a big reason that we’ve been so successful,” Giammanco says.

Ultimately their differences complement each other, Giammanco explains, “Tanya makes sure that I let things go when I need to so that I don’t obsess about things like a missed forecast or not enough data.”

Brown explains further, “We have worked together for so long that we really have a natural rhythm, and each take advantage of each other’s strengths. There are a lot of things I don’t have to worry about taking care of because I know he’s got my back and vice-versa. It makes us really efficient and successful.”

The most difficult part of their nomadic relationship is having them both away from home at the same time, “there’s no one there to check the mail, water and cut the grass, and most importantly, take care of my beagles,” Brown says.

But they know they are meant to be together. “Tanya is the only girl I know who would swim and wade through storm surge water to retrieve instrumentation during a field project, so she is the girl for me!” Giammanco says.

The Impact

With all the good Brown and Giammanco hoped would come out of their studying of severe weather, love was not what they expected, but they’re glad it did. Even still, they remain dedicated and focused on their work, Brown says, “We definitely push each other to achieve success and fill in each other’s gaps, which makes us well-suited to tackling such a complex issue such as hail. We’re definitely looking forward to continuing our research partnership both in the field and in the lab, and look forward to making a huge impact in the coming years.”

The more successful the study is the better educated homeowners, insurance companies, and roofing manufacturers can be. With this knowledge and combined power, hailstorm damage can hopefully fall significantly.

2013 IBHS Hail Field Project Highlights from IBHS on Vimeo.

When nature takes a walk on the wild side, we realize how prepared we really are – or aren’t. Three families share their stories as well as what they’ve learned as they’ve recovered from their disastrous weather encounters.

Jack McDonald had been settled in his little corner of Ellensburg, Washington, for 17 years with his wife, their horses, their dogs and “the coolest gang of cats you ever saw,” he says. You might not think of the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest as at risk for wildfires, but they were on the edge of open range and had come close in the past. 

On August 13, 2012, his wife called. She could see the smoke and said, "We gotta get out of here.” Twenty minutes later the horses were loaded in a trailer and their dogs were in her car. He could see the fire in the distance. “The winds were horrendous – 60 miles per hour across the ridge – but it looked like it might miss us,” he recalled.

McDonald put the cats in their double-wide mobile home and was giving his wife a hand with the horses when he heard that the fire was spreading – and had changed course. “I came back up to my ranch, and it was clear that my house was in danger. I was going to go get the cats, but the fire chief stopped me. The fire had already swept in.” 

The McDonalds’ home burned down to the crawlspace, leaving nothing but ash. “Glassware and cookware had melted into puddles,” Jack recalls. “We recovered nothing”

They began replacing their belongings as soon as they could. That’s when insult added to injury. “I bought the minimum amount [of insurance] I could get, trying to save money,” McDonald admits. They’re living in a smaller rental now. “We had to cut back on a lot of things, like buying used furniture. I don’t mind used furniture, that’s not the point. What makes me sick is thinking of what’s irreplaceable.”

What To Do:

Wildfires can’t be predicted the way hurricanes or blizzards can. David Miskus, a drought-monitoring meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says overall, we’re expecting more intense dry spells, more warm spells. The closer your home is to the range or the brush, the more at risk you are.

• Clear away brush. It's a fire hazard. Instead of watering to maintain lush green areas, make sure to remove brush.
• Gravel is your friend. Create a buffer zone between your home and potential fires with strategically placed gravel and other rock.
• Don’t light fires during a burning ban. Sounds obvious – and yet again and again, wildfires begin when someone does this.

Don Frank was sitting in his law office on the ninth floor of a building in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts. This particular day several years ago started out hot and sunny. But it was turning peculiar. The view out his window was Frank’s first clue.

“Way out over the Berkshires I saw this cloud,” Frank remembers. “It was moving quickly. My office mates turned on the radio. We heard there was a crazy tornado situation coming through Massachusetts, but somehow the idea of being affected by a tornado seemed implausible.”

After all, tornadoes happen in big-sky and prairie country, and in the South - not in New England!

“I could see what was now clearly a tornado forming. It was coming right over the river, which is a block and a half from my office,” Frank recalls. “I still wasn’t worried, because we all know tornadoes never affect people in Springfield. I thought it might knock down power lines, and if I end up stuck someplace, I’d rather it be home.’”

What Frank did next was the opposite of what you should do during a tornado warning. He got into his car. He even offered his office mate a ride. “As we drove out of the parking lot, we came into very, very high winds – but I was still pretty sure nothing bad would happen to me!”

But bad things happen to everyone, no matter where they live, right when they least expect it.

“The tornado went up and over my car,” Frank says. “In a second my car was completely engulfed in debris. My office mate sort of slid down in her seat. I shut my eyes, and at that moment I heard a giant kaboom! My back window pulled out with the pressure differential. Stuff was blowing into my car. As fast as the tornado hit – literally three seconds – it left.”

Frank saw a steel girder from a building lying across the street about 20 feet from his car. He counts himself incredibly fortunate – he was unhurt and was even able to repair his car. But something shifted for him that day. After he got home he tried to shrug off the events of the afternoon and met some friends for a bike ride.

“We were just rolling out on our bikes when that same freaky tornado-like wind blew,” he says. “I was obviously reliving the trauma. Suddenly, I had barely enough strength to bike home.” He no longer operates under the assumption that bad things couldn’t happen to him.

What To Do:

Tornadoes can happen almost anywhere – even in New England. Tornadoes are hard to predict, and there is often too little time to get out of their way. Here are some wise precautions you can take.

• Get a good storm door. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has identified certain storm doors that can withstand 250-mile-per-hour winds. If you live in Tornado Alley - from the Rockies to Appalachians -  install one of those.
• Strengthen your garage. A garage door can be especially vulnerable during high winds. If your garage is attached, that spells trouble for your whole house. A reinforced, windowless door is your best bet. You also can install vertical bracing that helps to reinforce the door.
• Secure your windows. If you’ve heard you should open windows during a tornado, you’ve heard wrong. Instead, investigate DIY systems that clip plywood to your windows – no nailing necessary.
• Consider installing a safe room. If you live in an area prone to tornadoes, this might be the best move you can make. It won’t protect your home but will protect you and your family – and that’s what’s truly irreplaceable.

Patrick and Tammy Stewart's cross country move was wrenching. "We were leaving our first home. We had bought as a fixer-upper and I literally painted every single inch of every single wall,” Tammy says. “It was our first house, and we loved it.” But career opportunities beckoned, so in January 2010 the Stewarts rented out their beloved east coast home and drove across country to California.

Almost two years later, when they were between tenants, Tammy noticed news reports predicting a particularly bad East Coast storm. The Stewarts had several 70 year old trees on their property and feared something could go awry.

Sure enough, the morning the storm made landfall, Tammy got an email from her old neighbor. Tammy recalls the subject line said, "It’s not too bad!” Attached was a photo of a tree that had fallen. The neig

hbor described it tipping in slow-motion, right into the house.

The Stewarts panicked. “We were 3,000 miles away, and this was an emergency," Tammy recalls. "What were we going to do? We had to get the tree off the house to prevent further damage..and new tenants were arriving in just two days! The first thing we did was call State Farm, then the tree guy.”

Acting quickly, the Stewarts’ agent assessed the damage. The tree was chopped up and hauled away. A contractor came out to make sure the house was structurally sound. Thankfully, it was. The Stewarts were lucky. Really lucky because, as Tammy admits, they didn’t really know what was insured.

“We got the insurance we were supposed to have as property owners. We didn’t know what was actually in our policy,” she says, “What was covered, what wasn’t. I didn’t even know what our deductible was!”

Tammy is glad the event forced her and Patrick to become more informed. That tends to be the case for a lot of people. “You get what you’re supposed to get with the thought that nothing will really happen," Tammy said. "It was eye-opening. We were so lucky we had no flooding, because I know now we weren’t covered for that.”

In the midst of the hassle, the Stewarts haven’t lost sight of the silver linings. “We had never exercised our policy,” she says. “With State Farm it went really smoothly - even with us in California. We were surprised too, given the damage back [on the East Coast], that our relatively small claim was handled so quickly.”

What To Do:

Hurricanes and strong storms pack a major punch. It’s important to be prepared. As with any dangerous storm or peril, listen to and react appropriately to evacuation and/or safety messages delivered by local weather and law enforcement authorities.

• Prepare for high winds. Add window protection and reinforce entry and garage doors. Pull all lawn furniture, planters and garbage cans inside. Anything not tied down is a potential projectile.
• Stock up. Make sure you’ve got batteries, flashlights, and enough water and nonperishable food to last a few days. Fill large containers with water for washing and flushing, and gas up your vehicles.
• Look into flood insurance. If you don’t live in a floodplain, chances are you’re not covered for flooding. Most flood insurance is provided by the National Flood Insurance Program, not covered under standard homeowners policies.

It’s that time of year…the sizzle of the grill, the smell of fresh cut grass, flowers in bloom, family vacations, baseball, and of course cooling off while enjoying the water. Unfortunately, along with the fun being in and around water can bring, it is also the time of year when we hear and read about the tragedy of water related accidents and deaths.

An alarming fact to consider is how fast it happens.

This summer, you can be a good neighbor by making your pool safer for kids. Call a specialist in your area for an inspection and remember these tips:

1. If it’s not a designated time for enjoying the pool, make it impossible for the kids to sneak out alone.

2. Restrict access to above ground pools.

3. Make sure your pool is surrounded by a fence.

And whether you are at the pool or the beach, here are a few things to do when you’re with kids around water:

4. Be part of the action

5. Keep your eyes on the kids at all times. Always stay within arm’s reach of young children and put down the phones.

6. Remember, friends make everything more fun!

Enjoy your summer and keep your family safe. Visit www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/water-safety for more safety tips.

Sadly, his small town community has faced tornadoes of historic proportions – two of those storms among the strongest ever recorded. His city, home to beautiful neighborhoods and thriving economic development, has earned the unfortunate distinction as the frequent target of killer tornadoes.

“By 2013 we were beginning to ask some questions of each other,” said Terry Cavnar, State Farm Agent and Moore City Council Member. “We can no longer ignore this. We can’t say this isn’t going to happen again because it continues to happen. So, we began to look at the options.”

In the past 15 years, the city of Moore has fallen victim to tornadoes on three separate occasions. In 1999, an EF-5 tornado swept through the community causing $1.2 billion in damage, and taking 40 lives. In 2003, an EF-4 devastated the town. Most recently in 2013, Moore faced a second EF-5, killing 24 and causing $2 billion in damage.

After each storm, Drake and other city officials were left to wonder what – if anything – they could do to better prepare their community for these catastrophic storms. After the 2013 storm, they decided to take action.

A Time To Act

The search for answers led to the formation of a special committee made up of council members, builders and citizens to re-examine building codes and ensure all new construction was best equipped to deal with extreme weather.

The committee called on Chris Ramseyer, Associate Professor-Civil Engineering at the University of Oklahoma to help in the planning effort. Even before the 2013 storm, Ramseyer had been studying the performances of residential structures in high-wind events and was very familiar with the city’s plight.

“I was here the next morning,” Ramseyer said of his hours following the 2013 tornado. Amongst the utter devastation, Ramseyer found what he was looking for. “We had a house with a slab essentially wiped clean. It was EF5 damage,” he said. But just seventy feet away, a home stood largely intact. The two homes were too close to have provided for much difference in wind speed, Ramseyer concluded that the structure must have saved the second home.

The committee developed their plan of attack and agreed all future homes needed to be practical, affordable and repeatable on a large scale.

“Chris looked at it from both structural integrity and also cost. The impact it would have on the cost of residential construction,” said Drake. “And I think the homebuilders bought into that, and they had confidence in him.”

Building Better AND Stronger

The result was to refine the building technique, rather than adding new materials. The new approach called for a change in the basic house framing, pushing builders and contractors to expand upon their normal approach. Longtime Moore builder, Tom Pollard notes,“ it’s not even a big cost issue, it’s just an educational process.”

“The biggest difference is in the framing,” said Cavnar. “With some more tie-ins, especially between the walls and the roofing, strengthening in your openings, framed openings, windows and doors.”

In addition to the added protection, there was more good news: The cost.

“Our research shows that you can do it for a cost of roughly a dollar a square foot,” said Ramseyer.

Drake and the committee are enthusiastic about this new approach as a means to protect, preserve and prepare the homes of Moore.

“We were ecstatic,” said Terry Cavnar. “We could do something that would withstand an F3 tornado, 135 miles an hour, for a minimal amount of cost. We were thrilled.”

And while the success of these measures will ultimately be born out in the coming tornado seasons, for now this process stands out as a great example of what can be accomplished when a community works together.

“This has been one of the easiest code changes I’ve been involved in,” said Drake. “I didn’t think that would be the case when we started this process, but it was.”