Warnings for the storm were in effect for Puerto Rico, Dominica, the Dominican Republic as well as for the islands of Desirade, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante and Les Saintes, which means that storm may reach these areas within next 36 hours.
Watch for the tropical storm is in effect in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Haiti, Antigua and Montserrat, meaning storm conditions may develop over these regions within next 48 hours.

At around 8 p.m. Monday, the area of thunderstorms and showers was upgraded to Tropical Strom Emily by the National Hurricane Center. The National Hurricane Center was tracking the system for several days and tropical storm-force winds were discovered during the day. A center of circulation was found by the investigating Hurricane Hunter aircraft Monday evening, which prompted the center to declare it as a tropical storm.

Tropical Storm Emily, which is approximately 350 miles in the southeast or San Juan, Puerto Rico and about 1,400 miles southeast of Miami, had sustained winds of 40 mph. It was moving westward at about 17 mph and is expected to gradually strengthen over the next couple of days.

John Cangialosi, a hurricane expert with the National Hurricane Center, stated that they are gathering more and more data every minute and are trying to establish what this system will develop into.

Specialists with the center said that it is too early to predict if Emily will affect South Florida as the tropical storm is still in early stages. However, some forecast models predict that it may hit South Florida by this weekend, while others expect it to turn toward the west coast of Florida to Tampa or head for the east coast in the direction of Daytona Beach. The National Hurricane Center’s long-term forecast showed that Emily could reach Florida on Friday or Saturday.
Dennis Feltgen, a spokesperson for the Miami-based center, said before the storm developed that the system is quite vigorous, and they are watching it closely. He urged residents to get ready now before the hurricane season reaches its peak.

Wes Hohenstein, chief meteorologist with NBC-17, stated that people in North Carolina and on the east coast should watch Emily closely. Arlene, Bret, Cindy and Don, the first four storms of the season, were all tropical storms, but didn’t develop into hurricanes. However, if the predictions hold, Tropical Strom Emily could strengthen into a hurricane before hitting the east coast this weekend.

During a few years in the early 2000s, millions upon millions of sheets of drywall were imported from China due to a domestic shortage in the United States. This drywall was made with some toxic compounds which were not noticed until recently. There have been thousands of homes built in the U.S. with this tainted wallboard which has resulted in a very serious and growing problem for many families who had no idea that they had toxins in the walls of their home. These noxious chemicals were jeopardizing the structure of their homes as well as the health of their families for years. The long-term affects are not known at this time although studies are being conducted.

Most homeowners have reported smelling a very strong odor in their homes that reminded them of the smell of rotting eggs. Others discovered that their air conditioning and heating units mysteriously stopped working. Still more found that electrical wires, cords cables and copper piping inside their homes were slowing deteriorating and turning black. Nearly all complained of sore throats, hacking coughs, itching eyes and trouble breathing to some extent or another. Some homeowners were forced to move completely out of their homes due to the heath problems that would not disappear as well as due to the horrific smell that was permeating everything inside their homes.

There are numerous lawsuits pending in federal court throughout the United States and the charges and blame are being directed at two Chinese companies that made the tainted drywall which is making people sick. The U.S. government has told affected homeowners that they must gut their homes completely in order to remedy the problem. No one seems to know yet who exactly is expected to pay for the massive restoration jobs as insurance companies are shying away from dealing with this new type of claim and domestic building contractors are closing down shop out of the fear of being sued.

To make matters worse, there have been reports of real estate ‘flippers’ taking advantage of people. These unscrupulous home buyers are purchasing affected homes from homeowners who do not have the funds available to have their homes gutted and turning around and re-selling them to people who have not yet heard of the drywall problem. Word is now spreading in states known to have the drywall problem warning prospective home buyers not to buy any home until they have had it thoroughly inspected to ensure that it is free of tainted wallboard from China.

For now, some homeowners who can afford it are paying to have their homes totally gutted out and rebuilt. Many less fortunate families have found their lives turned upside down as they were forced out of their homes due to the horrible smell and the worries of health risks and have moved in with extended family and/or friends until some type of definitive answers are given. We can only hope that those answers come soon and that the heath risks are found not to be long lasting.

Roof Protection

The roof of a home can take the brunt of a storm when high winds lash and unleash the full force of its power. Roofs can collapse if a wind is powerful enough, causing tremendous damage, not to mention danger. Trusses should be firmly attached to gable end roofs, to give them the best chance of withstanding gale force winds. Braces should be fastened with suitably long nails and fastened perpendicular to each truss. Shingled roofs are not optimal when it comes to withstanding powerful winds. Cementing shingles can make them more secure, as can utilizing roof sheathing and adhesives. It’s a good idea to ensure that all roofs are in good repair for when storms strike.

Securing Doors

Doors are obvious areas that need to be secured when strong winds are possible. The doors you seek shelter behind need to be strong if they’re to afford you the protection you want when high winds threaten your safety. Solid wood and metal doors are best, so doors of any other kind in an area that’s at risk from severe storms might wisely be replaced. Installing foot bolts, dead bolts and extra hinges can strengthen doors. Garage doors are particularly susceptible to the effects of strong winds, given their dimensions. These doors can be reinforced using metal girds and vertical supports.

Protecting Windows

An excellent way to protect the windows of a home from the effects of storm-force winds is to install shutters that are impact resistant. These can also feature on glass-panelled doors, and afford protection from objects carried in strong winds that might otherwise cause tremendous damage. Shutters should always be securely fastened otherwise they can constitute more of a hazard than a source of protection.

Hurricane Damage Brought about by Hurricane Katrina

In August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused flooding in New Orleans and resulted to devastating economic losses amounting to $125 billion, with about $66 billion covered by insurance. However, some reports claim the total damage cost was twice as much as the amounted stated.

1. Louisiana’s sugar industry lost about $500 million annual crop value.

2. Louisiana’s port was damaged, bringing approximately $260 million in damage.

3. Louisiana’s tourism industry suffered 70% losses.

4. New Orleans’ roads and bridges totaled $10 billion in damages.

5. Property damage to homes, cars, buildings, and public properties amounted to $60 billion.

6. A total of 770,000 people were left homeless and 1,836 dead.

Fox News reported that Hurricane Katrina destroyed more residential properties than any hurricane in recent times, with a total of about 300,000 homes no longer habitable in the 93,000 square miles of vicinity that it hit in 2005.

How to Reduce or Prevent Hurricane Damage

There is more than one way to decrease hurricane damage. After several attempts to “defuse” these strong storms, there are already programs that have been developed precisely to serve as mitigation steps. This includes more advanced warning systems that are equipped with real-time satellite imagery, able to detect a hurricane as early as 24 to 36 hours.

Aside from these, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is also recommending individuals and businesses in hurricane-prone areas to protect their property by following the guidelines below:

1. Installation of permanent storm shutters to protect the windows. Property owners may also opt to board up windows by fitting and installing 5/8” marine plywood.

2. Installation of additional clips to fasten roof frame structure, or to install straps. Doing so will prevent or at least reduce roof damage.

3. Trimming of trees and tall plants around the property.

4. Clearing and unclogging of rain gutters and downspouts

It is also advisable to get flooding and hurricane insurance to cover your property just in case.

There are a few things that you will need to make sure that you know before you apply for assistance.  First of all, you will have to understand the basics like your social security number, the address that you are currently staying at as well as the address where you were living before the disaster occurred.  However, you will also need to have some advanced information like your insurance information, total household income, bank routing information, and a complete description of exactly what kind of losses you suffered as a result of the disaster in your area.  Once you have gathered all of this information you can go online to the FEMA website and apply directly for assistance on the website.

After you have applied, you will be given a reference number that you can use to later access the completed application so that you can know where your assistance stands.  Also, this will make it easier to access if the government asks for more information and you later have to update your file.  This is a common occurrence, and FEMA will often have to recheck and verify information that you have sent to them once (or more) before they will finally agree to pay out on your claim.  Because of this it is important that you keep the reference number that they give to you handy at all times.

It is also important to remember that any small hang ups in the application process can cause problems.  For example, if the social security number you use to apply for FEMA does not exactly match the information on file then you’ll need to resubmit the application and turn over any additional information (marriage license, military ID, etc) to show them proof you are who you say you are.  This could slow down the application’s status considerably, so double-check everything before turning in your documentation.