Tornado Worries for Long Island
Weather Woes … When the Wind Blows
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Last week people in Great Neck, Long Island discovered what it’s like to live in Tornado Alley. When a tornado struck their neighborhoods on June 24th, most residents feared for their lives … and their homes.
“Midwestern residents deal with tornados more often than New Yorkers and so many of them have installed synthetic roofing tiles on their homes,” says Ray Rosewall, president and CEO of DaVinci Roofscapes®. “Resistant to straight line winds tested at 110 mph and Class 4 rated for impact resistancy, DaVinci synthetic roofing tiles provide homeowners with a great deal of peace-of-mind during stormy conditions.”
In June of 2008, homeowners Jeff Lord and Karen Hudson in Manhattan, Kan. received the surprise of a lifetime when an F4 tornado thundered overhead. Despite the intense hail and 180-mph winds of the tornado, their home received just minor damage, thanks in large part to their DaVinci slate roof.
“The insurance adjuster couldn’t believe that there was no damage whatsoever to our roof,” said Hudson, whose neighborhood had more than 40 homes destroyed. “It took him and his crew an entire morning to remove a big tree off the top of the garage, but the roof was completely intact. He was so impressed that he asked what kind of roof we had, because he wanted one for his house!”
Weather Woes
According to the National Climatic Data Center (a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce), 1,156 tornados were confirmed to have touched down in 2009, resulting in 22 fatalities.
The Weather Research Center in Texas says that tornados can occur anytime throughout the year when conditions are right. Since strong cold fronts meet up with warm moist air out of the Gulf of Mexico most often in the springtime and early summer, this can be a peak time for the potential of tornados. And, despite Midwestern states having the designation of “tornado alley,” strong storms and tornados can occur in almost every state in the country given the right weather conditions.
“Tornados are the most violent of all atmospheric storms,” says Jill Hasling, CCM of the Weather Research Center. “The intensity of tornados and their unpredictability make them weather occurrences that homeowners should pay particular attention to.
“Depending on the strength of a tornado, nothing can survive a direct hit of a violent tornado. Some structures could survive on the fringes of a tornado hit or the effects of a weaker tornado. Homes in any geographical area that is prone to extreme weather should be built with strong, reliable building materials to have the best chance of survival.”
Experts at DaVinci Roofscapes echo Hasling’s thoughts and encourage homeowners to have secure, strong roofs on homes. “The synthetic roofing tiles we manufacture were designed to withstand severe weather conditions and have been independently tested to validate the performance,” says Rosewall. “These tiles are made to resist most anything Mother Nature can throw at them from golf ball sized hail to tree limbs breaking and hitting the roof due to high winds.”
DaVinci Roofscapes use virgin resins to assure product consistency and longevity in their roofing tiles, which are backed by a 50-year limited lifetime warranty. The proprietary engineered polymer incorporates fire retardant and state-of-the-art UV and color stabilizers specifically formulated to withstand the wide variety of challenging environments that roofing materials are exposed to year after year.
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council, and a sponsor of Homes for Our Troops. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit our website.