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10 STORM & SECURITY PROTECTION / PEOPLE IN THE KNOW 2015 Ty Pennington's charisma and appeal might be just what the storm and security protection industry needs to get the public preparing before a catastrophic event. The popular television personality joined NextGen Home TV as host for its latest First to the Future Home revealed this past May. The First to the Future Home showcases the latest in design innovation and integrated smart technology and creates a healthy environment in a safe shelter. "This is no ordinary home, it's a demonstration of a next generation approach to home construction," says Paul Barnett, executive producer of NGHTV, which has produced a video series of the First to the Future Home's construction (available at www.NGHTV.com). "It was a real pleasure to work closely with Ty Pennington for the past two years, from concept to completion of the home. Ty has made so many great suggestions for the home," Barnett adds. For the storm and hurricane protection industry, it has been at least 15 years of dedicated effort to ensure public safety by promoting tested and approved products and providing information and education. Adding Pennington's involvement in the First to the Future Home could be the push needed to bring storm preparation to the tipping point—that moment when an idea groundswells into prevalence before becoming the new normal. Source of Inspiration Pennington is most widely known as the host of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Through this highly rated television series he has helped transform the lives of thousands of people and inspired millions more. His home, on the northern coast of Florida, could be just as inspiring. It is designed and constructed to be strong, resilient and with its surrounding environment in mind. "Building a home and designing a home for myself has always been a dream of mine. It's been really interesting and different and awesome to go through the process," Pennington says in the NGHTV video series. "Architectur- ally and creatively I'm sort of a perfectionist … we're really trying to make this the healthiest, most energy efficient and safest environment to live in." Built in the St. Augustine area, Pennington, originally from Atlanta, GA, knew the house had to withstand severe weather. "It's a when, not if, the heavy, strong winds come calling at the house," he says. From the roof to the foundation, Pennington's house is built using a continuous load path, a system of wood, metal connectors, fasteners and sheer walls to connect the structural frame together. Simply put: The roof is connected to the upper walls, the upper walls are connected to the lower walls, and the lower walls are connected to the foundation. "A continuous load path is critical during an earthquake or hurricane because it helps hold the house together when ground forces or high winds try to pull your home apart. A home is more likely to withstand a seismic or high-wind event and stay intact when all parts of the house—roof, walls, floors and foundation—are connected together," Pennington explains. "This house is just tied together so that it can withstand natural disasters. It's high enough in case there's a [storm] surge," says Pennington. "It's thinking about the environment the house is in, the climate and the future to make sure it's still around for many, many years." When, Not If Getting the public to prepare before a storm might have gotten just a bit easier.