Storm & Security

IN/BOX Home Remodeling to Pick Up by Year's End After two years of bouncing around bottom, home remod- eling activity is expected to pick up later this year, according to the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) released in April by the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, Cambridge, MA. Stronger pending home sales and continuing low interest rates are contributing to the rise, it states. The LIRA projects annual spending will see healthy growth in 2012, ending the year up 5.9 percent. Wind Damage Checklist for Manufactured Homes The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) has developed the first-of-its-kind Manufactured Home Inspec- tion Checklist to help consumers gauge how vulnerable their homes might be to wind damage. The checklist is based on the home's location, how well it is anchored, and its type of foundation. Tornadoes and high winds already have taken a devastating toll on many communities this year, and much of the damage has involved manufactured or mobile homes, according to emer- gency management reports. Nearly eight percent of the U.S. population lives in manufactured homes, according to the Population Reference Bureau, yet two-thirds of the 34 people killed in the catastrophic March 2, 2012, tornadoes in Kentucky and Indiana died in mobile homes. Even manufactured homes with tie-downs can overturn during storms because they have light frames and offer winds a large surface area to push against, it states. Also, their exteriors are vulnerable to high winds and damage from wind- born debris. "There are steps that can be taken to improve the chances that such homes will be standing after storms with high wind speed and strong gusts pass through an area," said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. The inspection checklist can help homeowners better understand and assess—and then work to reduce—their vulnerabilities to wind-related damage. End of an Era: Retired Satellite Once Tracked Hurricane Andrew One of NOAA's earliest satellites, the GOES-7, which served as a critical weather satellite and provided vital imagery of the deadly Hurricane Andrew as it tore through southern Florida in 1992, has been retired after 25 years of service. In mid-April, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- istration boosted the GOES-7 into higher Earth orbit where it will not interfere with other satellites. Its final maneuver on April 12 adjusted its spin rate and depleted its remaining fuel. The satellite's communications packages were turned off and the satellite powered down. Launched in 1987, GOES-7 is the only satellite in the history of NOAA's geostationary program to serve both as an eastern 6 STORM&SecURITy PROTecTION / 2012 FORECAST and western hemisphere spacecraft in the course of normal operations. When its predecessor GOES-6 failed, GOES-7 was the sole geostationary spacecraft from 1989 to 1994. Engineers moved the spacecraft from a western position in the winter to cover Pacific storms heading into California and the Northwest to an eastern position in the summer to cover East Coast hurricanes. Since 1999, the GOES-7 had been leased to the Pan-Pacific Education and Communication Experiments by Satellite (PEACESAT) program, which used the satellite to provide communications for the Pacific islands. NOAA currently operates GOES-13 and GOES-15, which are satellites providing continuous coverage of the United States and the Western Hemisphere. Private Sector Important to Disaster Recovery "We need to give the private sector a seat at the table," said Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate at the National Hurricane Conference in Orlando, FL, in March. Fugate delivered remarks discussing the work that federal, state, local and tribal governments and voluntary organizations do in responding to and recovering from disasters, but emphasized the importance of engaging the private sector early and often. "When we look at the disasters last year, the unreported story was how the private sector was a part of the recovery team. The sooner we can get private businesses—and government-backed infrastructure—up and running, the sooner communities will recover," he said. Fugate also took the opportunity to remind this year's participants to never lose sight of the fact that the impacts of hurricanes are wide-ranging. "Last year proved that the effects of hurricanes can impact areas beyond just the coast," he said. Each spring, the National Hurricane Conference serves as a national forum for federal, state and local officials to exchange ideas and recommend new policies to improve emergency management. Atrium Companies Unifies as Atrium Corp. Atrium Companies, Inc., Dallas, TX, is now Atrium Corp. The name change, effective in March, is part of the company's strategy to provide consistent products and services through multiple distribution channels, according to a company news release. "Atrium Companies, Inc was created as a group of independently operating enterprises acquired over many years," stated Kevin O'Meara, Atrium chairman and CEO. "This name change to Atrium Corporation underscores our commitment to becoming a cohesive operating company . . . with a targeted marketing and sales approach to better serve our customers' needs." Atrium's brands include Atrium Windows and Doors, Thermal Industries, Superior Windows and Doors, Northstar, R.G. Darby and Champion Window, all of which will continue to operate under their current brands, the company stated.

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