Protecting Homes Against Natural Disasters

Being proactive about safeguarding your home will give you added peace of mind in knowing your most valuable assets are protected. Natural disasters, such as wildfires and hurricanes, can strike at any time and cause significant damage. Home buyers and home owners can proactively prepare by choosing building materials to reinforce the durability of their homes. For instance, James Hardie® fiber cement siding and trim will not ignite when exposed to a direct flame, nor will it contribute fuel to a fire. In contrast, typical wood siding is combustible and vinyl siding is vulnerable to melting caused by flame, grills and solar heat reflected off Low-E windows. When a wildfire wreaked havoc on Santa Rosa, California, home owners Jessica Lynn Link and Andrew Christian Johnson were sure their house would be destroyed. Fortunately, their story has a happy ending, despite the devastation caused by the fire in the surrounding community. The difference: their home used James Hardie siding and trim, which is constructed with weather-resistance in mind and made from premium materials including cement, water, cellulose fiber, and silica. These materials, combined with James Hardie's state of the art manufacturing process make a product that not only has a Class A fire rating, but has exceptional dimensional stability. Learn more about the Santa Rosa wildfires and how they were no match for James Hardie fiber cement siding in the following video: Beyond fires, new research indicates the intensity of hurricanes is expected to increase, as seen recently with Hurricane Dorian. James Hardie siding and trim is specifically engineered for climates, meaning it has different formulas for different climate conditions and is capable of resisting a myriad of conditions including high winds and moisture as well as fire. When Hurricane Irma ripped through portions of Florida in 2017, thousands of homes sustained significant damage. Many of the homes with standard vinyl siding were ill-equipped to withstand the storm. But thanks to James Hardie fiber cement siding, the home of Deb and Dave in Marathon, Florida remained beautifully intact. Learn more about Deb and Dave’s experience in the video below and discover the difference in durability between James Hardie siding and other traditional building materials. Being at home should be a safe haven. A home that uses safe products helps provide homeowners the ability to enjoy their daily activities with a little extra peace of mind, not worrying about the elements of nature they can’t control.