The Residential Hurricane Mitigation Program is one of the largest and most successful programs in the State of Florida. We strive to provide homeowners in Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties with assistance to fortify their homes against hurricane force winds.
Program Funding
Mitigation funding can come from several sources. Currently FEMA provides 75% of the funding, and homeowners are responsible for the 25% match.
Initial Eligibility Requirements for FEMA grant funding
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The unit must be an owner-occupied home.
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Applicants must occupy a single family, site built home as their principal residence.
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Proof of homestead exemption must be provided.
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The property cannot be a mobile or manufactured home, an apartment, duplex, or town home.
What is covered by the grant?
Mitigation construction assistance is based upon REBUILD’s approved, licensed inspector’s report and our professional engineer's recommendations. The Residential Mitigation program is restricted to the following approved mitigation categories as set forth in 215.5586(2)(e), Florida Statutes:
Roof deck attachment;
Secondary roof water barrier;
Roof covering;
Gable end bracing;
Reinforce roof-to-wall connections;
Opening protection; and
Exterior doors, including garage doors.
Roofing, re-roofing, and window replacement work is restricted to the cost attributable to upgrading job specifications to use impact and pressure-rated/approved materials and retrofit techniques.
Wind Mitigation Techniques
Roof Deck Attachment
While the roof covering is the first line of defense against storm damage, it will only remain in place as long as the roof deck also remains intact. Loss of even one piece of roof sheathing can result in internal damage to your home and its contents that is nearly ten times the cost of the damage to the exterior of your home.
REBUILD uses structural spray foam sealant to strengthen the roof deck attachment when needed.
Gable End Bracing
The gable end walls of your home can take a tremendous beating during a hurricane. If not properly braced and anchored, they can collapse and cause a catastrophic amount of damage to your home. However, of all the possible structural retrofits, gable end walls are usually the easiest to strengthen and deserve to be a high priority on your retrofit list.
REBUILD braces gable end walls as part of the total wind retrofit project
Reinforce Roof-to-Wall Connections
The connection between your roof structure and the walls is one of the most important structural connections in your house.
Strengthening this connection with Hurricane Straps (Simpson Ties) can be accomplished with very little disruption to the house as a whole.
Opening Protection (Exterior Doors, Windows, and Garage Doors)
Protecting windows and doors (including sliding glass doors and garage doors) from windborne debris is an important part of protecting your home, your belongings, and your roof in a hurricane. All exterior openings (exterior doors, windows and garage doors) are protected as part of the REBUILD program. Windows are generally shuttered with a galvanized steel panel shutter system. Exterior doors and garage doors can be replaced, strengthened or shuttered.
Why Mitigate? What are the benefits to me?
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Mitigating a home will make it safer, providing increased levels of protection for yourself and your family.
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It will reduce the likelihood of future property losses due to hurricane force winds.
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It will reduce the likelihood of damage to irreplaceable possessions.
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It can reduce the likelihood of being displaced following a storm.
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It can possibly make a homeowner eligible to receive discounts on windstorm insurance.
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It can possibly increase a home’s resale value.
We encourage anyone who is interested in this one of a kind program to call our office at (850) 497-7024 or fill out the CONTACT US form requesting more information.
Word of mouth is the best publicity. Please feel free to download our brochure to share with others. We look forward to hearing from you!
