Hurricane preparedness usually focuses on forecasts, evacuation routes, emergency supplies, and the approaching storm. But another critical part of the equation is already standing around us: the homes and buildings where people live.
In this episode of the HurricaneCenter Podcast, Alex Garcia talks with Leslie Chapman-Henderson, president and CEO of the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes, or FLASH.
Leslie explains why stronger homes, modern building codes, and practical retrofits can dramatically change what happens when a hurricane reaches a community. The discussion examines the lessons learned from decades of major disasters, the vulnerabilities found in both older and newer homes, and the improvements that can help prevent a weather emergency from becoming a long-term family catastrophe.
The conversation also explores why hurricane resilience is not simply a coastal issue. Wind, flooding, tornadoes, falling trees, power outages, and displaced families can affect communities far beyond the point where a storm makes landfall.
Among the topics discussed:
- Why the home itself should be considered part of every hurricane plan
- How stronger building codes improve community resilience
- Why adopting a building code is not enough without enforcement
- The risks hidden inside older housing stock
- Practical improvements homeowners can make before hurricane season
- The importance of roofs, garage doors, windows, and structural connections
- Why families should understand both wind and flood risk
- How mitigation can reduce damage, displacement, and recovery time
- The challenge of making resilience improvements affordable
- What decades of hurricane research have taught the building industry
- Why communities repeatedly rebuild the same vulnerabilities
- The role of insurance, incentives, grants, and public policy
- How individual homeowners can begin assessing their risk today
Leslie’s message is straightforward: we cannot prevent hurricanes, but we can make informed choices about how well our homes and communities withstand them.
Preparedness does not begin when a hurricane warning is issued. It begins months or even years earlier—with better information, stronger construction, responsible maintenance, and a plan to address the weakest parts of the home.
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