Storm Smart is proud to announce the winner of our June “We Care” Program!
Virginia Grafton is a widow who lives on Pine Island. Virginia recently ordered a full set of storm shutters for her home from another company. The company turned out to be unreliable and took Virginia’s money without providing the storm shutters as promised.
Storm Smart saw the story on Wink News and Storm Smart felt that we could do something to help Virginia and educate the public about finding reliable businesses. Storm Smart replaced Virginia’s shutters and we also spoke a bit on Wink News about the dangers of doing business with an unrecognized business in this economy. Storm Smart’s intention is to help others avoid this situation in the future and help Virginia.
Brian Rist, Owner of Storm Smart Industries, made a personal visit to meet Virginia along with the installation crew. Virginia was grateful and commented, “Thank you for helping me, I had no idea what I was going to do about protecting my home after my money had been stolen.” Rist recommended in these types of situations to, “be sure to always check and make sure that they are a reputable business, you can look online, the Better Business Bureau and get references,” he said, “ I also recommend to go with a company that has been in business for a long time that you trust!”
Virginia’s shutters were recently installed on her home and we look forward to helping our July We Care recipient next month!
Florida emergency leaders say that Tropical Storm Alex is expected to pass the state, but waves from the storm could push more oil and tar from the massive BP spill onto Panhandle beaches. A forecaster told Crist and the Pensacola beach group that the good news is that first storm of the hurricane season shouldn’t halt containment efforts at the spill site in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
There have been a few differences in opinion with Amy Godsey saying that rough waves churned by the storm will disrupt efforts to corral and burn surface oil and will likely push more oil and tar onto Panhandle beaches this week.
Alex weakened to a depression on Sunday after making landfall in Belize, but regaining tropical storm strength Sunday night as it headed west- northwest on a path towards Mexico City.
Storm Smart is now hiring for shutter installers and service tech’s. We are hoping you have experience, but we will train you as long as you have a good driving record, drug-free and are good with people. Storm Smart has a zero tolerance to negative customer service and we expect the best from our staff.
We are also hiring for an accounts receivable position. Please refer to our careers page for a full list of qualifications.
We are proud to be helping Southwest Florida’s economy grow!
We are pleased to announce the Grand Opening of our new showroom on Plantation Road, adjacent to Storm Smart’s corporate offices! Our showroom hours are Monday- Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
We celebrated our Grand Opening by hosting the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours party on June 24th, 2010, where we had over 100 visitors. The night was complete with food catered by The Hilton Garden Inn, cocktails and plenty of laughs.
Stop by and see our new showroom, it is a great way to see our products and learn how you can harden your home without breaking the bank!
1. The BP Gulf Oil Spill- We are all wondering, what happens if a hurricane hits with the oil spill?
“Depending on the strength of such a tropical storm, rough seas could be a serious problem for containment operations and may cause them to halt until the storm passes,” according to Alex Sosnowski, an AccuWeather.com meteorologist. “Strong winds could steer part of the existing surface oil slick toward the northern Gulf Coast or elsewhere. High winds from a hurricane could also cause some the oil to become airborne in blowing spray, while a storm surge could carry contaminants inland. On the other hand, to some extent, rough seas and heavy rain tend to work toward breaking up an oil slick.”
While it’s unlikely that the oil slick would slow down a major hurricane, if a hurricane is forming in the Gulf of Mexico, the oil slick may inhibit storm development according to a review of scientific literature on the subject by Weather Underground’s Jeff Masters.
2. Haiti
Haiti is extremely vulnerable to damage caused by a hurricane because it lacks the infrastructure and building codes that the United States has in place and therefore, could be a huge factor for destructive force.
3. La Nina
El Nino inhibits hurricane formation, but La Nina is a cool pattern in the Northern Pacific and does just the opposite. While, it is not here now, it will emerge soon. So, whether or not we reach the high end of the this hurricane season, that will depend quite a bit on La Nina.
4. Hurricane Preparedness
Properly preparing one’s home for a hurricane “can absolutely be the determining factor between some damage and complete damage,” said Ray Stone, the vice president of catastrophe operations for Travelers Insurance. “It could be very well the difference between a home standing and a home laying on the ground.”
Experts have been warning for years that people migrating to the coasts is increasing the risk of serious damage from hurricanes; now, 35 million Americans live along hurricane-prone coasts. Further, while some coastal areas haven’t experienced a hurricane in years or even decades, there’s no telling when one will strike. Many are unprepared. “If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active (hurricane seasons) on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”
Travelers is highlighting four common myths that homeowners have about preparing for hurricanes:
The most vulnerable area of the home is the roof. “It simply isn’t true,” Stone said. “The most vulnerable part is the garage door.” If wind enters through the garage door, a window or any other opening, however, the roof is at risk: The rush of air could blow it off, with your stuff following close behind. Kits are available to protect garage doors.
You only need to protect the openings facing the water. Hurricanes rotate, and their winds can strike from surprising directions. Similarly, it’s dangerous to try to open windows on the opposite side of the house from the direction of the wind, because they could break in the process, or the wind direction could change suddenly.
Taping with a big “X” protects windows. The real key is to make sure windows are securely attached to the building and that they stay that way despite heavy winds.
Leaning or pushing against a window or door can prevent it from being blown in. A better plan is to stay clear of windows and doors during the storm. Before the storm, make sure hinges and bolts are secure, and that all openings can be closed securely.
5. Hurricane Beta
Bottom line: The more storms, the more chance for damage
![[Bloglines]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
![[del.icio.us]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
![[Digg]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/digg.png)
![[Facebook]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/facebook.png)
![[Google]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/google.png)
![[LinkedIn]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/linkedin.png)
![[MySpace]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/myspace.png)
![[Reddit]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/reddit.png)
![[Windows Live]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/windowslive.png)
![[Yahoo!]](http://stormsmart.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/yahoo.png)
