Community Resilience

Whether it’s hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes or high-wind storms, most of us are living in an area that is subject to one or more of these types of natural disasters. Unfortunately as we’ve seen or experienced, these events can be extremely destructive, often causing significant damage to homes and communities. There are ways, however, that you can help protect your home from the forces of Mother Nature.

Simpson Strong-Tie focuses on creating structural products that help support and strengthen the frames of homes and buildings, making them stronger and safer. Although most homeowners never see our products (they are hidden inside your walls), they play an important role in making sure your house stays together, especially during a natural disaster.

While national building codes require the use of structural connectors like those manufactured by Simpson Strong-Tie in new home construction, these codes are not always followed or enforced in all parts of the country. If you own a home or are considering buying a home, you should know what’s behind your walls – it really can make the difference in whether or not your home is still standing after the next big storm or earthquake.

Innovation through Research and Collaboration: The Converging Design Project

As part of the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) Converging Design project, Simpson Strong-Tie collaborated with several universities to perform a series of outdoor shake table tests on a six-story hybrid structural steel and mass timber structure at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Dave of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

To Retrofit or Not to Retrofit

Jennifer Price from Simpson Strong-Tie heads the National Webinar Program within the Training Department. During her 32-year tenure at Simpson, she has worked in various roles spanning Marketing, IT, Compliance, and, most recently, on the SAP Implementation project. Originally hailing from South Africa, she has made California her home since joining the company and resides in the charming town of Lafayette. Jennifer recently had her home retrofitted to withstand seismic earthquakes. Discover insights from a homeowner's viewpoint on the process, expenses and advantages of seismic retrofitting.

Jennifer Price

Seismology and You: A Brief Overview of Some Major Earthquakes in Recent History

On the third Thursday of every October, organizations and companies worldwide participate in earthquake drills and other preparedness activities. These activities are part of the Great ShakeOut, an annual event founded after the Loma Prieta Earthquake on October 17, 1989.

Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Building Safety Month: Strengthening Structures, Empowering Communities

Simpson Strong-Tie’s mission statement is “We provide solutions that help people design and build safer, stronger structures.” But safe structures require a team, from the building owner, building designer, builder, building regulator, building product manufacturer, and even the building occupants. Each member of that team has certain responsibilities to ensure the safest buildings possible.

Randy Shackelford

Why Homes in High-Wind Regions Need a Structural “Seat Belt”

On a mission to educate homeowners about high-wind retrofits. Like most lifelong residents of the Gulf Coast, Simpson Strong-Tie employee Cheryl Zafiris has a long personal history with hurricanes. Hers started right after she was born.

Elizabeth of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Simpson Étouffée: Building Back Stronger After Hurricane Ida

Right beside my computer sits my favorite children’s book, Stone Soup, a classic tale of isolated and lonely villagers who come out of their dark homes to work together around a huge iron pot to create a delicious soup that everyone can share and enjoy. Ultimately it describes a journey to discover what makes people happy. The story has been retold around the world for generations with various elements adapted to reflect local cultures and traditions. I get emotional every time I read it because the longing for deeper connections is so firmly embedded within all of us that I

Kari of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Three Critical Steps to Seismic Retrofit a Home

In our first blog post in this series, we identified why older homes are more vulnerable than newer homes to earthquake damage. We described what retrofitting is and how it strengthens your home’s structure. And lastly, we posed five questions you should ask yourself when deciding if your home needs retrofitting.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Great ShakeOut 2020: Reddit Asks Us Anything About Earthquakes

Each year, Simpson Strong-Tie teams up with the West Coast’s top earthquake scientists and preparedness experts to take questions from Redditors about earthquakes and tsunamis. The Reddit AMA is part of the Great ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake drill, where 55 million people drop, cover and hold on. The next Great ShakeOut is scheduled to take place at 10:17 a.m. on October 15, 2020.

Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Protecting Homes Against Earthquakes — a New Blog Series

October is Earthquake Preparedness Month, and October 15 is the Great ShakeOut earthquake drill. In this blog series, we thought we’d share some steps homeowners can take to help minimize the risk of damage from earthquakes. Depending on your location, you may find further information and resources at the end of each blog post, with links to local cities that participate in resiliency plans for homeowners and contractors. If an earthquake were to strike at this very moment, are you confident your home is adequately constructed to withstand its forces?

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

How to Prepare for Hurricane Season

The Simpson Strong-Tie Mission is to “provide solutions that help people design and build safer, stronger structures.” Safety is an important part of the work we do and the products we provide. In addition to supplying products that help make structures, and therefore people, safer, we also collaborate with outside groups that focus on educating the public about how to stay safe in the face of natural hazards.

Randy Shackelford

How Earthquake Brace + Bolt Provides Financial Support to Help California Homeowners Retrofit

When you live in earthquake country, you know it’s not “if” there will be a big quake, it’s “when.” You may have an earthquake emergency kit ready, but there are also steps you can take now to strengthen your home to make it more resistant to earthquake damage. And if you live in California, there’s a program called the Earthquake Brace + Bolt (EBB) that provides up to $3,000 for seismic retrofit grants to homeowners residing in more than 150 California zip codes. If you’ve checked it before and your zip code wasn’t listed, be sure to check it again

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Why Is Community Resilience Important?

Community resilience is the concept that we can design and build better to reduce susceptibility to disasters. The idea of building for resilience is in the DNA of Simpson Strong-Tie and is why we’re considered a leader in structural systems research, testing and innovation. That commitment to building for resilience is why we partner with other leaders in the field like the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society.

Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Great ShakeOut 2019: Reddit Asks Us Anything About Earthquakes

Each year, Simpson Strong-Tie teams up with the West Coast’s top earthquake scientists and preparedness experts to take questions from Redditors about earthquakes and tsunamis. The Reddit AMA is part of the Great ShakeOut, the world’s largest earthquake drill, where 55 million people drop, cover and hold on. The next Great ShakeOut is scheduled to take place at 10:17 a.m. on October 17, 2019, and your organization still has time to get involved.

Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Drop, Cover, and Hold On: International ShakeOut Day is October 17

Each year, an earthquake preparedness event known as the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill takes place around the world. The coordinated earthquake drill provides an opportunity for schools, businesses, homeowners and others to practice what to do once the ground starts shaking or swaying.

Jesse of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Made Even Stronger: Mexico Beach Home Rides Out Hurricane Michael

On October 10, Hurricane Michael made landfall on the Florida Panhandle with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Having already wrought havoc across Central America, the Category 4 storm became the third most powerful hurricane (in terms of minimum central pressure, a key indicator of strength) ever to hit the contiguous United States. By the time the storm finally cleared, it had tragically claimed 60 lives and some $11.28 billion in damages.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

How to Restore Your Home After a Hurricane

In 2011, it was Hurricane Irene; in 2012, it was Sandy and then Hurricane Patricia; 2017 gave us Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria and Nate. This year, with Hurricane Florence, we’ve been reminded that damage can’t be predicted by the frequency of the hurricanes or even necessarily where one ranks on the Saffir-Simpson Scale when it makes landfall. Many factors can make even a Category One Hurricane devastating.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Hurricane Season: Understanding High-Wind Home Preparation

As we’ve seen with the hurricane seasons of that past decade or so, homes are not always built to withstand a major storm. The hurricane season of 2017 was one of the deadliest and costliest seasons in US history. Countless homes and buildings were severely damaged or destroyed, leaving thousands of families displaced. It will take years for communities to rebuild and recover from such devastation. Fortunately, there are solutions that can help protect your home from a hurricane or high-wind event.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Staying Put, Riding Out the Storm and Surviving the Odds by Sheltering in Place

Disaster strikes. It’s inevitable, given enough time. Regardless of where you live, there are natural disasters waiting to happen, be they earthquakes, floods, tornadoes or hurricanes. Meteorologists and emergency service providers can often provide advance notice of weather-related disasters like hurricanes, but seismic events, tornadoes and flash floods can often occur with little or no warning.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Picking Up the Pieces — Examining the Effects of Hurricane Harvey

From hurricanes and earthquakes to wildfires, floods, freezes, droughts, severe storms and more, natural disasters plagued the United States in 2017. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) reports that 2017 could be a record-breaking year for disasters that cause over $1 billion in damage. As of October of 2017, NCEI reported 15 such events in the United States, only one fewer than in the record year of 2011. Without going into the details of why these events occur — we’ll leave that to the scientific community — there are ways to prevent damage and destruction by building resilient communities

Kari of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

Protecting Your Home from Earthquakes

On a Sunday morning in late August 2014, a 6.0 magnitude earthquake surprised Napa, California residents and caused structural damage to many homes and businesses in the area. One of the most powerful earthquakes in Napa's history, local news outlet KQED reported $300 million in damage to homes and commercial properties.

The Strong-Tie Blog Team

Protecting Homes Against Earthquakes With Seismic Retrofitting

If an earthquake were to strike at this very moment, are you confident your home is adequately constructed to withstand it? Depending on where you live, how your house is built—and the year in which it was originally constructed—an earthquake could have a devastating impact on your physical and financial health.

Nathaniel of the Strong-Tie Blog Team

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