ICLR unveils tornado- and winter storm-resistant home

The Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) is unveiling a winter storm- and tornado-resistant home in Edmonton, Alberta.

The home retrofit includes: anchoring cabinets, office equipment and bedroom furniture to walls; bracing TV stands, televisions and refrigerators with appliance straps; outfitting the washing machine with armoured water supply hoses; anchoring the hot water heater; installing snow melt cables on roof edges and gutters to prevent the formation of ice dams, among other measures.

On average, the tornado season in Canada ranges from April to October–roughly 160 days, says an ICLR release.

Canada ranks second in the world for tornado occurrences after the United States. According to Environment Canada, in the summer, an average of one tornado every five days is reported in Canada.

“Actions taken to make a home more resilient to natural catastrophes should reflect local hazard risk,” Glenn McGillivray, ICLR managing director, said in a statement.

“The Edmonton area–indeed much of Alberta–represents an active zone for tornado and winter storms.”

This is the fifth year that ICLR has retrofitted an existing home as part of Emergency Preparedness Week. Other retrofits include an Ottawa home made more resilient to earthquakes and winter storms, a Vancouver home protected against earthquakes and a Halifax home was bolstered against hurricanes.