South Carolina Experts Discuss Ways to Make Homes Stronger

The head of a South Carolina-based program to build stronger, storm-resistant homes said it’s vital in the days after a hurricane to get people back in their homes.

Tim Smail is the project leader for the Resilient Home Program at the Savannah River National Laboratory. He spoke in Charleston on Wednesday during a three-day conference of government officials and academics on making homes more disaster resistant.

Smail says when people get back to their homes, it helps the local economy recover. He says the longer they stay away, the greater the chance they may never return to their community.

Smail says finding ways to make homes better withstand storms means people will be able to return sooner.