Feature News

NEW ORLEANS, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --

    WHO:    Make It Right Foundation

    WHAT:   Tour of Make It Right home exhibiting the storm resistant
            features, materials, and building processes that ensure the Lower
            Ninth Ward community, residents and homes will survive the next
            natural disaster.

    WHEN:   Monday, June 1st
            10:00 a.m.

    WHERE:  1808 Tennessee @ Make It Right Site

SPECIAL TOUR FEATURES:

As another hurricane season commences, some residents of the Lower Ninth Ward community are now living in stronger, safer and more storm resistant homes.

Innovative work by Make It Right architects and builders has provided each home with unique architectural elements, building techniques, and products that safeguard against hurricane damages and can be replicated.

SPECIFICS:

Raised Elevations. After Hurricane Katrina, federal officials raised the base flood elevation (BFE) requirements for the Lower 9th Ward to three feet above grade. Make It Right Homes are raised either five or eight feet (two or five feet above BFE) depending on the homeowner's preference.

Increased Durability. Make It Right builders use advanced framing techniques and specially engineered wall sections to increase the durability of the homes, building them to withstand winds of 160 mph. By switching from conventional 16-inch to 24-inch on-center spacing, aligning the structural members of the house and using metal fasteners and hurricane straps at corners, headers and intersecting walls, Make It Right is able to build stronger houses through engineering instead of simply using more lumber.

Pervious Concrete. Pervious (porous) concrete is used in Make It Right sidewalks and driveways to help combat localized flooding. The pervious concrete allows stormwater to filter through the pavement where it is stored in the gravel substrate below until it is reabsorbed by deep-rooted plants. This enables Make It Right lots to collect and manage their own stormwater as well as accept stormwater from neighboring lots.

Native Landscaping. Make It Right's team of landscape architects plant rain gardens and urban micro farms, and work to restore the wetlands that edge the neighborhood using native plants and ecology that accept stormwater as a resource and reduce flooding impacts.

Hurricane Window Fabric. Traditionally, when a hurricane approaches, residents board-up their windows with plywood, a process that is cumbersome and time-consuming. Make It Right homeowners instead fasten hurricane fabric that is fitted to their window frames, a safety and time-saving measure that allows them to evacuate quickly.

Rooftop Access. Many New Orleanians were trapped in their attics by rapidly rising floodwaters after Hurricane Katrina hit. Make It Right houses include either "escape hatches" or attic windows that allow direct access to the roof to ensure that homeowners can get out of their homes safely if a storm surge ever strikes this area again.