On 5/6/2013 5:26 PM, Nona wrote:
Hi! We are about to get our roof replaced but are looking into structural changes to make the roof safer in the event of severe weather. We live in an area that has occasional hurricanes and even small tornadoes.

Our property has hundreds of tall oak trees (approximately 1-2 feet in diameter x 70 feet? tall) that are gorgeous but certainly dangerous should they fall on the house. It is not a realistic option to remove all the trees and bracing all of the trees would result in a spiderweb of wires all over the place that is not a safe or realistic option either.

Is there anything we can do to improve our own safety with respect to these trees? I have seen too many news stories during hurricanes where people were killed when a tree fell on their roof.

We have a two-story gable roof with plywood sheathing and architectural shingles. Would it help to reinforce the trusses with horizontal or cross metal braces? Could we put metal sheathing beneath the plywood? Our goal is not to make the roof impervious to trees but rather to give us at least a small amount of time to escape the house safely should a heavy tree fall on the roof.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


Are these live oaks? If so, they have shallow roots and the larger ones
can smash a house, not just the roof. All of the "hundreds of tall oak
trees" can't be within striking distance of the house! Clean up the
ones that are close, remove branches hanging over the roof, remove dead
wood and open them up....properly pruned by an arborist, the leaf mass
is open to allow the wind to pass THROUGH, not blow down the entire tree.

During hurricane preparedness in FL, we attended an interesting talk by
the local arborist. One feature of live oaks that makes them dangerous
is when two trunks grow together...you can see the enclosed bark on the
main trunk....these split and fall more easily in wind.