CHARLESTON, S.C. --- Getting people back in their homes quickly is vital to hurricane recovery, the head of a national program to build more storm-resistant homes said Wednesday.
"The faster you get the people back, the faster the community recovers -- the faster it recovers economically and the community vitality comes back," said Tim Smail, the leader of the Resilient Home Program based at Savannah River National Laboratory.
"The longer they stay away, the less likely they are to come back."
But getting people back faster means homes must be stronger, said Mr. Smail, standing outside the Center for Sustainable Living, a Charleston house renovated to show how people can make homes better withstand disasters.
His comments came on the last day of a conference on building stronger homes that was attended by about 75 government officials, builders, researchers and scientists from across the country.
Mr. Smail said several areas need attention, including more research on building materials. The Department of Homeland Security has asked the lab to develop a program leading to stronger structures and less property damage and loss of life in a storm. There also needs to be more incentives, perhaps insurance breaks for those who retrofit older homes, and education, he said.
TOURISM TAKES HIT
CONWAY, S.C. --- A new study by Coastal Carolina University says Tropical Storm Hanna dealt a $22 million blow to the South Carolina tourism industry.
Taylor Damonte, of the school's Brittain Center for Resort Tourism, says occupancy rates fell significantly, from 70 percent in 2007 to 28 percent this year for the same September weekend. The study estimates that the storm caused more than $10 million in losses for the lodging sector.
Researchers say Hanna also cost coastal governments about $710,000 in taxes and fees.
Hanna made landfall near the North Carolina state line early Saturday. The storm caused little physical damage in the Carolinas.
-- Associated Press
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