The Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) are teaming up with several other partners to build an earthquake resistant home in Memphis, Tennessee.
The St. Jude Dream Home® Giveaway is a fundraising effort for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is also located in Memphis. The home will be built to the IBHS FORTIFIED for Safer Living® standards, and is also being planned as part of the New Madrid Bicentennial.
Like previous St. Jude Dream Homes, this house will be a two-story structure with all of the modern conveniences any homeowner can imagine; but it also will include amenities not often thought of or even seen. To help reduce and prevent losses from a damaging earthquake and other natural hazards, the home will be built to exceed current residential building code requirements. Several strengthening techniques will be implemented, including:
- fully bracing walls and roof structure;
- securing the frame of the house to the foundation with proper anchoring;
- installing flexible gas and water supply lines to prevent leaks;
- securing non-structural items to prevent them from falling over and causing injuries;
- impact-resistant roofing to prevent hail damage and more