Press conference to be held on Tuesday, January 20 at 8 a.m.
SKOKIE, ILL – Significant announcements regarding the immediate future of residential construction in the United States and the growing need for residential and community tornado safe rooms will be made at the upcoming 2015 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Representatives from the Portland Cement Association (PCA), the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will share insights into developments in the industry ahead of hosting a tornado safe room showcase for builders, developers, contractors and homeowners.
To RSVP for the press conference, please contact Erik Rancatore at erancatore@cement.org or 847-972-9138.
PCA Chief Economist and Group Vice President Edward Sullivan will deliver his residential forecast which indicates that the United States housing market will accelerate in the upcoming year. In addition to sustained growth in multifamily construction, single family construction is expected to strengthen on the back of robust job creation, wage gains, lending standard easement and favorable interest rates.
Updated data from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, indicates that many Americans have experienced serve weather watches, and many will on an annual basis. Tornado safe rooms are growing in popularity and not just in the traditional “tornado alley” areas of the country like Oklahoma, Texas and the Deep South. Tornado safe rooms save lives when tornadoes strike, but they also provide much-desired peace of mind to families whether they expected to be impacted or simply feel threatened. Additionally, safe rooms can increase a home’s real estate value in many areas of the United States.
FEMA has provided technical guidance on tornado protection since 1980, and has recently updated FEMA P-320, Taking Shelter from the Storm: Building a Safe Room for Your Home or Small Business, which includes safe room designs that homeowners, builders, and contractors can use to construct safe rooms in homes or small businesses. FEMA and their Building Science Branch are focused on life safety protection through their long term investment in high-wind safe room guidance. FEMA and their emergency management partners have distributed more than 1,000,000 copies of Taking Shelter from the Storm and FEMA grant programs have provided approximately $984 million in federal funds towards the design and construction of nearly 25,000 residential and 2,000 community safe rooms in 25 states and territories as of January 2015. This investment aligns with FEMA’s strategic goal to support disaster resilience and the ability of our local communities to withstand and recover rapidly from disasters.
About PCA
Headquartered in Skokie, Illinois with offices in Washington, DC, PCA represents America's cement manufacturers, serving as a powerful and vocal advocate for sustainability, jobs creation, economic growth, sound infrastructure investment, and overall innovation and excellence in construction throughout the U.S.More information on PCA programs is available at www.cement.org.