SC is home to the only facility in the world that can test two-story homes under life-like hurricane winds

In order to make homes safer during natural disasters, you need accurate testing.

The IBHS Research Center in Richburg, South Carolina, does just that.

The center was built in 2010 and it aims to advance building science.

The center evaluates the strength of specific building material by testing in realistic situations.

One part of the building has 105 fans that can simulate up to a category three hurricane.

IBHS tests those wind speeds on an actual house to see how the home performs when a hurricane hits.

One thing the center has already found is that closing your interior doors during a hurricane can lower your risk of losing your roof during a tropical system.

When the wind comes into a house it wants to push up and push out on the building; by closing your interior doors you limit the upward push to a small area minimizing your risk of losing your roof.

The facility can even accurately portray the size of raindrops; they've tested what wind-driven rain can do to a house, and through these experiments, they recommend that people have a sealed roof deck.

That means you can seal the seems of your roof to prevent water from getting into your house.

Some of those storm demonstrations can be watched here.

These examples are just some of the many breakthroughs that the IBHS facility has discovered with their realistic weather testing.

The center has developed a standard of building called the Fortified Home. The Fortified Home Program involves specific construction methods that can strengthen your home during hurricanes and severe storms.

You can find out more about the Fortified Home Program by clicking here.