New paper summarizes research showing how one affordable upgrade can protect homes from derechos, hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, and other high-wind disasters

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As part of the continued effort to help homeowners across the country discover the protective power of wind-rated garage doors, the nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) today released a new commentary paper, Garage Doors on the Rise, that summarizes the research case for this affordable home product. Perhaps most surprisingly, the benefits are not limited to hurricane-prone states.

The paper notes that tornadoes occur across more than 75% of the United States, and approximately 94% produce wind speeds of 135 mph or less—within the design range of many wind-rated garage doors. Those findings reinforce that wind protection is relevant for millions of homeowners well beyond hurricane-prone coastlines.

“This is truly an open-and-shut case for resilience,” said Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH President and CEO. “Research consistently shows that garage doors are one of the most important components in protecting a home’s structural integrity during high-wind events. Whether a family lives in Florida, Iowa, Minnesota, or Oklahoma, keeping the garage door intact can help prevent roof and wall damage. It’s one of the clearest examples of how one proven upgrade can protect families and strengthen homes.”

“The homeowners I work with in Minnesota often think wind protection is only relevant along the coast, but high-wind events are a real risk here and throughout the Midwest,” said Michael Cash, Northview Doors & Systems Owner. “It’s a relatively small investment, but when done right, it protects more than just the garage door.  It protects the roof, the walls, and by extension, everything inside the home.”  

The paper brings together research from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), the International Code Council (ICC), and industry experts to explain why protecting the largest opening in a home can help preserve the structural integrity of the entire building.

Key Findings

• When a garage door fails, powerful winds rapidly pressurize the home, dramatically increasing the likelihood of roof and side wall failure. 
• A wind-rated garage door may be one of the most affordable resilience upgrades available. A leading manufacturer reports the approximate cost of a single-door upgrade at $100 and a double-door upgrade at $225.
• NIST field research found that when garage doors remained intact, approximately 90% of homes avoided structural roof and wall damage.
• Approximately 60% of homes with damaged garage doors experienced structural roof damage, compared to fewer than 10% when garage doors remained intact.
• FLASH research found nearly 69% of homeowners were unaware that garage door failure can lead to major roof and wall damage during high-wind events, highlighting a significant consumer awareness gap.

To help homeowners better understand their home’s resilience, FLASH encourages consumers to visit Inspect2Protect.org, a free online resource that allows users to look up the building codes in effect where their home was built and learn how those codes influence protection against natural hazards. The site also offers practical information about strengthening homes, understanding risk, and making informed decisions about resilience upgrades.

Read the full commentary paper, Garage Doors on the Rise, here: https://flash.org/news/commentary/.

About FLASH

The nonprofit Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) is the country’s leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from disasters. The FLASH partnership includes more than 100 innovative and diverse organizations that share a vision of making America a more disaster-resilient nation, including FEMA, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Huber Engineered Woods, International Code Council, ISO – Verisk Analytics, MyRadar, National Weather Service, Renew Financial, Simpson Strong-Tie, State Farm, Travelers, and USAA. In 2008, FLASH and Disney opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes in Lake Buena Vista, FL. FLASH’s signature program, No Code. No Confidence. – Inspect2Protect.org provides consumers with a one-of-a-kind building code transparency tool to easily identify their community’s building code. Learn more about FLASH and access free consumer resources by visiting www.flash.org and www.Inspect2Protect.org, calling toll-free (877) 221- SAFE (7233), following @federalalliance on X, and Facebook.com/federalalliance.

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SOURCE Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH)