Watch Out for Labor Day Storm on Gulf Coast

Forget Katia - there is a tropical wave near Cancun that computer models show hitting somewhere on the Gulf Coast around the Labor Day weekend. It could provide just rain, or become a roaring hurricane.

It is not yet fully organized but the Gulf of Mexico waters are extraordinarily hot- nearly 90 degrees - which could ignite the afterburners and rev up a big storm with little advance notice.

Warm waters act like throwing gasoline on a fire when it comes to tropical storms. Hot water can turn a small tropical storm into a killer Hurricane in less than 24 hours. People used to having days notice to "board up" (the outdated way of preparing for a storm) may have less than 24 hours notice before it hits.

Whether or not it will rev up to hurricane strength is unknown. Keep your eyes on this one. It could provide a nasty surprise, or much needed rain, or both.

Fortunately, Armor Glass security film customers are already prepared and won't have to "board up" to be ready. While waiting on the next storm they are also getting solar heat relief and break-in protection.

Stay tuned. It will be a wild few days ahead. Anything is possible...

LEED Building Comparison with/without Armor Glass

Notice the difference in photos.

The first is a photo of how a LEED building looks after a hurricane -- with Armor Glass security film and attachment installed.

The second is a photo of how a LEED building looks after Hurricane IKE without Armor Glass security film and frame attachment (note the plywood replacing windows which were sucked out during IKE, not even a CAT 2 or above storm).

Notice the difference? The difference is millions of dollars in losses to the building owners and occupants, water damage and months of reconstruction --all could have been avoided using an Energy Star security film from Armor Glass.

Single pane glass, double pane glass and Low E glass: none are breach resistant. Armor Glass security film makes each of them hurricane/tornado/burglar resistant. They also save enough energy to pay for installation.

Armor Glass films are a way to make windows "low E" at a fraction of the cost, while "armoring your glass." Our films are "carbon negative" - it costs less to make them than what they save in energy.

A building loses 40% of its energy through its windows, which are often left unprotected and untouched in most LEED certifications for buildings located in a hurricane or tornado zone.

Armor Glass solar security film generates 1-4 LEED credits. Think of Armor Glass films as LEED Plus!

Which is better - to have a LEED building fighting hurricane force winds with Armor Glass security film, or without?

Ask your insurance company and tenants who lost windows during IKE...

Katia Forms in Atlantic - Target?

A new tropical storm KATIA has formed in the Atlantic.

It is too early to tell WHERE it will end up as it moves west. Some models say it will curve north and miss the U.S.

Others are suggesting that Texas will get hit by tropical moisture by Thursday/Friday of this week.

Keep in mind that we are approaching our peak time for hurricanes - mid-September. The season won't end until Nov. 30 so we have a long way to go.

Stay tuned! Get prepared! Stay prepared...

ANOTHER HURRICANE could be hitting the U.S. in 10 DAYS!!

ANOTHER HURRICANE could be hitting the U.S. in 10 DAYS!! Checking details...

It is just getting into our PEAK THREAT window....stay tuned on our Blog at

www.ArmorGlass.com

Don't look now, but Tropical Depresson #12 has formed

Don't look now, but Tropical Depresson #12 has formed in the Atlantic, right behind T.S. Jose, which is heading north into the Atlantic.

Fortunately, IRENE didn't form an eye wall and caused less damage than IKE (which cost about $25 billion in damages to the Houston area).

It ain't over right folks! September is the PEAK, and it won't end until Nov. 30...

Stay tuned! (And get prepared NOW).

Advice for Those Facing Hurricane IRENE (from an IKE survivor)

If you are in the path of IRENE, do this NOW:

1) Get away from water. Some people in Bolivar Island near Galveston, TX refused to leave their houses when Hurricane IKE hit Houston in 2008. Their bodies were found in another county, along with huge piles of debris that floated across Trinity Bay. One man was found --alive--hanging in a barbed wire fence in an empty field, miles from his former house.

You are safer if you are not trying to avoid being drowned in high winds. The water will have a lot of floating debris like splintered wood, so it is to be avoided.

2) The weakest link of every building is the glass. The higher you are in a building the higher the winds. A CAT 1 on the ground will be a CAT 2 when you get over 25 floors high (and a CAT 2 becomes a CAT 3). The glass in a Houston Penthouse blew in during IKE. The residents tried to open the door to flee into the hallway -- but the wind pressure was so high they couldn't open the door! Imagine that scenario.

Flying glass from broken windows (or windows that are sucked out as happened to commercial buildings in Houston) will be the biggest threat after rising water. Glass is like shrapnel. A break causes internal air pressure that blows off the roof of houses and opens the building to water damage, mold and MONTHS of rehab. If you don't have armored safety glass or a chance to 'board up' try to cover the windows from the inside until this passes. It's all you can do at this point. After the storm passes, armor your glass!

IKE blew out windows over 50 miles inland. (IKE raised hell and blew out power all the way to OHIO, after hitting Houston in 2008). IKE was just a CAT 1, like IRENE might be when it gets to New York. IRENE is actually much wider than IKE.

If the hurricane "eye" passes over you - it's not over! Several TV crews in NC had that happen to them. They forgot that the winds would hit them again from the OPPOSITE direction. When that happened it knocked down their satellite dishes! Don't get out in it - a flying metal street sign could impale you.

3) Fill your bathtub with water - you'll need it to flush your toilet. Don't plan on drinking it.

4) Get a lot of bottled water. You'll need it for drinking and cooking.

5) Get a camp stove if you don't have a gas stove.

Your freezer will thaw so you'll end up cooking it ASAP (in Houston we had neighbors over for camp stove meals - a lot of people did the same). Then have canned food available because that's all you will get after the freezer meat is eaten or spoils - until restaurants and food stores can reopen. It took about three or four days for many of our grocery stores to reopen. A BBQ grill also comes in handy. Don't expect to have pheasant under glass (no pun intended).

6) If you have a car, get a full tank of gas. Power outages will prevent the pumps from working and you'll soon be out of gas. Even if the stations have gas in their tanks, without a generator they won't be able to run their pumps.

7) Get a solar charger for your cell phone. You probably won't be able to make calls if cell towers are down but texting usually works - the cell systems aren't designed for 100% use which tends to happen in a storm or 9/11 type event.

8) If you have a car charger for your phone you can recharge your cell just by plugging it in (leave the engine off - the big car battery should not run down for the tiny phone battery). If the battery does take low it will recharge when you start the car for an errand).

9) Get ready for a lack of electricity for days or a couple of weeks! Fortunately natural gas lines still worked after IKE so people with gas water heaters could take a HOT shower in the morning, even if the house was DARK and HOT. Just getting a hot shower every morning helps you feel better!

10) It will take a while for power to be restored - trees fell on our lines during IKE so some people never lost power and some were out of power for almost two weeks. It will happen whenever it happens. Nothing you can really do except get a generator - but few will run an entire house. And the noise of gasoline generators will drive your neighbors crazy. After a few days, I wanted to blow up the neighbors noisy generators after a few hot nights trying to sleep. Usually a generator is not big enough to run your air conditioner.

11) Watch out for people offering to "cut your trees off your house" after the storm, especially if they want a deposit. We had a lot of "cowboys" after IKE who showed up with a borrowed chain saw. Our neighbor hired one of them since a giant tree was leaning against his house. The guy cut a piece too big and it created a big hole when it fell through his roof!

12) Watch out for downed power lines. Stay away.

13) Houston's streets looked like "Sherwood Forest" after IKE - totally GREEN from leaves, branches, etc. Amazingly, people came out of their powerless houses, and starting sweeping! In a couple days it was all in neat piles on the side of the road.

Our rebuilding after IKE took over a year. It took a couple months just to get homes cleared of debris, trees off roofs, etc. It cost almost $30 billion in damages. Small businesses like mine (and a lot of people) lost three month's of income before things started to roll again.

Anyone hit by IRENE will face the same problems. Our hearts go out to you.

FORGET PLYWOOD FOR HURRICANE PROTECTION!

27 August 2011

For Immediate Release

FORGET PLYWOOD FOR HURRICANE PROTECTION!

Upgrade to 21^st Century Technology

Do you still ride a horse to work? Then WHY would use plywood for Hurricane Protection? That’s last century’s technology.

Have you ever tried to lug a heavy plywood board up a ladder to a 2^nd or 3^rd story? It’s a suicide mission. Can you install plywood on a stucco house? No. Does it make sense on a glass building? No. Does plywood offer any solar heat reduction benefits or burglar protection? No.

It’s the 21^st Century. Throw out yesterday’s technology – plywood-- and install hurricane-rated security window film on your glass. It goes on the inside of the glass, so you can put it on your 2^nd floor or on the 20^th floor of a high rise or on 50-story office buildings.

“Project Safe Windows” study of the 2004 Florida hurricanes found that it is windborne debris breaking a window that leads to roofs blown off due to the internal pressure. Window breaks also cause internal damages from water and flying glass, including mold. The study found that security window film made the difference between a house surviving a hurricane or being destroyed by high winds.

Armor Glass® Hurricane-rated security window film can prevent a breach even if the window is broken. It would have prevented the Chase Tower windows from being sucked out by the vacuum caused by Hurricane IKE.

It works 24/7. It saves energy costs enough to pay for itself. And it prevents break-ins by burglars. It can even protect people from an explosion. It costs a fraction of shutters and impact glass. Same film was installed on the federal buildings of DC after 9/11. Generates 1-4 LEED credits. Cuts UV 99%.

See how it works by viewing the 2 minute video on our website at www.ArmorGlass.com

For more info contact us via the website or call 713-213-5080.

###

Historic Hurricanes

Another good article on "Historic Hurricanes" from the past...

And this one on Hurricane IKE, the last big storm to hit a major city in the U.S...."It took about a year for all the broken windows in the city's skyscrapers to be repaired."

(Those windows would NOT have been blown out had our security film been installed and anchored to the frames)...

What Damage Does WIND Do?

This is a good article on what WIND can do to a building...

"Trouble really starts at 60 mph, or Level 10 on the 200-year-old Beaufort wind scale, developed by a British admiral to estimate wind speeds before the invention of instruments to measure it. “You can get windows blown out,” Elsner said, and parts of roofs may fly off.

Above 75 mph, the situation is dire. “You can get some full-scale compromises of buildings,” Elsner said.

If buildings break apart, airborne debris becomes a problem. Shingles, glass and nail-riddled wall studs can all start flying around. And the wind will whip even faster through tight areas, such as the tunnel-like alleys between two houses built within spitting distance...."

IRENE Aims Toward Armor Glass New York

Hurricane IRENE is now a CAT 3, about 120 mph as it roars over the Bahamas.

It is expected to sweep up the East Coast towards New York, the first hurricane they have had in decades. This will be the 10th extreme weather event we have had in 2011 -- or 11th -- from triple vortex tornadoes that took out Joplin and Tuscaloosa, floods, droughts, an earthquake in Washington DC. It's been a very strange year weatherwise (and otherwise).

If so, it will run into a Chase Bank on Long Island that is protected with Armor Glass Hurricane film - the first use of hurricane film on Long Island (so we were told during installation).

The Chase bank has over-sized windows - 10 feet x 13 feet! There is no other way to afford-ably protect such large windows 24/7. Our film also keeps burglars from breaking into the bank and is cutting cancer causing UV by 99%, which also destroys furnishings. Glass provides almost zero UV protection.

Standby for IRENE, about to jeopardize millions of people living with unprotected windows along the east coast.

"Project Safe Windows" study of the 2004 hurricanes that hit Florida that windborne debris breaching glass is what leads to internal pressurization that causes roofs to be blown off, not to mention internal damage from water, mold, and flying glass.

Get prepared now, because you won't have time when another Irene pops up. Hurricane season won't end until November 30.

Here Comes IRENE: More Behind Her...

Here comes Hurricane IRENE. The east coast of the U.S. are definitely in the strike zone.

Forecasters say that there is a likelihood of a Gulf of Mexico storm by the first week of September.

As you know hurricane season doesn't end until November 30, and mid-September is the peak.

Are you prepared? We are working every day to try to keep up with installation demand..

IRENE CAT 3 Possible by week's end

Hurricane IRENE is expected to hit Florida or the east coast as a CAT 3 (115 mph winds) by this Thursday.

If you look at the Atlantic satellite, there are more tropical waves coming off the coast of Africa - potential future hurricanes.

The hurricane peak is about mid-September, so we haven't reached the height of hurricane season yet. IRENE breaks the hurricane drought - we haven't been hit for awhile. Last year a blocking high kept them from reaching the U.S. No such protection this year...

Stay tuned!

2011: Ties 2008 --Most Extreme Weather Events

"With hurricane season still ahead, a record-tying nine $1 billion weather disasters have already racked the nation this year, federal, state and private forecasters reported Wednesday."

"the National Weather Service estimates that weather disasters have cost more than $35 billion this year, based on insurance estimates. Recent flooding in the Midwest along the Missouri and Souris rivers topped the $2 billion damage mark.

"The nation is increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather," National Weather Service Director Jack Hayes says. The year has been marked by floods, drought and tornadoes, such as the May twister that killed 160 people in Joplin, Mo. Meanwhile, a Texas heat wave has cost $5.2 billion in crop and livestock losses so far "It doesn't take a wizard to predict that 2011 will go down in history," Hayes says."

Read on. It gets even more hair raising:

"Nationwide, the number of natural disasters has tripled in the last two decades, according to insurance firm Munich Reinsurance America. Thunderstorm losses since 1980 have become five times more severe, on average. There were $20 billion in such losses by midyear in 2011, doubling the average of the past three years."

Are you prepared? Are we prepared as a nation?

Here Comes IRENE

Here comes Irene! It's too early to tell exactly WHERE it will hit but the U.S. is in its strike zone.

Right now it is a tropical storm, but it is expected to reach at least CAT 1 status before making landfall.

Remember, the peak of Hurricane season is mid-September, so this could be just a warm-up.

Stay tuned.

Protection from Triple Digit Heat - Storms and UV

This triple digit heat is deadly. We have broken the record set in Texas in 1980.

While people are complaining about the economy our "Green" business is booming. Why?

Because it fits today's need for solar heat relief and security. We can cut 50% to 79% of solar heat, making your space cooler and more comfortable. We can cut 99% of UV that fades your furnishings and causes skin cancer, our No. 1 cancer.

At the same time it will prevent a burglar from breaking in or a storm breaking a window and causes structural failure and internal damages.

If you are trying to sell buggy whips in the 21st century it won't work. It's time to move into 21st century technology/business. Unless businesses and consumers cut costs with energy efficiency, they are throwing money down the drain.

With our security films they not only save money they get security that other technologies don't provide, and at a fraction of the cost.

Our technology actually pays for itself in as little as 3 years or less. We could create millions of green jobs if Congress renewed the energy efficiency tax credits...and save millions of barrels of oil in the process.

Tell your Congressman you want tax credits renewed for making your home or office more energy efficient. It's a win-win for both individuals and our country.

London Riots - Coming to the U.S.?

Could the London riots come to the U.S.? Gangs of jobless young people have been on a ramage the past three days, smashing glass windows with baseball bats and rocks, and stealing anything they could get.

Could this same problem come to the United States? The London riots were led by young people - 20% of them are unemployed. Huge pockets of "have nots" live near the "Haves" in London. When a man was shot by police, the neighborhoods around London exploded as mobs coordinated looting with their smartphones.

Much of the damage and stealing in London could have been avoided if the shops had installed Armor Glass security film on their glass - the weakest link to any building. Keeping out looters would have prevented thefts and the fires that were started inside. Millions in damages could have been avoided.

Could the London riots come to the U.S. as Congress continues to cut budgets and unemployment and summer heat brings frustrations to the boiling point? Very possible.

Right now, the U.S. unemployment rate is 9.1%. However, the top 1% now control 1/3 of the national wealth. The top 10% control 56% of the national wealth. How long before the bottom 90% explode when all we hear from Washington DC is cut...cut..cut?

How many shop owners here would be as vulnerable as those in London? Almost all of them.

In the meantime, Houston is baking under triple digit heat. The Chronicle's Eric Berger said: "If you liked yesterday's 102 you'll love today's 103!" Our solar security film's could cut that heat in half 0r more, and save you energy costs at the same time...

It's another reason Armor Glass is a miracle technology, serving multiple purposes to protect people and their property.

For RIOTS too...Armor Glass to the rescue.

Amazing. London has been rocked by violence and burning of stores. Most of those occurred after breaking the glass.

Armor Glass security film could have saved many of these shops by keeping out the vandals. There seems to be an endless market for Armor Glass security film...

Map of Burglaries in Houston - Any "safe" Area?

Here is a link to a map of burglaries in Houston. Think you are in a "safe" area? I don't see one on this map.

Not shown on this map are the areas in Ft Bend and the Woodlands that have the same problem. It is probably the oldest occupation next to the other oldest occupation (selling sex and stealing other peoples' stuff is not new to the human race).

Last summer we put our security film on a lady's house in Montrose. Five days later someone tried to break in, and failed.

The neat thing is the same film cuts solar heat, making your house cooler, and acts like 'invisible shutters' so you never have to board up for a hurricane. It pays for itself over time. And its "carbon negative." That means that is takes less energy to make it then it saves in its use.

I just spent Saturday putting different film samples in an office with a glass ceiling. The sun coming through the glass made the blistering rooms feel like they were being microwaved.

We put up three films: one Clear, a Stainless that cut nearly 50% of the solar heat and barely change the look of the building, and a Silver reflective one that is perfect for glass ceilings because it cuts a whopping 79% of the solar heat! Think of it as a "White Roof" that reflects back the heat instead of absorbing it. After we put it on, the room felt so COOL despite the sun beating down overhead. All of them cut 99% of UV that causes fading and skin cancer.

It's pretty amazing to have a technology that is not just a "johnny one note." It's more like a "Jack of all Trades" and good at all - cutting energy use, keeping burglars from stealing your stuff, and providing protection to your building's weakest link from hurricanes and tornadoes.

Check out the miracle technology --Armor Glass security window film -- that costs a fraction of the alternatives like shutters and impact glass. Contact us for a free quote anytime at www.ArmorGlass.com...

Remembering Hurricane Celia: Aug. 3, 1970

Remembering Hurricane Celia: Aug. 3, 1970

Wow, it has been 41 years. I was 9 and remember it well. Our house was destroyed with me, and my family in it. I remember the windows blowing out, then the ceiling coming down on me and my sister. My Dad held a mattress over my Mom, and us kids trying to keep us safe. Then the eye hit. We went outside, and went to the house next door for the 2nd half of the storm. I now think that a tornado from the storm hit our house. I remember how loud and scary it was. We had God looking out for us our we would have not made it out alive.

No power for 3 weeks. Gas pumps were ran with a gas edger you use on your lawn. The heat, mosquito’s, and insulation was always in your skin and no ice. It was tuff, but everyone helped out each other. No one cried for the Government to help me. We all worked hard and rebuilt this city.

Curt
Corpus Christi, Texas
curt@ArmorGlass.com

(Now an Armor Glass Sales Rep)

Woodlands Break-ins: How to Stop?

It is reported that homes in the Woodlands (north of Houston) have been broken into by a burglar who stole TV's, jewelry, etc. How can you stop that?

Simple. We put our security film on a lady's home last summer. Five (5) days later someone tried to break in, and FAILED. She said he broke the outer pane and managed to make a two-inch hole on the inner pane that had the film attached, but he gave up and went away.

Remember, glass is the weakest link of any building. It takes nothing to break it, and enter. The good thing about our film is that it provides solar heat relief and burglar protection as well as hurricane protection - no more 'boarding up!'

Contact us for a FREE quote to "armor your glass" before its too late...

Emily: Target Florida by this weekend

"Emily" should hit Florida by this weekend.

Maps show another "tropical wave" right behind it....The Atlantic is mother nature's 'bowling alley' and we are the pins!

Armor Glass - Looking for Sales Reps for a "Green" company

Armor Glass is looking for Sales Reps to market its energy-saving, hurricane, burglar window film.

This is the same film installed on the federal buildings in DC after 9/11! It saves up to 30% on energy costs - enough to pay for itself over time.

It also eliminates the need to "board up" for a hurricane, protects from tornado debris - and keeps burglars from breaking into your home or office.

Check out our website at www.ArmorGlass.com and watch the 2 minute video that shows how our film works, then contact us.

We install nationally.

Excessive Heat Alert - How to Cut your Power Use and Be Cooler

Texas utilities are asking people to limit their power use. The triple digit HEAT is causing a massive surge in power consumption, which in the past has led to rolling blackouts.

How can you cut your power use and get COOLER at the same time? We have the solution.

Our solar security film cuts a minimum of 50% of the solar heat getting into your house or building. That means 50% less heat that you air conditioner has to cool. Energy savings can be as much as 30%! Our films can cut up to 79% of solar heat, depending on the film used.

And at the same time, you get protection from break-ins not to mention hurricanes breaching the windows and blowing off your roof. You never have to 'board up' again!

Save energy - enough to pay for itself over time - AND get 24/7 protection. What's their not to love about that?

Check us out and ask for a Free Quote at www.ArmorGlass.com

P.S. "Emily" will be approaching the U.S. coast by this Friday. More tropical waves are behind her.

"Emily" - Next potential hurricane. Florida or Gulf?

"Emily" has a predicted track that could hit Florida or bring it into the Gulf of Mexico. Or it could go up the east coast.

It has a 90% chance of becoming a hurricane in the next couple days.

Stay tuned and get prepared. There are more tropical waves forming behind "Emily." We are about to get a pounding....

AND, check out this strange tornado in Russia yesterday - since when do tornadoes hit in July?