Tornado's and Hurricanes - Below is an article taken from the Chicago Tribune that explains the benefits of Log Homes when battling high winds.

The signs are ominous: a greenish black sky, fast-moving clouds in a rotating pattern, a sudden quiet after a thunderstorm, then a roar like a train or a jet. Tornado season is here.

Twisters hit the Midwest more frequently in April and May than any other time. It was just a year ago that a deadly tornado devastated Utica, in central Illinois.

Hurricane season arrives June 1, and conjures up images of last year's disastrous storms - and which fueled a new urgency for making housing safer.

What, if anything, can be done to build houses that better weather powerful storms?

The housing industry thinks it has an answer in systems-built houses.

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Though log cabins suggest pioneer days rather than cutting-edge technology, they have stood the test of time and have survived severe storms because of their strength and weight.

A log house in Santa Rosa Beach, FL, suffered no damage when Hurricane Ivan swept through with winds of more than 100 mph Besides the strength of the solid log walls, it was had hurricane straps connecting the timber roof to the log walls.

(Bevier) noted that log houses used to be just for vacations. "Now 90 percent are primary residences," he said.

• A log home in Carolina was the only beachfront home to remain standing during Hurricane Hugo.
• Florida log homes survived the severe winds of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
• A log house in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, suffered no damage when Hurricane Ivan swept through with winds of more than 100 mph. Besides the strength of the solid log walls, it was had hurricane straps connecting the timber roof to the log walls.
• This log home built by Heritage Log Homes withstood 120 mph winds and a 15-foot storm surge during Hurricane Rita.
• The historic Tri-Cities tornado of March 18, 1925 did pass over many log homes. Subsequent research showed that these homes typically remained intact, losing only their roofs. All other homes were typically destroyed. Some of these log homes remain intact to this day. Local residents attributed log home survival to their spiked construction and heavy log walls. article