Councillor who survived Barrie, Ont. tornado wants city to explore hurricane strap incentives

Barrie, Ont. -

In the moments after a tornado ripped through southeast Barrie last month, Natalie Harris hit record on her smartphone and pointed her camera upward."

"The roof is gone, oh my god," a stunned Harris said.

City Councillor Natalie Harris had been visiting her son and dogs at her ex-husband's home when an EF-2 tornado touched down on July 15.

Now the city councillor wants the city to explore ways to boost the installation of hurricane straps on homes to prevent catastrophic damage in future storms.

In a virtual meeting on Monday, councillors will discuss asking city staff to investigate establishing a rebate program for homeowners and builders who install the straps.

Building experts say the small metal brackets can help a structure withstand powerful winds and reduce the likelihood of its roof flying off.

Doug Tarry, owner of Doug Tarry Homes puts the cost of the straps at between $600 and $1,200 per home.

In 2017, Dufferin County teamed up with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction to create the country's first hurricane strap program. Since then, more than 16,000 straps have been installed."

Harris wants Barrie to help educate homeowners about the straps, even if the city doesn't go with a rebate or other incentive program.

"I never knew there was such a thing," Harris says. "If you're not in that field, it's really hard to know what should you ask to put on your home."

Harris tells CTV News she's also had an encouraging discussion with the provincial stakeholders and MPPs.

"We had some great conversations and so much support around possibly even changing the Ontario Building Code so that areas that get most frequently hit with tornados, that it's standard practice that they put these hurricane straps in."

Harris says her ex's home has been deemed inhabitable and needs to be completely rebuilt. While he's found shelter in a rental, Harris expects him to be out of his home for at least a year.

with files from Katelyn Wilson