First 'Fortified' Home Nearing Completion In Sand Springs

Oklahoma is among the top five states for natural disasters, and a lot of people don't think our building codes are stringent enough.

Back In April, we told us about a new voluntary national program getting its start in Tulsa.

4/7/2016 Related Story: New Initiative To Fortify Oklahoma Homes Could Save Lives

Builder John Maddan is now nearing completion on one of the first homes in the Fortified program; it's going up in Sand Springs.

"We're just going to build it better,” he said. “We're going to build it stronger. This house will be able to withstand up to F2 winds and debris."

In most cases, nails replace staples and are placed close together from the base of the house up, including the roof.

Building a house "fortified" costs $2 to $4 more per foot than normal construction.