Storm Stoppers Inventor Says Window Protection a Priority For Homeowners during 2013... -- ORLANDO, Fla., June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- ORLANDO, Fla., June 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) prediction of a busier than normal Atlantic Hurricane Season, experts say now is the time to make window protection a priority. According to a recent Harris Interactive Survey, 80% of those affected by Hurricane Sandy last October do not plan to install hurricane shutters or plywood over their windows this year. "The primary reason homeowners do not buy hurricane window protection is most products are difficult to use," says John D. Smith , president of Storm Stoppers, a nationally recognized plywood alternative storm protection manufacturer in Orlando. Plywood and metal hurricane panels are heavy and take hours to re-install. "Plywood is technically illegal," says the International Hurricane Protection Association on their website. It doesn't meet the new Florida Building Code. Protection Type Bolted On? Safe Exit From Every Opening? Homeowner DIY Installation? Minutes to Re-install Per Opening Lets in Light? Materials Cost Per square foot Storm Stoppers No Yes 1 minute $6 to $7 Plywood* 10 minutes $2 to $5 Storm Panels* 15 minutes $7 to $8 Roll Downs* 3 minutes $30 to $55 Hurricane Glass* None $35 to $50 Source: Sun-Sentinel Hurricane Shutter Guide Fire safety experts point out many bolted-on hurricane shutters cannot be removed from the inside in an emergency. More than a dozen homeowners have died since 1998, trapped behind hurricane shutters and plywood in fires. Fire Battalion Chief Leigh Hollins , in a 2011 interview about Hurricane Shutter Tragedies on WWSB TV-7 in Sarasota, Florida, said, "You cannot get through these products from the inside." "Storm Stoppers are the only hurricane window protection that my wife Lynn and I can remove from the inside in an emergency," said Carter Coupland of Virginia Beach, Virginia. Coupland installed the lightweight, translucent, Storm Stoppers plastic panels in about a minute per window, and they protected the couple's home during Hurricane Sandy. The Weather Channel's Tropical Update has described a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico. NOAA is predicting 12 to 18 named storms of which, six to 10 could become hurricanes. "Homeowners need to be prepared," said NOAA Administrator Kathryn Sullivan . Media Contact: John D. Smith , jsmith@storm-stoppers.com, 407-423-5959, www.plywoodalternative.com. SOURCE Storm Stoppers RELATED LINKS http://www.plywoodalternative.com