Garage Doors on the Rise: From Vulnerability to Value —How Science, Policy, and Performance Are Redefining Their Role in Resilient Homes

For more than 27 years, Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) President and CEO Leslie Chapman-Henderson and her award-winning organization have led the national effort to strengthen homes and safeguard families from disasters. In this session, Leslie joins our Nation’s disaster failure studies lead investigator, Dr. Tanya Brown-Giammanco of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to spotlight one of the most critical—and often overlooked—vulnerabilities in residential construction: the garage door.

Drawing on decades of post-disaster research, field investigations, and consumer education, the session will begin by introducing the core problem—how garage doors, as one of the largest openings in the building envelope, are frequently the first point of failure in high-wind events. Through clear, visual examples, presenters will demonstrate how garage door damage can initiate a cascading failure sequence, allowing wind and internal pressurization to escalate into roof uplift, wall collapse, and, ultimately, structural failure.

The discussion will feature key findings from collaborative research with the University of Illinois, including insights from the 2013 Moore tornado and the 2011 Joplin tornado, as well as observations from Hurricane Ike. These findings are reinforced by post-event studies following Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Michael, underscoring the direct relationship between garage door performance and overall building resilience. Building on this research and FLASH’s longstanding leadership in advancing resilience policy and consumer awareness, the presentation will explore the growing “door size dilemma”—how larger garage door openings in modern homes increase exposure to wind pressures, introducing new challenges for design, testing, labeling, and installation. This sets the stage for a deeper examination of building codes, product standards, and marketplace realities, including ordering complexities and performance verification gaps.

Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of how science, policy, and public awareness are converging to elevate the role of garage doors in resilience—and how this shift is creating new opportunities for industry leaders, builders, and policymakers alike. The session will conclude with a clear, visual framework illustrating the full chain of resilience, demonstrating how strengthening a single component can help protect the entire home. FLASH’s nationally recognized initiatives—including Inspect2Protect.org, StrongHomesScale.org, TornadoStrong, and the Resilience Policy Resource Guide and Retrofitting Program Playbook developed in partnership with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners—serve as a foundation for this work and a roadmap for what comes next.

Join this session to explore how elevating garage door performance can protect families, strengthen homes, and unlock new opportunities across the resilience marketplace.

Speaker: Leslie Chapman-Henderson, FLASH