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No one can forget the impact
Hurricane Katrina had
on the United States.
It was one of the five
deadliest hurricanes in
the history of U.S., the
sixth-strongest Atlantic
hurricane ever recorded
and the third-strongest
hurricane on record that
made landfall in the United
States.
In August 2005, the small
Mississippi Gulf Coast
town of Long Beach was
hit with a 30-foot wall
of water, which mercilessly
crashed down upon it.
Katrina annihilated everything
from the shore to two
blocks inland.
“There was nothing standing,”
said Emerson Loga, a builder
in the Long Beach area.
Loga is the man behind
the Oaks of Long Beach,
a soon-to-be-completed
gated community of 90
townhomes. With detail
to southern architectural
design and French Quarter
décor, each townhome
has a brick exterior with
wrought iron appointments.
Set in clusters of five
or six units, the townhomes
are separated by green
space and garden areas.
The property also features
a pond in the front entrance,
with a fountain and putting
greens. As of April 2008,
32 of the units had been
completed. The Oaks is
expected to be completed
in 2009.
As a part of their charm,
the townhomes have wrought
iron balconies on the
second and third levels.
The lower balcony measures
6’ x 23’ and the upper,
4’ x 10’.
“I saw Tiger Claw hidden
deck fasteners at the
International Builders’
Show,” said Loga. “I was
eager to try them and
see how they performed.”
For the balconies, he
used treated pine with
Tiger Claw’s TC-2s. Tiger
Claw’s patented TC-2 fastener
design has a simple topside
installation. Constructed
from hardened heavy gauge
stainless steel that is
compatible with new pressure
treated coatings for lumber,
these unique fasteners
offer outstanding hold-down
power for both wood and
synthetic decking materials.
They create a smooth “nail-free”
surface, which preserves
the beauty of the wood
and reduces splitting,
splintering, cupping,
and rotting.
“Screws tend to splinter
with pine and back out,”
he said. “Once my crew
and I got the hang of
it, installation was quick
and the hidden deck fasteners
provided a much cleaner
look than traditional
nails and screws. There
was no splintering effect
and the end result was
clean, like composite
decking. I really like
the Tiger Claw product.”
Loga is also using Tiger
Claw hidden deck fasteners
for decking around the
pool and boardwalk areas.
Today, townhome owners
at the Oaks of Long Beach
are enjoying the rebuilt
community and their beautiful
decks.
For more information
about Tiger Claw, visit
www.deckfastener.com or
call (800) 92-TIGER. For
more information about
the Oaks of Long Beach,
visit www.oaksoflongbeach.com.
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