All of our BERTHA HV accordion shutters are custom engineered and manufactured to meet all statewide Florida Building Codes and more importantly YOUR specifications.
"Affordable and Effective Hurricane Protection"

We are "Do-It-Yourself" friendly. If you can install hurricane panels or plywood, you can install our accordion shutters.

We also can arrange to have your hurricane protection installed. 

What Product Should I Use ?

If you are confused about the different types hurricane protection products, let me try to help you determine which product might work best for you. Remember, you can mix and match solutions based upon the opening you are trying to protect.

All of our products have been tested and certified for use in 150 mph winds and able to withstand large and small missile impact.  One product (mesh fabric roll down) carries the above rating but chose not to be certified for use in the the High Velocity Hurricane Zone (HVHZ).

The following lists the relative cost and attributes of each type of opening protection (#1 least expensive - #11 most expensive).

1. Steel panels: least expensive, heavy, hard to handle (you should ware gloves to protect your hands from cuts), rusts, stored in garage, installed from outside, blocks exits, installed with wing nuts and tracks
2. Aluminum panels: lighter than steel, easier to handle, stored in garage, installed from outside, blocks exits, generally used on rectangular or arched windows and large doors, installed with wing nuts and tracks
3. Clear Lexan panels: see through, easier to handle, stored in garage, installed from outside, blocks exits, generally used on rectangular or arched windows, installed with wing nuts and tracks
4. Mesh or clear vinyl manual hurricane fabric: can be rolled up and temporarily stored next to opening during the season and moved to garage when not needed, light weight, when rolled up the integrated cover is color matched to your walls or trim, see through, installed from outside, can be used for some exits, generally used on first floor windows and doors or outer edges of patios and balconies, installed with wing nuts or sidewalk bolts. These fabrics can be placed 1-inch from glass when outside of HVHZ (Miami-Dade and Broward). When used in the HVHZ areas, a 30 inch distance is required between the glass and the fabric.
5. Accordion shutters: very convenient, permanently mounted next to opening, quickly closed and opened, provides emergency exits, can be closed from the inside, can be used on all floors, patios and balconies
6. Mesh fabric roll down: permanently mounted above opening, requires side tracks, see through, requires crank or electric motor,   used on outer edges of patios and balconies, This can not be used in the HVHZ area (Miami-Dade and Broward counties)
7. Bahamas: permanently mounted next to opening, requires tools to close, blocks exits, can only be closed from outside
8. Stainless steel screens: permanently mounted on opening, does not block exits, can only be opened from inside, see through, looks like a screen door or window
9. Colonials: permanently mounted next to opening, requires tools to close, blocks exits, can only be closed from outside
10. Impact glass: permanently mounted over opening, see through, glass break when hit but it will stay in the frame, long lead time to replace
11. Aluminum roll down: permanently mounted above opening, small opening requires crank, large openings require an electric motor, requires side tracks, may block exit, requires storm bars for large openings

We feature the following products:

BERTHA HV (Accordion Hurricane Shutters) - We manufacture this product to meet your custom specifications. The Bertha HV has been designed and certified to meet the Dade County  and statewide Florida Building Code (FL1850-R1). This advanced and patented shutter system is ideal for all openings (single family homes, condos, high-rise buildings and commercial buildings).

Hurricane Fabrics - Miami-Dade County (HVHZ) rated and statewide Florida Building Code approved. Effective hurricane protection rated at 150 mph. We have many different varieties of fabrics: some are for windows and doors, others are for larger areas such as patio and entrances and yet another is for hard to secure items such as construction materials, sheds and outdoor signs. Our fabrics materials range from solid clear reinforced vinyl to breathable mesh.

Aluminum Hurricane Panels - 0.050 and 0.063 gauge, Dade County rated and statewide Florida Building Code approved. We can also order steel panels.

Clear Lexan Hurricane Panels - 0.100 gauge, Dade County rated and statewide Florida Building Code approved. Good bye cave ... hello sun shine. We can also add these to your existing (2 inch profile)aluminum panels.

Garage Door Brace - Secure Door - Aluminum garage door brace - this is the ONLY hurricane retro-fit garage door brace that has statewide Florida Building Code and Dade County approval (FL2364). It has been tested to 180 mph. If you do not have a hurricane rated garage door, you need this product to keep your door from being either blown in or sucked out. Once that happens, your roof is the next item to leave your home.

Bahamas Shutters - Dade County rated and statewide Florida Building Code approved. Hurricane protection that adds a decorative island look to your home.

Colonial Shutters - Dade County rated and statewide Florida Building Code approved. Hurricane protection that also adds a decorative look to your home.

Fort Hurricane Stainless Steel Screens - We are an authorized dealer / installer of the Miami-Dade approved stainless Steel screening that are permanently mounted to your windows and doors and appear as an ordinary screen door or window. The screens can be either fixed (non opening) or operable for doors and window exits.

Consider this your personal invitation

You are invited to visit our showroom (located at 1121 Holland Drive, Suite 23, Boca Raton) to see, feel and learn about all of the above products. 

In addition to our manufactured BERTHA HV accordion hurricane shutters, we offer a wide variety of hurricane protection products so that you can choose the best product that fits your specific needs based upon cost, convenience, storage and appearance -- without compromising your protection. 

You might consider a combination of hurricane protection solutions to secure your home. Secure Door is a very cost effective retro-fit device that is used to secure your garage door. Our aluminum and GE Lexan storm panels are Dade County rated and provide excellent protection for doors and windows. Storm Catcher fabric is most effective for securing large areas such as patios and walkways. Our BERTHA HV accordion shutters offer the convenience of being permanently installed and easy to secure. Bahamas and Colonial Shutters offer a decorative as well as hurricane protective treatment for your windows.

• We only sell products that have received the statewide Florida Building Code approval. This approval signifies that the product has passed the state determined testing criteria and must be accepted at all local jurisdictions without further required testing.

• Additionally, we prefer products that also have the Dade County approval. This is an optional test and the approval signifies that the product passed the local Dade County test criteria which in some cases is more stringent than the Florida Building Code.

• We only offer products that are both affordable and effective as hurricane protection

• We look for NEW and innovative hurricane protection products

• We offer you a choice. When available, we offer several versions of each type of hurricane protection product. By offering the same type of product from different manufactures, you can judge for yourself which unique features best suit your needs 

• We only sell effective protection products rated at a minimum of 150 mph

• We offer a variety of solutions from recognized leaders in hurricane protection so that you can choose the best fit for your home

• All products are on display in our showroom. 

On Sept 20,2005, Max Mayfield (director of the National Hurricane Center)  testified  in front of Congress that  we have now entered a new weather cycle and can expect to see more frequent and stronger hurricanes for the next 10-20 years. He also indicated that this is not a result of global warming but rather just part of earth's natural cycle.

Within days of Max Mayfield's testimony on October 15, 2005 WILMA was born just E/SE of Grand Cayman just a few hundred miles to our south. WILMA became the strongest hurricane ever recorded. Within a 24 hour time period, Wilma exploded in strength from a 60 mph Tropical Storm to a 150 mph Category 5 hurricane. On October 19th it peaked in strength at 160 mph. On October 21 it only took 6 hours to devastate the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula before it headed for Florida. On October 24, it slammed into SW Florida coast as a category 3 and crossed the entire state of Florida in only 4.5 hours as a category 2. Boca Raton was directly hit by the eye. In only a matter of minutes, South Florida lost enough trees, signs, roofs, power polls, windows, and garage doors to require thousands of clean up trucks to clean up the mess. Most South Florida was without electric power for 10 days. Now think about it ... that was only a category 2 storm when it hit us ... a relative light weight when compared to a category 4 or 5.

The entire hurricane weather pattern has NOW changed from just a few years ago. In the past potential hurricanes were tracked as they left the western coast of Africa. This gave us up to two weeks to prepare. Today, however, hurricanes like Wilma, Katrina and Rita just suddenly grow into a hurricane from a small  tropical disturbance in the Gulf Stream ... just a relatively few miles off our  Florida coast. 

AHS services the following South Florida cities:
Big Pine Key, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Coral Springs, Coconut Creek, Dania, Davie, Deerfield Beach, Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hallandale, Highland Beach, Hollywood, Homestead, Islamorada,  Key Largo, Key West, Lauderdale-by-the-sea, Lauderhill, Lauderdale Lakes, Lighthouse Point, Loxahatchee, Marathon, Margate, Miami, Miami Beach, Miramar, Oakland Park, Ocean Reef, Palm Beach, Parkland, Pembroke Pines, Pembroke Park, Plantation, Pompano Beach, Royal Palm, Sea Ranch Lakes, Sugarloaf Key, Sunrise, Tamarac, Wellington, West Palm Beach, Weston, Houston Texas.
 

BERTHA HV and BERTHA High Velocity are registered trademarks of Eastern Metal Supply

AHS and Accordion Hurricane Shutters are registered trademarks of The Z Group.

HELPFUL LINKS

Window Film is NOT Hurricane Protection

• Report on Using Window Film

• Window Film Association

Live Cameras

• World Cameras

• Mallory Square

• Boca Raton South Beach

• Fort Meyers

• Jupiter Beach

Sun-Sentinel

• Wilma Photos

• Shutters

• Garage Door

• Condo Protection

• Protect Family

• Special Needs

• Review Insurance

Florida Gov

• Florida Disaster

• Palm Beach

• Broward

• Miami/Dade

• Martin

• Monroe

 Be A Volunteer

• FL Volunteers

• 1-800-Volunteer

• Medical Volunteers

• United Way

• US Freedom Corp

National Hurricane Center

• Advisories
• Current Satellite Pictures
• Current Weather Radar
• Tropical Prediction Center
• Hurricane Categories

• Storm tracking

• GEOS-8 Satellite

Tracking Map

• Print Your Atlantic Tracking Map

FEMA

• FEMA - Surviving Guide to  Hurricane Preparedness 
• FEMA Website

TV STATIONS

• The Weather Channel
• WPLG Miami
• WTVJ Miami
• WFOR Miami
• WPTV WPB
• WPEC WPB
• WPBF WPB

RADIO STATIONS

• NOAA Weather 

RED CROSS

• FL Red Cross Chapters
• American Red Cross

2-1-1 HELP CENTERS

• Broward

• Palm Beach

• Miami/Dade

• Mental Health

• Suicide Prevention

LOCATING DISPLACED PEOPLE

• CNN SAFE LIST

DONATIONS

• Charity evaluations

ANIMAL CARE

• American Kennel Club