# Hurricane-Resistant Fences in Hammond, LA > Hurricane resistant fences in Hammond, LA: how wind loads a solid face, and the posts, spacing, rails and fasteners that help a fence ride out Gulf storms. URL: https://palisadeshammondfence.com/wind-resistant-fence/ Service Privacy and open fences detailed for storm wind: heavier or steel posts, shorter bays, stronger rail connections and corrosion-proof fasteners. Get an Estimate [(985) 866-3827](tel:+19858663827) Last Updated: November 1, 2026 A fence facing open ground takes the full force of a storm. Steel posts and shorter bays give the face more support than standard spacing. No fence is hurricane-proof. What can be controlled is how much face the wind gets and how well each post holds it. Mon to Fri 8 to 6 · Sat and Sun 9 to 2 A hurricane-resistant fence is a fence whose posts were planned for the storm rather than the calm. [Palisades Hammond Fence](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/) builds wind-resistant wood, vinyl and metal fences across Hammond and the towns of Tangipahoa, western St. Tammany and eastern Livingston Parish, sizing posts, spacing and connections to each run’s exposure. Installation is carried out by licensed and insured fence contractors. Nothing here is a wind rating. No fence is sold against a storm category, and no published design wind speed for this area is quoted on this page. What a good build controls is how much face meets the wind, how firmly each post holds in wet ground, and how the parts stay fastened together when the load arrives. ## Why storms matter here FEMA has declared major disasters covering Tangipahoa, Livingston or St. Tammany Parish for Katrina and Rita in 2005, Gustav and Ike in 2008, Isaac in 2012, Barry in 2019, Laura and Delta in 2020, Zeta and Ida in 2021, and Francine in 2024, along with flood and winter storm declarations. The list shows major storms returning every few years, and they tend to arrive with heavy rain that soaks the ground first. That combination is the problem. USDA soil survey points around Hammond map mostly poorly drained silt loams with a seasonal water table about 9 inches down at the median point. Wet soil holds a post less firmly than dry soil, so the wind arrives exactly when the ground is weakest. The [why fences fail guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/why-fences-fail/) explains that ratchet in detail. Key takeaways - Wind pressure rises with the square of the wind speed: double the speed and the push is four times as hard. - A solid face catches the full load; openings help, but a half-open face still carries about two-thirds of it. - Posts fail at the ground line, so post size, spacing, footing and soundness at grade decide whether a fence stands. - Fasteners and rail connections fail before posts on many fences, letting boards and rails peel away. ## How wind loads a fence Wind pushes on a fence in proportion to its area and the square of its speed. As a rough illustration, air at 100 mph brought to a stop exerts about 25 lb on each square foot; at 50 mph, about a quarter of that. Across a 6 ft by 8 ft bay of solid fence, 48 square feet, the 100 mph figure works out to more than half a ton, before the factors engineers add for gusts, terrain and shape. That number is not a design figure; it only shows the scale of the problem. That load acts at roughly half the fence’s height, so it works as a lever on the post. The post resists by pushing against the soil near the surface on one side and near the bottom of the hole on the other. If either point is soft, or the post is weak where it passes through the grade line, it rotates. A taller fence adds face and lengthens the lever at the same time, which is why going from 6 ft to 8 ft asks much more of each post. ### What the wind finds first Wind doesn’t load a fence evenly, and it doesn’t break the average post. The free end of a run and the outside of a corner take higher pressure than the middle. One shallow or rotted post lets its bay fold, and the rails then drag the next posts with loads they were never sized for. That is how a storm drops several bays at once, with the failure starting at the weakest post. ## What the first visit looks at The first visit walks and measures the line, gates, slopes, soil and drainage like any fence job, and adds one question for each run: what does it face? A run backing onto an open field, a road, a pond or a cleared lot meets wind with nothing to slow it. A run between two houses or under a tree line is sheltered from some directions but exposed to falling limbs, which no fence design resists. That map of exposure sets the plan. Exposed runs get the heavier details; sheltered ones may not need them. Where an old fence is coming out, [fence replacement](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/fence-replacement/) covers the tear-out. The [wet clay post guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/fence-posts-in-wet-clay-soil/) covers how the footings are built for this ground. ## The details that change the outcome ### Posts: size, material and spacing A 6x6 wood post has about four times the bending strength of a 4x4, because strength in bending grows with the cube of the post’s width (5.5 in against 3.5 in actual). Galvanized steel posts are stiffer still for their size and don’t rot at grade, where wood posts give out; wood rails and boards attach to them with brackets. Closer spacing helps too: posts 6 ft apart instead of 8 ft give each post a quarter less face to hold. ### Footings that hold in wet soil Depth and diameter follow the fence height, the face, the exposure and the soil at that address, so no single number is quoted. The footing drains at the bottom and is finished above grade and sloped so water runs away from the post. A post that stays dry at the ground line keeps its strength for the storm. ### Rails, fasteners and connections Many fences shed boards and rails long before a post fails. Face-nailed rails pull off under load, and smooth nails back out of wet wood over a few seasons. Galvanized rail brackets, structural screws and ring-shank nails resist that withdrawal. Two fasteners per board at each rail keep boards from tearing loose one by one. Because the copper in modern pine treatments corrodes plain steel, every fastener is hot-dip galvanized or stainless. ### Less solid face where privacy allows A shadowbox, spaced-board or lattice-top section carries less wind than a closed face, though not in proportion to the openings. Where a run doesn’t need to block a view, an open style is the cheapest way to cut the load. The [privacy fence page](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/privacy-fence-installation/) covers how to decide which runs need full screening. ## “Hurricane fence” means chain link here Locally, many people call chain link a hurricane fence. The name fits only partly. Bare chain link fabric lets nearly all the wind through, so wind alone loads it lightly; falling limbs and debris are its real threat in a storm. Hammond’s code sets a floor for wire fences: galvanized pipe supports at least 1.5 in across and no more than 7 ft apart. Privacy slats or a fabric windscreen change everything. They turn an open fence into a solid face on posts sized for an open one. If slats are part of the plan, the posts and spacing should be chosen for a solid fence. [Chain link fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/chain-link-fence-installation/) and the [chain link vs wood guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/chain-link-vs-wood-fence/) cover the trade-offs. ## Vinyl in a storm Vinyl doesn’t rot, which removes the most common failure point, but a solid vinyl panel catches the same wind as solid wood. Hollow posts flex, and panels can pop out of their rails. Aluminum or steel stiffeners inside posts on exposed runs and at gates, with deeper footings, are the vinyl equivalent of heavier wood posts. [Vinyl fence installation](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/vinyl-fence-installation/) has the details. ## After a storm, and what it costs When a fence does go down, photos of each failed post at the ground line, the footings and the full run help the insurance claim; the [storm-damaged fence insurance guide](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/guide/storm-damaged-fence-insurance/) covers documenting the damage, and [storm-damaged fence repair](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/storm-damaged-fence-repair/) covers the rebuild. Before the season, the [storm season prep post](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/blog/storm-season-fence-prep/) lists what an owner can check. There is no separate published range for wind-resistant construction. The extra cost comes from the details: steel or larger posts, more posts at closer spacing, deeper footings, brackets and extra rails. As a starting point, a typical Hammond-area range for a 6 ft pressure-treated pine privacy fence is about $15 to $45 per linear foot, and heavier posts for an exposed run push a job toward the top. No rebates or incentives apply to fences. The [fence cost estimator](https://palisadeshammondfence.com/tools/fence-cost-estimator/) gives a first range. ## What's included - A walk of the line noting which runs face open ground, prevailing exposure, trees and wet spots - A post plan for each run: size, material, spacing and footing for its face and exposure - Galvanized steel posts with wood or vinyl facing where a run needs the extra stiffness - Shorter bays and extra rails on the most exposed runs - Rail-to-post connections in galvanized brackets or structural screws rather than face nails alone - Hot-dip galvanized or stainless fasteners throughout - Semi-open sections where the plan allows less solid face - The permit drawing and the Louisiana 811 locate - Gate adjustment, cleanup and a final walk of the line ## How fence types handle storm wind | | Wind on the face | Main weak point in a storm | What strengthens it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Solid wood privacy | Full face | Posts rotating or snapping at grade | Heavier or steel posts, shorter bays, drained footings | | Board-on-board | Full face plus extra weight | Same as solid, with heavier rails | As above, plus stronger rails | | Shadowbox or spaced boards | Reduced, not halved | Posts at grade | Standard posts suit most runs | | Vinyl privacy | Full face | Panels popping from rails; hollow posts flexing | Metal post stiffeners, deeper footings | | Chain link (no slats) | Very little | Falling limbs and debris | Top rail, tension bands, terminal posts | | Aluminum or iron picket | Very little | Impact from debris | Sound posts and footings | ## Related resources Learn Why Do Fences Lean, Rot and Blow Down Around Hammond? How fences are built here, the ways they fail in wet ground and storm wind, how to read the symptoms, and what a repair or a rebuild should change. Learn Does Homeowners Insurance Cover a Storm-Damaged Fence? What usually decides whether a fence claim is paid, how Louisiana's insurance regulator answers the falling-tree question, why flood is different, and how to document damage so the repair scope holds up. Learn How Should Fence Posts Be Set in Wet Clay Soil? What the ground under a Hammond-area fence is actually like, why posts rotate in it, how footing depth and type are chosen, and how a post hole that fills with water is handled. Decision Guide Chain Link or Wood: Which Fence Fits Your Hammond Yard? Privacy against price, open fabric against a solid face, rust at grade against rot at grade, and the front-yard rules that decide part of the question for you. Decision Guide Should You Repair or Replace Your Fence? The one question that settles most cases, a walk-the-line check you can do yourself, the middle options between a patch and a rebuild, and the costs, rules and neighbor questions on each side. ## From the first call to the last gate 1. First call You describe the fence, the yard and the timing, and set a visit. 2. Site visit The line is walked and measured, gates and slopes noted, and the soil and drainage checked. 3. Permit and 811 The permit drawing goes to the city or parish, and utilities are located before any digging. 4. Build Posts are set and allowed to cure, then rails, panels or fabric and gates go up. 5. Walkthrough Gates are adjusted, the site is cleaned, and you check the finished line. ## What this work looks like Owner's side of a new pine privacy fence on round galvanized steel posts, the wood rails held to each post with flat metal brackets ## Questions about wind-resistant fences ### Is there such a thing as a hurricane-proof fence? No. A fence can be built to resist wind much better than a standard one, but no fence is rated to survive a named storm, and none survives a falling tree. What can be controlled is how much solid face meets the wind, how big and how deep the posts are, how the rails are fastened and whether the posts are sound at the ground line. ### What does 'hurricane fence' mean when people say it locally? Around the Gulf Coast, 'hurricane fence' is a common name for chain link, not a fence built for hurricanes. Plain chain link does let wind through, so it carries very little load in a storm. Add privacy slats or a windscreen and it becomes a solid face on posts that were never sized for one. ### Are steel posts worth it under a wood privacy fence? On exposed runs, often. Galvanized steel posts are stiffer for their size than wood and do not rot at the ground line, which is where wood posts fail. The boards and rails stay wood, attached with brackets. They cost more per post, so they usually go where the face is tallest or most exposed, and at gates. ### Should a fence have gaps between the boards to let the wind through? Gaps help, but less than people expect. Engineering methods for freestanding walls reduce wind force for openness on a curve, so a face that is half open still carries roughly two-thirds of the force of a solid one. Gaps are one tool; post size, spacing and footing still decide whether the fence stands. ### Can an existing fence be made stronger before storm season? Partly. Loose boards can be refastened with galvanized screws, rails can get brackets, and a leaning post can be reset or replaced. What can't be fixed from above ground is a post that has rotted at grade; that post needs replacing. If several posts are soft, replacement may make more sense than reinforcement. ## Related services ### Storm damage repair → Blown-down, leaning and tree-struck fences assessed post by post, documented for a claim, and rebuilt on footings that suit wet ground and wind. ### Privacy fences → Solid and semi-private wood and vinyl fences, 6 to 8 ft behind the house, planned for sightlines, storm wind and wet ground. ### Fence replacement → Old fence and footings out and hauled away, boundary markers protected, and a new fence built to fix what made the old one fail.