BARRIE, ONT. It s a small metal bracket, but experts say hurricane straps could help prevent catastrophic damage like the devastation caused in mid-July by an EF-2 tornado that hit the south end of Barrie. The clips themselves have been tested to help withstand wind uplift for tornadoes that have an EF-2 rating, says Dufferin County chief building official Greg MacNaughtan. In 2017, Dufferin County teamed up with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction to create a Hurricane Clip Rebate Program. With 16,377 clips installed to date, it s the first of its kind in the country. We ve had a number of tornadoes over the years, some more severe than others, MacNaughtan says.