Getting Your House Ready for a Hurricane – Prevent Storm Damages

Natural disasters can develop without a moment’s notice, but hurricanes can at least be identified before they hit your location. When it’s hurricane season, it’s crucial to do some planning. Since your home is one of your biggest investments, it’s a good idea to do what you can to avoid the perils that hurricanes can bring to your property and to avoid any storm damage repair. There are a lot of things to keep in mind when preparing your residence for a hurricane. To safeguard your residence from a hurricane, follow the steps below.

Ways to Brace for a Hurricane

  • Garage Door – If your residence has a garage, this may be one of the first things to prep. Typically, garage doors don’t have the support to fight strong winds. What can take place is the wind will create a positive push inside your garage, and the wind outside of the structure causes a negative pull. When this takes place, your garage and roof will sustain a lot of pressure because of this tug-of-war instance. To prevent an excessive storm damage repair, you can purchase braces that will help your garage door hold off hurricane conditions. This is the most trustworthy step, but if time isn’t on your side, then you can use your vehicle to help support your garage door.
  • Windows and Doors – Water damage is one of the most frequent perils tied to hurricanes, and when your windows and doors aren’t secure this will allow the wind and rain to move in your home. When a hurricane is imminent, make sure your shutters are durable and in a functional condition. The latches on your shutters should be secure and you’ll also want to install locks on them. If you don’t have shutters for your windows, then you can board them up with some OSB. A typical fallacy with window preparation is that you can tape up the window; however, this doesn’t help at all. Additionally, make sure your doors are durable and that the deadbolts are working correctly. You can also brace your doors for added measure.
  • Roof – Make sure to inspect your roof for any out of place shingles and other susceptible areas. Get some roof cement to fix any loose shingles, and you should consider getting hurricane straps to ensure your roof is fastened to your house. Also, you’ll want to seal any spots where wires come into your home to avoid any water damage from happening. While you’re analyzing your roof, this is a good time to see if your gutters are cleaned out. You want to verify you have good irrigation for the heavy rains that occur during a hurricane.
  • Your Property – It’s significant to clear your yard of any loose items such as garden accessories, patio furniture and children’s toys. If it can be picked up from a strong wind storm, then clear it out and put it in a secure location so it doesn’t cause damage to your property and others’ around you. Additionally, inspect your trees and shrubbery for any dangling or dead branches and trim them if they need it.
  • Car – When you’re worried about securing your residence from a hurricane, it’s easy to forget about your automobile. Ensure that you have a full tank of gas, that your tires have good tread, the windows are sealed and that your windshield wipers are good. If you have to park on the street, you’ll want to check that you’re not parked under trees or in an area that is susceptible to flooding.

Who We Are

Paul Davis offers storm damage repair services, so if your residence has been harmed by a hurricane, reach out to our professional team. Unfortunately, you can only do so much preparation to safeguard yourself from Mother Nature. We can restore your property back to normal, and we work with different home insurers. The professional team at Paul Davis can help you examine what’s covered under your insurance. For a Paul Davis franchise in your area, give us a call at (843) 757-3236.