10 Ways To Minimize Hurricane Damage: A Basic Guide
Hurricanes number in the double digits every year. Hurricanes are a grim reality if you live on the Eastern Seaboard or the Gulf of Mexico.
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The damage and consequences of these storms can be severe and costly for your home. If untreated, flooding will cause permanent water damage and has the potential to introduce a mold infestation.
But that doesn’t mean it’s time to lose hope! There is plenty you can do, starting today, to protect your home. Preventative measures today will save money and relieve stress when disaster strikes again.
Keep your home safe by following these hurricane damage mitigation tips:
1) Protect Your Windows
One of the biggest dangers of hurricanes is shattering glass. Sharp glass can injure your family and destroy walls, floors, and furniture.
Install storm shutters to your windows that you can quickly close when the forecast becomes dire. Shutters will block wind and debris, keeping your home safe when the whirlwind picks up.
If shutters are outside your price range, pick up some plywood and nail it across all windows. This cheaper option will also protect you but may cause damage to your siding when removing the plywood.
Read more: How to protect your windows during a storm
2) Sandbag Doors
A storm surge can reach over 20 feet high and rapidly approach your doorstep. Keeping water out of your home should be the first thing on your mind during a hurricane.
Once water finds a way in, it is extremely difficult to keep it at bay.
Sandbags are an affordable way to build a wall between your home and the encroaching water. If possible, surround the entire perimeter of your home with sandbags for maximum protection.
3) Invest in a Safe
When important documents like birth certificates get wet, the bureaucratic process involved in replacement can be a nightmare.
Avoid this situation and buy a water-tight safe today. Lock up all your at-risk documents and put them in a safe in your attic.
Consider first putting papers inside a plastic sealable bag before putting them in the safe for extra protection.
4) Move Bigger Valuables
You should move any large valuables you have in the basement or lower floors to the attic or top floor.
Locate computers, TVs, stereos, window air conditioners, and other appliances and get them out of harm’s way.
The total cost of these items adds up, and you don’t want to face high replacement costs while also dealing with damage repair.
5) Brace Your Garage Door
Garage doors are massive entry points during floods. Once blown off, air pressure builds up in the home, causing internal damage.
Install garage braces to hold down the garage. You can also place several sturdy boards at an angle on the door jams to support the door.
Read more: How to dry out a flooded garage
6) Strap the Roof
The updrafts during a hurricane are strong enough to rip the roof clean off your home.
Hurricane straps are specially designed to keep your roof tightly in place during storms. In addition to straps, you can nail down the trusses of your roof to add stability.
Increasing wind resistance will protect your roof and the entire home. Roof straps can be attached to any existing roof for just a few hundred dollars.
7) Unplug Appliances
Even amid a rainy hurricane, electrical fires and electrocution are a serious threat.
If debris enters your home and collides with an active appliance, there is a risk of flames. Unplugging devices decreases the chances of electrical fires.
Electricity also makes water far more dangerous. Any open current can turn a pool of standing water deadly. A charged pool of water near flammable materials can actually carry a current that sparks a fire.
Never clean up any water near electronics unless you know there is no active current.
8) Prepare Your Yard
Locate any trees that hang over the home and have them professionally trimmed. Falling trees are an underreported source of hurricane fatalities. Have an expert test the root system of your tallest trees to ensure they can stand up to the power of a hurricane’s wind.
Remove any patio furniture as well as anything that you haven’t nailed down. Remove the potential for any flying objects in your backyard.
9) Buy Flood Insurance
While flood insurance won’t stop an incoming storm, it will make damage management much more manageable.
Knowing that you have financial protection from rising seas and turbulent storms will give you peace of mind.
Flood insurance covers hurricanes, tsunamis, torrential rains, and other acts of God. You don’t know when the next flood is coming, but you can save yourself thousands of dollars in repairs by having insurance in place.
10) Get Yearly Inspections
Another way to stay on top of hurricane damage is to ask the professionals. Consult an expert at All Dry USA and perform a comprehensive home inspection annually.
Even on a roof that seems structurally sound, there can be hidden dangers. Only a roof expert can be sure your roof is free from hidden holes.
Don’t forget to check your basement! A water-tight basement is just as valuable as a water-tight roof. Basements generally house hot water heaters, circuit breakers, and other critical parts of the home. Losing access to the basement can make or break an evacuation situation.
Conclusion
Even if you follow all of this information to the letter, damage can still occur. When a hurricane hits, water always seems to find a way in, too.
If a hurricane has hit your home and you need a hand to get back on your feet, call All Dry USA.
We are water damage repair experts. After over a decade in the business, there’s nothing we haven’t seen before.
We are ready today to handle all your post-hurricane needs. From damage repair to insulation replacement and mold remediation — we do it all.
Call us at (888) 988-279 or contact us to get your free quote today!
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With Ben’s knowledge, and visionary leadership, All Dry USA has expanded into a national, full-service property damage restoration company with multiple locations across the United States. Ben holds numerous specialty licenses and certifications in restoration and construction.
