4 Steps to Prepare Your Home for Hurricane Season
As more extreme weather patterns become our new normal, it’s more important than ever to ready ourselves and our properties to withstand some seriously powerful storms.
If you’ve experienced a hurricane before, you know firsthand the devastating effect these storms can have on our lives. From long-term power outages to downed trees and damaged roofs, there’s no such thing as being overprepared for the damage a hurricane can wreak.
Fortunately, there are many actions you can take at the beginning of the summer to ensure that you and your household will be ready for whatever hurricane season throws at you. Start with these four steps to prepare your home for hurricane season.
1. Invest in a Backup Generator
One of the major headaches of hurricane season is the possibility of losing power for hours or even days at a time. Integrating a backup power generator into your home circuits will guarantee you’ll have light, internet access, and air conditioning no matter what happens to the power lines in your area. You’ll be able to stay connected and keep your home office running while you wait for the utility company to fix any damage from the storm.
2. Check Your Trees for Signs of Weakness
It’s always a good idea to monitor the trees around your home to ensure they’re healthy, but it’s especially important to do so before and during hurricane season. Falling trees and branches are one of the most common causes of damage to rooftops. While you won’t be held liable if a hurricane does come through and causes a tree to fall on your house (or your neighbor’s), everyone will be better off if you can spot potential weak spots or dead branches and take care of the problem beforehand.
3. Deck Out Your Windows
Windows are one of the most vulnerable areas of your house in the event of a storm, so it stands to reason that they need extra attention and care when preparing for hurricane season. Even a category 1 hurricane has winds of up to 95 miles per hour, which is more than enough to cause damage to unprotected windows.
Depending on your budget, there are several ways to shore up your windows. Covering the panes with plywood isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing option, but it will do the job of preventing high winds and flying debris from cracking the glass. Other options include installing storm shutters, applying impact-resistant window film, or even swapping your regular windows out for storm windows.
Check with a professional contractor before starting any of these more complicated projects.
4. Stock Up Your Larder
There’s no need to join the throngs of panic buyers who strip the grocery shelves of pasta and toilet paper every time there’s a significant storm on the way.
That said, having a permanent store of canned goods and other non-perishable food items is a great way to ensure you won’t have to brave rough conditions to feed yourself if a hurricane comes through your area. Choose a variety of basic staples like beans, rice, noodles, and ready-made soups to give yourself options if you need to hunker down at home for a few days.
Be Ready for the Next Big One
If a hurricane comes through your neighborhood, the most important thing you can do is make sure you’re following all local evacuation and preparedness instructions.
Still, there are many steps you can take at the beginning of the summer to protect your property and ready yourself for potential power loss or shelter-in-place requirements. Implement these four suggestions for preparing your home for hurricane season.