Your home is where you should feel safe, a space where you can raise your family, create memories, and keep your precious belongings. While your house may be a place for good times and somewhere to nurture your loved ones, it can sometimes be vulnerable. External factors such as extreme weather can place your home at risk, especially if you live in an area prone to hurricanes.
Extreme weather conditions can cause significant amounts of damage. Since 1980, there have been 332 weather events that have caused at least $1 billion worth of damage, with these events totaling costs of $2.275 trillion. No one wants to see their property subjected to the devastating impact of a storm, but while there is not much that can prevent storms from coming, it is possible to take steps to protect your home.
Preparing your home for extreme weather is an excellent way to minimize the potential damage that your home may experience in a storm and provide you with peace of mind that your property is protected. Here are some of the ways to storm-proof your home and get prepared for hurricane season:
1. Upgrade Your Windows
Upgrading your windows may not sound like it will provide protection from a hurricane, but choosing a company that specializes in hurricane proof window replacement can make a big difference. Hurricane windows are specially designed to withstand the impact of storms, helping to keep your family home protected. Hurricane windows function as regular windows but can withstand high levels of impact without breaking and also help to reduce noise. So, if you live in an area that is prone to storms, choosing windows that can withstand a hurricane is a good choice.
2. Prepare Your Yard
Objects in your yard that are usually entirely harmless can become destructive when strong winds strike. Garden parasols, outdoor play equipment, and outdoor furniture can all cause a lot of damage when they are carried along by the wind at high speed. To prevent this from happening, it is a good idea to put these items away so that they are unable to get caught by the wind and blown around.
If you have trees in your yard, keeping these trimmed and ensuring that they do not overgrow your house is a wise idea. Keeping your trees at a manageable level should help to prevent them from causing significant damage to your property, neighboring properties or damaging power lines if they come down.
3. Check Your Roof
The roof of your house is exposed to a lot throughout the year, but its vulnerability to the elements is especially apparent during hurricane season. Having your roof inspected before the season begins is a good idea as it will enable you to identify any weak spots needing repairs. Getting loose shingles securely nailed in place and adding tie downs to keep the roof fixed in position are both options to consider to prevent your roof from becoming damaged or blowing away in strong winds.