How To Keep Your Home Safe During Hurricane Season
If you live in Florida you’re no stranger to hurricanes. As you know, the first thing you need to do is make sure you secure your windows and doors, but beyond that, here are 4 ways to keep your home safe during hurricane season.
Mind the Roof
As your Your Gutters Could be a Breeding Ground for Pests adding hurricane straps to your home’s roof to ensure that it is firmly bolted to the frame. Take some time to hire siding specialists serving all of Chesapeake to analyze the integrity of your roof shingles/tiles to ensure they are fully secure. If you spot any loose tiles, apply roofing cement so they don’t dislodge when the winds pick up. Pinpoint areas where wires enter the home and seal them so the hurricane’s heavy rain does not result in water damage. 
Reinforce the Garage Door
Your home’s garage door is highly susceptible to damage from a hurricane’s strong wind and rain. The scary thing is that the typical home’s garage door is not reinforced to keep your home safe during hurricane season. Once a hurricane’s wind reaches your garage, it generates a push while additional wind swirls above the structure. This combination of pressure has the potential to yank the roof right off. Be proactive by bracing your garage door with a reinforcement kit available at your local home improvement store. It is also important to know Garage Door Safety for Kids and Why It’s So Important
Secure the Doors and Windows
If your windows break during the storm, rain, wind and even some objects, will end up inside your home. Wind that blows into a home has the potential to heighten the pressure to the point that it weakens the roof. Invest in storm shutters for protection. Worst case scenario, you can also board up your windows when the storm is on its way. If your home’s doors do not have numerous locking mechanisms, install some to ensure that the doors do not fly open. Deadbolts are the strongest means of reinforced doors.
Ensure Proper Water Flow
Inspect your home’s downspouts and gutters. Make sure objects are not lodged in these spaces. Water should be able to flow through the gutters and downspouts with ease during a hurricane’s wrath. If the water can’t flow down and away from your home, it will end up damaging the gutters, attic or roof.
Power Up
Hurricanes will typically cause your power to shut off. Invest in a generator to ensure that your home remains powered during and after the storm. Even a fairly small generator that keeps the home’s essentials powered up will help you bounce back after the storm has passed.
Remove Furniture and Debris From Your Yard and Landscaping
Collect all debris, loose items, and patio furniture from your yard and landscaping before the storm hits. These items will inevitably be blown around by the hurricane’s strong wind. And possibly end up smashing directly into your home.
Give Those Trees a Trimming
If you have any overgrown trees on your property, trim them so they do not damage your home once the hurricane hits. If you notice any dead areas of the trees, eliminate them. When in doubt, cut extending limbs as they can easily land on your home after breaking amidst a hurricane’s strong wind. If such broken wayward branches damage your home or another person’s home, insurance will likely pay for damages, but the full cost of the tree removal might not be covered.
ASP Windows is here to help you keep your family and home safe during hurricane season. Contact us today to simplifying your life before the storm!
