Preparing for natural disasters can be tough, as these events often sneak up on you. However, preparing for a hurricane is very doable because these damaging storms tend to strike only at certain times of the year. In North America, the hurricane season generally extends from May 15 to the end of November. During that portion of the year, homeowners should stay ready for high winds, local flooding and mandatory evacuation, if necessary.
As another annual storm season approaches, there's no excuse for being caught by surprise. Here are some guidelines for preparing for a hurricane:
- Develop a family emergency plan and put together a hurricane survival kit.
- Be familiar with your surroundings. Know whether your home is in an area of low elevation that frequently floods.
- Determine whether any nearby dams, levees or other bodies of water might pose a potential flooding danger.
- Identify evacuation routes out of the community and the location of the nearest higher ground.
- Be ready to secure your property. Don't wait until the last minute to stock materials as they may be in short supply or perhaps unavailable.
- Make sure all windows have some method to be covered, either by storm shutters or by boarding up with 5/8-inch exterior plywood. Replacing standard windows with impact-resistant hurricane glass is another option.
- Roof straps can be installed to secure the roof to the structure of the home.
- Bring in outdoor furniture, children's play equipment and ornaments and decorations that could cause damage in high winds.
- Trim tree limbs around the house to reduce wind damage.
- Make sure your gutters are not clogged.
- Consider purchasing a generator for power if the utility grid goes down.
Preparing for a hurricane also means becoming informed about water damage recovery services in the aftermath of the storm. Contact the pros at Rytech for more information.
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