5 Ways to Prepare Your Home for Hurricane Season

As we enter into the hottest part of the summer, there’s one thing every homeowner should prepare for: hurricanes. Not only are these giant storms dangerous with high winds, tons of rain, and powerful forces — but even a Category 1 hurricane can cause significant damage to your home and your personal belongings.

However, there are plenty of steps that can be taken to protect your family, your home, and your belongings. We’ve compiled 5 major ways that you can prevent damage in the event that our area gets hit by a hurricane this season.

Use Hurricane Straps

Hurricane straps (or clips) help secure the roof of your house to the frame which will help prevent damage to the roof. Most hardware stores will sell hurricane straps, especially throughout hurricane season. You can also reinforce other areas of your home, such as entry doors and garage doors, by using head and foot bolts. By reinforcing these critical areas of your home, you’re lessening the likelihood of your house being damaged.

Make Storm Shutters

Again, most hardware stores will care storm shutters, but they are very easy to make as well. We recommend using plywood that is at least five-eighths of an inch thick and cutting it to cover the glass of your window. For windows or doors that have a thicker glass, we recommend a thicker plywood to help reinforce it. If you are looking for a stronger, more secure shutter, there are steel and aluminum shutters available that may hold stronger than plywood.

Clean Up Landscape

One of the most damaging parts of a hurricane is the high winds that come along with it. You’ll definitely want to clean the yard of anything that can be picked up by the wind and hit your home. You’ll also want to prepare all of the plants in your yard. Trimming trees, shrubs, and other large plants can actually help them stand up to the wind of the hurricane better. This will also help limit the amount of debris (lost branches or limbs of plants) fly around your yard during the storm.

Clear Gutters and Drains

Ensuring that your gutters and drains are cleaned and working properly is essential for hurricane preparation. To do this, simply ensure that there are no leaves and debris along any part of your gutters. If you don’t clear out your gutters, you risk water sitter on your roof and causing damage to your home.

Create a Safety Plan

Creating a safety plan is absolutely necessary for any kind of disaster, but especially hurricanes. In the event that your home is destroyed (from wind, rain, or debris) you want to ensure that your family has a meeting spot and that everyone knows where to meet. You also need to have a safety preparation plan for before the storm. This will include stocking up on groceries, water, first aid kits, flashlights, batteries, and pet food. Safety plans before and after the storm could mean life or death.

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We hope that this year’s hurricane season won’t cause damage to your home, but we do want all of our clients to be as prepared as possible. And if you need any help, before or after the storm, be sure to give us a call so we can help you find the right insurance for your family and belongings.