Preparing Your Home for Hurricane Season
A hurricane has the potential to bring about severe rain, strong winds, airborne debris, twisters, and landslides. The threat to people’s lives and property is significant, so it’s crucial to take precautions and ready your residence to minimize harm when hurricanes hit. Here are the steps for ensuring your safety efficiently.
1)Window Protection
Hurricanes are more disastrous in homes near beaches, which is why if you have one in Palm Beach, you have to safeguard your windows. Windows made of traditional materials such as shutters and plywood are more prone to shattering, a threat when a hurricane strikes. You can opt for hurricane impact window installation to offer maximum protection to your home.
Installing the impact windows also offers you more benefits because they help insulate your home thanks to their thick, multi-layered glass. A warm house during winter will help you save on energy bills. The windows also add value to your real estate, meaning when you decide to sell it, you will get a good sale.
2)Have A Backup Power Supply
Power outages happen when hurricanes cause havoc in a place because they cut off electricity lines. Your area could suffer long days of power outages which can be an inconvenience. You can prepare for the dark times by having a backup power supply.
Buying a generator that can run some vital electronics in your house is a smart move. You will keep the food in the fridge safe and power up your phone or any other electric appliance you cannot live without.
3)Store Necessary Supplies
A hurricane disrupts life. Things come to a standstill, and it can be hard when the roads are impassable. To be safe, you can store canned or dried foods and a three-day supply of water. There are other essentials such as a first aid kit, candles, matches, flashlight, weather radio, and prescription drugs which you should also stock up for the hard times.
Instead of waiting for a government directive, you can buy these things earlier before the stores are full of people making a last-minute purchase.
4)Review Your Home Insurance Policy
It is important to check your home insurance policy to ensure your home has the right coverage. You can verify if the cost of repairing, rebuilding, and replacing belongings is covered in the policy. Homeowners insurance in case of hurricane damage covers temporary repairs and additional living expenses.
The policy, however, does not cover damages resulting from flooding. Therefore, you may consider flood insurance and another for wind and water damages caused by winds, especially if you live near a coastline.
5)Have An Evacuation Plan
If your home is mobile, manufactured, near a flood plain, river, or on an offshore island or coastline, you should have an evacuation plan. When a storm comes, you will know where to run for safety. Take note of official shelters or a safe offsite area your family can meet should there be a separation when evacuating.
6)Remove Clutter
Clutter can become projectiles that can cause harm when a hurricane strikes. Therefore, it is important to clear any clutter lying around the compound by throwing it away or storing it in a safe place inside the house. The gutters, too, need cleaning to prevent flooding the house or damaging the roofs.
