Now that the hurricane season is under watch, you need to keep your home ready for the major storm. The worst thing you can do is wait for the last-minute preparation. But how can you go about hurricane preparation for your home? Here are four affordable strategies to prevent catastrophic destruction to your home.
1. Install Hurricane Shutters
Having hurricane shutters on your windows will help protect your home from hurricane damage. It’s important to choose hurricane shutters that are of high quality and can be installed correctly by a professional. Hurricane shutters are essential for the following reasons:
- They block the wind to prevent structural and internal wind damage.
- They prevent flooding by keeping out the rains, which saves your home from water damage.
- They protect your home from debris tossed by the winds.
- They protect your family members from injuries resulting from projectile debris.
Hurricane shutters are an effective way to reduce potential storm-related individual losses. You might not think that hurricane shutters will make a large difference in protecting your house from a hurricane, but hurricane shutters actually protect your house from a great deal of damage that could be caused by windows breaking during a hurricane.
2. Install Surge Protection
Power surge experiences are typical during hurricane storms. When they occur, they are likely to destroy your electronic devices. Power surges can cause immediate destruction of your home circuit. Frequent power surges will degrade your appliances over time making them less effective. Adding a power surge protector to the home electrical panel or using built-in surge protectors will protect your properties. Thus, installing power surge protectors is recommended for your home this hurricane season.
3. Maintain Stormwater System Clean
When the storm hits, Dr. Hal Arnold will tell you, you do not want storm waters to collect around your home. The way to prevent this, keep the water system clean by the following steps:
- Clearing home gutters of leaves, silt, branches, and debris. This should allow the water to move away during the heavy rains.
- Make sure that gutters are properly attached and are directing the waters away from home.
- Make sure that water drains are clean and free of grass and debris.
- Place pavers to prevent soil erosion around your home.
4. Clearing the Neighborhood
This is one of the basic steps you should consider. You can clear your neighborhood by removing debris that can turn into an airborne projectile. These include toys, lawn furniture, and branches that are at risk of following. For plants close to the house, consider pruning them away. Remove dead trees and shrubs from the landscape. You can do this through a certified arborist.
Adapting the above practices should keep your home safe from hurricane-related damages and help alleviate potential stress and expenses related to hurricane damage to your house. This hurricane season, you need to prepare early. The above four steps should make your preparation easy and cheap. Consulting with experts will be cost and time-saving, yet give you the safest way to protect your home. However, no matter how much you prepare, remember to check on your insurance policy and ensure your valuable items are covered from damages.
