Getting Your Home Hurricane Ready
Clear Your Outdoor Space
Hurricanes can create winds in excess of 155 mph, which means any loose items in your yard can become missiles during a storm that will wreak havoc on your home. Outdoor furniture is the most liable to cause damage in a storm, or at the very least, get blown away never to be seen again. Store all your outdoor possessions inside, including any garden decorations, grills, or other items.
Stock Up
Power outages after a major storm can last several days and damages to roads can make it difficult to travel until clean-up crews can get everything in order again. Well ahead of any major storms, stock up on essentials like water and nonperishable goods so that you still have everything you need in case you are stuck inside your home without power for a while. Do not wait until just before an upcoming storm as many stores will get bought out quickly in preparation.
Take Inventory of Your Possessions
Go through your home and take note of all your possessions and valuables. To recover the maximum amount on any insurance claims after the storm, you will need to provide pictures of your valuables or estimated values. Bear in mind that anything can be damaged or destroyed during the storm so remain cognizant of anything you would need to replace. If possible, upload your inventory to the internet cloud so that the document itself will not be lost to storm damage.
Minimize Flooding with Sandbags
Hurricanes bring heavy rain and flooding, which poses a significant threat to the interior of your home if there are any unsealed doors or windows. Especially during the storm, you should expect severe flooding outside of your home with nothing to do but wait it out. Ahead of time, either purchase sandbags from your local hardware store or try making your own at home using plastic bags. Though these do not prevent flood damage altogether, they can divert floodwater away from your points of entry.
Prepare for Power Outages
Losing power during a hurricane is extremely common, which is why it is important to be prepared for a situation in which your lights go out. You may rely on candles to illuminate your home, though using open flames may cause a larger fire, so it is better to utilize battery-powered flashlights or electric lanterns. Furthermore, purchasing a generator for your home will enable you to still have access to high-priority electronics even after power lines go down.
Each hurricane season brings an average of six Atlantic hurricanes, two to three of which become category 3 or higher. Nearly two months in, it is still not too late to get your home ready for the upcoming storms. Mitigate damages by beginning your preparations today.