How to Prepare Your Home for this Years Hurricane Season

With the hurricane season fast approaching, it is best to ensure that you and your family are well prepared. The storm season is set to start in June and last through November. The season will peak around mid-August and October.

Hurricane inland effects such as power outages, flooding, heavy downpours, and whipping winds can be quite devastating. Therefore, it is essential to be well prepared. Suppose you recently moved to Florida or need more tips on preparing for a hurricane season, this article will highlight a few essential tips on how to go about hurricane preparation.

Draft a Plan

It is crucial to draft a plan that both you and your family have. The plan will make it easy for everyone to know what to do in case of an emergency. Some of the things you could include in everyone's plan are where to meet if you are separated, an emergency contact of someone outside the state, and essential medical information of anyone in the family who has a health condition.

You could also indicate where all the emergency kits are located in the house and ensure you make them easily accessible. Come up with a plan on what to do in case of an evacuation. Consider including and prioritizing your pets, elderly relatives, and children in the plan if you have any.

Generally, a plan will be a useful guide for your family in case of any emergency because you will all know what to do. Make sure that you share the plan with the above-mentioned emergency contact out of the state. Do not forget to include where you plan to stay in case you have to evacuate.

Preparing Your Home

After drafting a plan, you also need to ensure that your home is well prepared for the hurricane season. Listed below are some essential tips that you can employ.

Hurricane Impact Windows

If you are in Florida, ensure you contact window companies to inquire about the best hurricane impact windows for your home. Investing in hurricane impact windows is vital as these windows can withstand flying debris, extreme pressure changes, torrential rains, and hurricane-force winds. Other than being great for hurricane preparedness, they are also noise-reducing, energy-efficient, and durable. They add value to your home without taking its beauty away. 

Inventory

Ensure you take an inventory of the items in your home if you do not already have one. Hurricanes are quite unpredictable, so having a list of what you own will be essential if you experience loss and replace your items. With an inventory in place, you will know what needs to be replaced, and the process will be more efficient than if you do not have an inventory.

Trim Your Trees

While trees add to your home's beauty and value, during a storm, trees could turn out to be your worst nightmare. So while preparing for the hurricane season, it would be best to trim your trees or hire a professional to do it. Make sure you remove any dead or weak trees near your home.

Repairs

Ensure you carry out all the essential and necessary repairs before the hurricane season starts. You need to make sure that your roof is safe and secure and that there are no loose shingles or tiles. If they are loose, fortify them as required. While at it, ensure that the gutters are attached securely, and they are clear and clean of debris.

Doing this prevents any potential clogging and water damage in your home. If you can, install additional roof chips and roof clips to ensure that the roof is secured to the frame structure. Doing this prevents it from getting blown away during a storm and protects against roof damage.

Backup Generator

Investing in a backup generator is another way to ensure that you are well prepared for the hurricane season. If you rely on electricity a lot, getting a backup generator would be the wise thing to do. There tend to be power outages during the hurricane, so having a generator will greatly help. While at it, it is also vital to ensure that all the electronics are unplugged from the sockets to ensure they are not damaged in case of a power surge. Ensure you educate yourself on generator safety.

Secure Your Items

Ensure that you secure all the loose items in your home. Get items away from the windows and stairs to ensure that they are safe. Your grills, car, bicycles, motorcycles, patio furniture, potted plants, and gardening tools should not be left outside. Ensure things like cars are parked in the garage, and the garage doors are reinforced. Items like your grill could be brought indoors.

Staying in Your Home

You could either choose to stay in your home should there be hurricane warnings or you can evacuate. However, it is essential that you evacuate when you are ordered to. If you stay in your home during the hurricane season, ensure you have emergency supplies that can last you during and after the season. Listed below are some of the items that your emergency supply and kit should contain.

• Gallons of water
• Nonperishable food
• First aid kit
• Maps
• Medical supplies
• Pet supplies if you have pets
• Rain gear and extra clothes
• Important documents
• Flashlights
• Dust mask
• A whistle to help you signal for help should you need it.

There are various other tips you can employ to ensure you are prepared for the hurricane season. The ones listed above are some of the essential ones. Make sure your home is well prepared for this year's hurricane season to avoid any losses. Make sure that you are up to date with the news and listen to both your local and national officials and the directions they give during a storm. If they ask you to evacuate the area, then do that. Your safety and your family's safety should be a priority.