Climate experts suggest that as the world heats up, the hurricane seasons that occurred during the last few years might showcase a prognosis of what’s to come. As a matter of fact, this year’s hurricane season is in full swing, and it’s hard to predict just how much damage Mother Nature will cause when she chooses to unleash her fury.
With this in mind, it’s only normal to know how to prepare your home for a hurricane and to have a well-designed storm plan in place. In this article, Habitat for Humanity of Broward brings you the basics of hurricane home preparation to help you avoid expensive homeowners claims.
Preparing Your Home for a Hurricane
Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do regarding hurricane home preparation, and when you know the essential steps in advance, you can decrease the chances of disaster and damage risks significantly. With a good plan, you can prepare yourself and your home and, thus, protect your house and loved ones better.
Prepare for a Hurricane by Reviewing Your Insurance Policy
First, make sure that you’ve read your homeowner’s insurance policy and what it covers. Check the necessary steps that you have to do before filing a claim. For insurance, there are several policies with different exclusions, and in many cases, your will need to purchase additional policies and endorsements to obtain full coverage. There are also cases where you will need to have a standalone hurricane deductible that’s different from the ones you carry for general claims.
Our best advice would be to reach out to your insurance company or representative in advance to go over your current policy and ensure that you’re covered and prepared. If there’s a need to get more, you will have the time to request and obtain everything you might need.
Seal and Secure the Roof
When preparing your home for a hurricane, it’s also essential to seal and secure the roof because this part of the house is the most exposed to storms and winds. After a hurricane, it’s not uncommon to find that roofs have damaged decking and missing shingles or discover sagging and leaks.
So, as a necessary hurricane preparation step, get your roof inspected by a professional. Getting hurricane straps and truss tie-downs installed might also be a good idea. Also, you may go over the following as well:
- Seal any racks to avoid having to deal with leaks.
- Secure loose shingles to make sure they stay on during even the most ferocious winds and storms.
- Replace missing or loose braces in the roof bracing.
Protect the Windows and Doors
During hurricane season, the windows and the doors of the home are at a massive risk of damage when the winds are high. Most commonly, flying projectiles like broken tree limbs will cause the most damage, especially to windows.
To reduce the risks from these projectiles, installing storm shutters could work well. If they are currently outside your budget limits, you can also affix plywood sheets over the doors and windows before a hurricane to protect them.
Bring Outdoor Furnishings Inside and Secure the Structures
When you prepare for a hurricane, it’s also essential to take care of your outside belongings. For one, the ferocious winds can carry away your patio furniture and barbeque grills. On the other hand, your tool sheds and carports should be well-anchored.
Make sure you can secure everything or bring them inside. If left outside, they can become extremely dangerous projectiles that can potentially damage your and your neighbor’s homes.
Have an Emergency Kit Prepared
Hurricane home preparation isn’t just about being ready for the storm. Being prepared for the aftermath is also crucial. Following a hurricane, your home might not have drinking water and electricity for a few days.
By preparing an emergency kit, you can make the effects of the aftermath easier on you. The kit should include:
- A radio
- Spare batteries
- A fully charged cell phone with an extra battery
- Flashlights
- A fire extinguisher
- Pliers or wrenches
- Put your most important documents in a waterproof bag
- Cash
- Prescription medications
- Mosquito repellent
- A lighter and matches
- A full gas tank in the car
- Extra gasoline for a gas-powered generator
- Non-perishable foods
- Water
During the aftermath, you will also want to think about cooking while the power is out. Create a list of plans that require no cooking, and it’s best not to rely on takeout as the power will most probably be out at most restaurants as well.
If you have a barbeque grill, using it can be a great idea. Lastly, make sure to keep your preparedness kit in a dry and safe place.
Be Prepared for Everything: Have an Evacuation Plan in Place
Before a major storm, you might be advised to leave your property. As such, prepare for a hurricane the right way and have an evacuation plan in place. Know where you would go in such an instance and how to ensure to safety of your family.
Include your pets in the plan as well. If the house is deemed unsafe for you, it’s probably dangerous for your pets as well.
Purchase Flood Insurance if Needed
Because flooding usually won’t be covered in most standard policies, it’s a smart move to get one when you’re preparing your home for a hurricane. The costs may vary, but most experts estimate the average cost to be around $700 a year, but it may be more if you are living in an area or state that’s prone to flooding problems. Also, if you already have flood-mitigation strategies prepared, the insurance may be significantly less.
Also, ensure that you get the policy in advance, and avoid laying it off as a last-minute task. Usually, there’s a waiting period that lasts about a month, and only after that does your policy go into effect after making the purchase. The reason the NFIP or the National Flood Insurance Program does this is to prevent people from buying policies to get coverage for specific incoming hurricanes or storms.
Furthermore, insurance companies will most probably issue a moratorium prior to the hurricane, which stops the sale of new policies and restricts the purchase of additional coverages. For example, if there’s an incoming hurricane, the insurance company may limit you, disabling you to lower your hurricane deductible.
So, how to prepare your house for a hurricane? Our best advice is to go over your policies first and make the necessary adjustments before hurricane season starts.
Be Safe
All in all, these are the necessary steps that will help you avoid heavy damage from the ferocious storms and the high winds. Some of these pieces of advice may require you to be handy with tools and carpeting. On that end, you can always help our cause and learn construction basics by joining our projects.
