With the Atlantic hurricane season less than a month away, homeowners must ensure they are prepared for it. Preparing for severe weather conditions is important so homeowners will not be caught flatfooted and lose everything they worked hard to acquire.
If you are a homeowner, preparing for severe storms and hurricanes allows you to protect your home and other properties from damage caused by these weather disturbances. It also ensures that no member of your family gets hurt when severe storms hit your area.
Here are some things that homeowners can do to prepare themselves for the upcoming hurricane season.
Designate a Safe Place in the Home
The first thing you should do is designate an area in the house where you and your family can take shelter if a storm comes. Ideally, the place should be the lowest level in the home where there are a few windows. If you have one, you can hide in the basement of the house. Some homes also have a storm cellar where the residents can ride the storm out.
It’s also important that everyone in the home knows this safe place. So, when a storm hits, they can go to the shelter directly. You should also conduct severe weather drills so everyone in the family will know what to do when severe weather hits your area.
Prepare the Home
When you enhance the curb appeal of your home, you may have trimmed the trees and shrubs close to the house. Aside from making your property look good, trimming the trees also helps protect your home since loose branches can fly and break the house’s windows.
You should also secure any loose objects around the house and make sure to cover any holes you find along the wall. You can also look for siding repair professionals to work on any damaged sidings in the house.
These professionals can also work on fixing other areas in the house, including the drains and gutters. They can even help you strengthen your windows to allow them to withstand the strong winds of a severe storm.
You should also check any appliances that stick out of a hole in the wall, such as a wall air conditioner. You should make sure they are sealed properly, which means you should fill any gaps in the caulking. You can also put weather stripping around the unit for added protection.
Before a storm hits, you should check the sump pump of the house. It should work properly. If necessary, you should get a professional to fix it to ensure it works well when a storm hits. You can also consider getting a battery-powered backup pump so that you have something to use when the power goes out.
Check the Surroundings
Aside from the branches of trees, you should check for anything outside the home that can fly and damage the home’s windows. These may include outdoor furniture, tools, and even a lawnmower. If you are not using these items, you should keep them inside a storeroom or the garage.
A shed outside the house may not be strong enough to withstand a severe storm or hurricane. So you should look for a good place where you can store these items. You should also make sure the gutters are clean and free of debris. Keeping the gutter free of debris gives the rain a path away from the house during a storm. You should also make sure the downspouts point away from the house. This allows you to keep water from accumulating in areas close to the house and seep into the foundations.
Prepare an Emergency Kit
There are instances when a severe storm can cut off a family from the rest of the community. In these situations, the family needs to have supplies to survive for a few days. Due to this, you should prepare an emergency kit if there is a power outage after a storm.
The emergency should have a three-day supply of non-perishable food, several days’ supply of water for all family members, a flashlight, a battery-powered radio, extra batteries, and a first aid kit. You can also include a manual can opener, whistle, wrench or pliers, and dust masks in the emergency kit.
If anyone in the family needs prescription medication, you should also include them in the emergency kit. If you have a pet, pet food is essential in the kit to ensure your pet has something to eat.
Since severe storms happen every year, homeowners should make the necessary preparations before the storms hit.
