How’s it going, homeowners and football fans? Pass the buffalo chicken dip, please.
Ahhhhh, the Fall! With all of the fun and festivities that come with the calendar turning, one stark negative comes with the months of September and October: severe storms.
Few things seems to ruin the mood or weekend plans like hearing, “a tropical depression is forming in the Caribbean” and “blah blah blah it could track up the East Coast.” That feeling you get when for the first time you hear The Weather Channel refer to a storm with a specific name is horrifying. Yet the omnipresence of potential storms doesn’t have to be AS scary. There’s nothing you can do to completely mitigate the effects of a natural disaster, but properly preparing your home, for instance scheduling a consultation with a professional home foundation repair and inspection company to conduct Seismic Retrofitting Services as well as cracked foundation repair services for your home, can make all the difference between quickly returning to the place you love or quickly getting on the phone with contractors to get repair estimates.
Pregame Preparedness– The key. Secure anything loose and clear rain gutters and downspouts to prevent water damage to your property. Place a good gutter cover system to prevent twigs, leaves, and dirt from forming clogs in the gutter. Make sure all your tools, supplies, and a first aid kit are available for use. When I was a kid, a late September hurricane ripped down a significant limb from a tree in our yard. The limb was completely severed except for one long strip of bark, which, meant this limb was swinging in a hurricane in mid air. My father happened to have his tools indoors and so within 5 minutes he was outside cutting that hanging branch. If a situation unfolds you’ll be able to address it much more effectively by being able to respond immediately. Check out http://gutteradvantage-pa.com/ for some tips.
Window & Door Defense– A sheet of plywood and a handful of nails have stood out for decades as one of the most effective and practical ways to prepare your home for a storm. We’ve found it’s best to “board up” a day or two before the storm, and our favorite secret is to utilize 3/4-inch or 5/8-inch plywood over the 1/2-inch variety. Option B for defending your windows and doors are hurricane affordable window shutters. Technology has made these a more attractive, simple, effective option than ever before. Today’s shutters deploy with the push of a button or the crank of a handle and are the easiest and other most effective option to deploy before a storm. If you do fall victim of the storm search no further and get in touch with glass remodels professionals. Modern custom-fitted hurricane shutters are designed to withstand 150-200mph and come in a wide variety of colors!
Water Defense– While there is little any of us can do to prepare for a 15-foot coastal storm surge, there are several products that will go a really long way to protect every homeowner from minor flooding. Sandbags are hands down the most effective option. If properly placed at the cracks of your doors, residential garage door, and windows bags can form an excellent barrier around your home. Proper garage door can be very helpful when it comes to protecting your home. Automatic Door Specialists can consult you on this matter and offer the best options. When defending your home with sandbags there is no such thing as using too many. Other options that we are not as familiar with include quick dam options and water absorbing barriers. Water is arguably the most destructive force your home can potentially face, it’s not worth playing games.
Roof Defense– Your home was built to hold the roof up, not down. Fortunately you can take some steps to account for and counteract damaging winds. The first thing to do is contact roof repair services, and have them come take a look at the roof if it needs roof repair. They will have to repair any problems, as well as reinforce any vulnerabilities with support braces. When installed properly, hurricane support braces and or/ hurricane straps can reduce your risk of roof failure in high winds. They can be easily installed on new homes. For existing homes the process will involve retrofitting your roof and the structure of your home as necessary. Using only the very best timbers, you will need a truss supplier to collaborate with you to make sure you have a long lasting roof truss that is sturdy enough to sustain any type of storm. I found the Northern Lights Exteriors Fort Lupton roofers retrofitting guide to be a helpful tool: http://www.floridadisaster.org/hrg/content/walls/wood_frame_rtw_conn.asp
Family Defense– The most important part of all. Consider sitting down with your family and having a designated storm room selected in advance of any weather event. An ideal storm room is going to keep your family safe from high-winds, damaging or falling debris, and is in a location above flooding levels. If you’re building or renovating a home and would like more information on how you can design a room to protect your family in an emergency or get through the CPR certification Fort Lauderdale, more information can be found at: https://www.fema.gov/safe-rooms