Protection During a Hurricane: Steps to Take
Protecting yourself and your home is crucial if you live in an area that experiences hurricanes. It is not enough to leave the area; sometimes, hurricanes are not always damaging. If you can protect your home, knowing what to do is one of the most critical aspects of recovery without breaking the bank.
Many companies offer hurricane-proofing for homes. They protect a house’s windows, doors, roofs, and other parts. So, consider how you reduce the damage and repair costs in a hurricane. Let’s discuss further to learn how to keep everything safe.
How to Stay Safe in a Hurricane
The first aspect of hurricane preparation is to protect yourself. That should come before protecting any other thing. How do you do that? Here are a few steps to get started.
1. Prepare Yourself
It should not come as a surprise if you live in a hurricane-prone area that you must prepare for hurricane season. There are several ways to prepare, such as reinforcing your windows and doors and ensuring the roof is proofed. Be sure to get ready before the season is close.
Start on time to ensure everything is in order. Buy and store gas without creating a fire hazard. Store food, especially non-perishables, in case the hurricane lasts longer than announced. Keep everyone in one place so you can easily account for each person unless you live alone.
Preparing for a storm when it is already close or the winds are blowing is not ideal. You may not find all the essentials to sustain the household as stores and gas stations may have sold out. Besides, they would want to close their shops long before the storm hits.
2. Block Doors
Hurricanes blow heavy gales of destructive wind that take everything in their path. Simply going into the house, closing, and locking the doors are not enough. You must take extra steps to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. The wind can blow debris and heavy objects with such force that they break the doors and fly into the house, harming someone.
Therefore, lock and block all the exterior doors once inside the house. Use heavy objects such as large dressers to wedge the doors shut. Sandbags are also helpful, more so than heavy furniture, because of their weight. However, sandbags are not items you casually have lying around.
That is why you must prepare ahead for such times. Make sandbags and keep them ready, especially if there is a hurricane warning. Otherwise, make do with heavy furniture that can effectively barricade doors. Here is how to make a sandbag to use during a flood.
3. Stay Inside
Staying inside the house is safer than going outside, regardless of what happens. Some hurricanes are not as intense as others, and you can attempt to go outside to feel the wind or get something. Doing that is dangerous because the winds can change in strength and direction, blowing strong gusts your way and making visibility and movement difficult.
One danger of going outside during a hurricane, no matter how mild, is that it can throw you into an object. Another is that the winds can carry objects and debris your way, harming you. They may even throw you into flowing water if there is a storm, making it almost impossible to get out. The safest place is indoors, with the doors and windows shut and barred.
4. Avoid Debris
As much as you can, avoid debris after the hurricane. Step over fallen trees and branches when you go outside because they may hide dangerous debris. Also, stay far from fallen electricity lines because they may have live wires.
If water is on the ground, the live wires become dangerous to everyone, including pets. In other words, stay away from power lines and water puddles, and do not touch anyone on the ground around such areas. Instead, call for help as quickly as possible.
How to Prepare Your House for a Hurricane
After ensuring you and everyone around you are safe, the next most important step is to secure your house. The following are crucial steps to prevent as much damage as possible.
Use Hurricane Windows
One of the first things to do during a hurricane is to secure the windows. You can do this by covering them or using hurricane windows. You can check out this resource: ParadiseExteriors.com to learn more about hurricane windows. However, boarding them up may be easier and cheaper than installing them.
Apart from protecting the window, broken glass is dangerous around the house. And if the glass breaks, it leaves the house vulnerable to debris and other outdoor elements. Use plywood or another wood type to board up the windows to protect the glass. But if you have hurricane-tempered glass, you do not need to board them up.
Secure the Roof
We know that doors and windows should be closed and protected from hurricanes. But how about the roof? While we acknowledge that it is somewhat common knowledge that roofs fly off during a storm, securing them may not be the first thing to think of.
Strap the roof of your house using hurricane clips or straps so that it does not come when the wind is too heavy. This does not mean that some winds will not do damage, but the risk is reduced when the roof is secure. It is likelier to make it through the hurricane that way.
Secure the Doors
You must ensure the doors are secure and not vulnerable to the elements. However, although you secure them, you may also need to caulk around them to close holes and crevices. Caulking must be done long before the hurricane arrives.
Doing that prevents flooding and insect infestation as they look for safe places away from the flood. Caulking protects your home from much more than the winds, so it is helpful even if the hurricane is no longer intense when it gets to your area.
Conclusion
You can reduce damage and lower risks if you know what to do during a hurricane. Start by securing the roof with clips long before the hurricane arrives. Also, ensure you have sufficient supplies, and everyone is indoors.
Close, lock, and bar the doors, and do the same for the windows. You can also trim low-hanging heavy branches and pin down any item outside your house that may move and cause damage. Finally, ensure your insurance covers natural disasters so repairs do not come out of your pocket.
