How to protect your home

Hurricanes can cause massive damage to your home and property. While you should always make you and your family’s safety your number one priority, here are some tips to protect your home from damage.

Your Home

Hurricane’s can do more than break a window or destroy your roof. Follow the below steps to help keep your home safe.

• Use hurricane straps or clips to fasten your home’s roof to the frame of the house. This can help reduce the amount of damage caused by hurricane force winds and debris.
• Use head and foot bolts on all entry doors. This can help fortify your doors and lower the risk of collapse and potentially prevent indoor water damage.
• Put up storm shutters! If for some reason you can’t please purchase exterior or marine grade plywood to cover your windows, making sure to cover larger pieces of glass as well. Sliding glass doors can be broken as easily as a window during a storm.
• Caulk around your doors and windows, especially if your weather stripping is old or damaged. Flood waters can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in home repairs.

Your Landscaping

Plants, trees, and other landscaping pieces are potential projectiles during a hurricane. Make sure to follow the below steps.

• Trim your trees and shrubs. Not only will this help them survive the high winds, it decreases the chance of damage to your home and power lines during the storm.
• If you have gravel, cover it with mulch. Gravel can be swept up and cause severe damage to your home.
• Tie down small trees and shrubs. This helps prevent uprooting.

Your Insurance Policy

If your home is damaged during a storm your insurance policy is the most important tool you have.

• Contact your insurance agent to make sure you have necessary coverage.
• Consider purchasing flood insurance as well. Though if a storm is imminent it may be to late.
• Make sure your documents are kept in a safe place.

Your Personal Belongings

• Dealing with insurance after a storm can be a hassle, make sure you document all your belongings.
• Document the contents of your home and the home itself, inside and out. The easiest way to do this is to shoot video or still photos. Take pictures from every angle, including close-ups and shots that pull back to show the big picture.

If you have time create an inventory of your possessions that includes an appraised or estimated value for the most expensive items. Check here for more information.

With proper steps you can greatly reduce the damage to your home, property, and belongings. Just remember, your personal safety is the number one priority. If you need to evacuate due to an approaching storm, do so.