Along much of the country's coastal regions, big storms are an unwelcome yearly visitor but don't let stormy weather keep you from enjoying living in some of the most beautiful areas in the country. Some people will tell you that storm-proofing your home is an unnecessary expense. It's true that not all storms reach the hurricane or tornado level of destruction, but why not play it safe and be prepared?
In Florida the stormy weather can include thunderstorms, tornados, and hurricanes. Storms are so part of the culture here that the state requires that shingles pass a wind test of 110 mph to be approved. Both your yard and your home need attention for the best outcome when the stormy season is upon us.
The most important aspect of storm-proofing your house is your roof. Make sure that your shingles are in good repair and properly glued down. If you have any concerns about them, they can be spot glued for additional strength. This will help keep water damage out of your home.
Just like shingles, siding can be pulled up and off your house by storm winds. Make sure that your siding is properly nailed down. Aluminum siding will resist being pulled off more than vinyl siding, but can be dented by flying debris.
Either invest in storm shutters or impact resistant windows. One major cost to homeowners in a hurricane is caused by projectiles smashing windows and allowing the storm into their home. This is also why it's a good investment to purchase metal outer doors and a good quality garage door that is rated for higher pressures. Make sure that you replace the weather stripping on your doors as soon as it starts to wear. Weather stripping can make a world of difference to how much water can get forced in about doors and windows.
Don't forget your basement too! You can't weather-proof it from the outside, but you can have a water-proof barrier painted on the inside of your basement to help keep water out. Make sure that your eaves are functioning properly. If you have trees around your home make sure that you clean the eaves fairly often. Backed up eaves can cause your basement to flood.
The drainage issue leads us into the realm of storm-proofing in your yard. One of the biggest issues here is making sure that you have adequate drainage because a tropical storm can dump a huge amount of water on your property in a very short time.
Maintain the trees on your property. Make sure that your trees are healthy and unlikely to come down in a storm. Better yet, make sure that you don't have any tall trees near your house. Shorter trees will do better in a storm because they are closer to the ground.
If you live in a region that has storms with high winds, avoid landscaping with rocks. Strong winds like tornados will pick up anything it can and use it to hammer at your house. Don't give it any ammunition. If you have items like garden statuary or birdbaths in your yard, make sure you secure them or move them to your garage in case of strong storm warnings.
As last minute prep for an imminent storm, it's also a good idea to pick any vegetables from your garden, make sure that any chemicals or fuels are stored safely in sealed containers in your garage, and take any fish out of your pond. Any vegetables in your garden may be inedible after a storm due to flood contamination. Yard and garden chemicals like fertilizers can get waterlogged and seep into your yard or garage if not properly sealed up, making for a nasty clean up.
The thing to remember with living in an area that gets big storms is that it's always better to be prepared so that in storm season you don't have an overwhelming amount of things to take care of. Spread your prep out during the year so that you don't have to do it all or spend a lot of money all at once.
For anyone who lives in an area that experiences storms, the need to takes steps to storm-proof your house is a fact of life. For those of us living in locations that get yearly storms ranging from thunderstorms and tropical storms to tornados and hurricanes, we know that an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure.
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