Posted by Billy Davis
During a storm protect yourself and your home from nature’s wrath by following these tips.
Dealing with wind or water damage to your home caused by tornadoes, or other severe storms can be both difficult and dangerous. Here are some tips on how keep your family safe by being proactive.
Secure outdoor items
Loose items in your yard can become flying projectiles during high winds. Move any unsecured items in your yard – including patio furniture, lawn chairs, bird feeders, hanging plants, and toys to inside your house or garage if possible. If you can’t move outdoor items in, use a strong rope or garden hose to tie them securely down.
Get a head start on protecting against heavy winds by trimming precarious limbs from trees. Falling and wind-blown branches pose a danger whether by falling or being blown into your home, breaking windows, damaging your roof shingles, etc.
Close windows, interior and exterior doors
The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety recommends that you close all interior doors and all windows for major windstorms. That’s because wind that enters a home through open windows and doors creates strong upward pressure on the home’s roof. Keeping the doors and windows closed helps to compartmentalize the pressure and reduce the force on the roof which gives it a better chance to stay intact.
As pressure keeps rising your home’s roof may eventually blow apart allowing water to come pouring in and flood your home and belongings.
Keeping your doors and windows closed disperse the pressure throughout your home, reducing the effect that all that force can have on your roof—basically the one thing that separates you from the storm.
Take shelter in an interior room
If you have a cellar, storm shelter, safe room, or basement available, go immediately to that area. If none of these options are available to you, get to the lowest level of your home. A windowless interior room, such as a bathroom, closet or inner hallway is the best. Stay as far from any windows if possible and go to the center of the room – corners tend to attract debris. If you live in a mobile home, identify a sturdy building you can go to if NWS issues a high wind or severe thunderstorm warning.
Close the garage
The Federal Alliance for Safe Homes recommends homeowners proactively approach storm season by shoring up garage doors before bad weather hits. For instance, waiting until a storm notice comes out to brace the door might put you in harm’s way or make it impossible to get the task complete before the wind and rains hit.
If you don’t secure your garage door properly, you may be placing your home and family in grave jeopardy. The garage door, the largest and weakest opening in your house, is the area of your home most likely to fail first.
If strong winds blow it in or out during a storm, storm damage experts say it could lead to a buildup of internal pressure that could cause a blowout of the roof and supporting walls.
Dig deeper into each of the ways you can reinforce your home before storm season hits!
Preparation is key
The damage a storm causes to a home can leave your life suddenly upended. In the first days after a storm, you might be overwhelmed with the damage, with everything you have to do and with concerns about getting your life back together. But careful planning can help you return to normalcy as quickly as possible.
Contact your Billy Davis Insurance Group agent, who will assist you with this process. It can sometimes take several months to complete all damage repairs, but we will be with you every step of the way!
