When it comes to your home, you naturally want to keep it protected as much as you can. In Florida, there are various steps you can take in order to do this. You can do things such as take out home insurance, install an intruder alarm, and have a fire alarm to help provide protection. However, what about protecting against natural disasters such as hurricanes?
A hurricane can cause devastation to your home, and the hurricane season in Florida can be a very worrying time for homeowners in the area. With many past hurricanes having caused chaos and devastation, it is important to prepare yourself for future ones. There are various ways in which you can do this, and the hurricane preparedness tips below can help.
What You Should Prepare For
The impact of hurricanes can be huge depending on the severity of the hurricane. You may find that you have to prepare for all sorts of issues that may arise as a result of the hurricanes. Some of the things you should prepare for are:
Flooding
When hurricanes strike, it can have a devastating impact on the waters around the area. Where there are rivers, lakes, and other areas of water, there can be flooding in the streets and around the surrounding areas. This can result in homes becoming seriously flooded, and parts of the home can become submerged in water. In order to help deal with this, make sure areas such as crawlspaces and basements are waterproofed. Install and sump pump, make sure all gutters are clear, and consider creating a perimeter made up of sandbags.
Heavy Rainfall
Another thing that can come with hurricane season is very heavy rainfall, and it is important to be prepared for this in order to reduce the risk of devastating damage to your home. Make sure you maintain your yard, clean your drains and gutters, and install downspouts to direct water in the right direction. Also, make sure you have tarps available to help control any damage caused by rainwater.
Powerful Winds
Naturally, you need to protect your home against the powerful winds that come during hurricane season. In order to protect your home, look at access points such as doors and windows that can often bear the brunt of strong wind damage. Consider installing storm shutters or provide additional protection. Remember to also take steps to protect your roof with steps such as reinforcement. As you may already know, roofs can be considerably damaged in a hurricane as strong winds can blow them off. Pylons and trees can also fall on roofs, causing holes too. If anything does happen to the roof, companies such as Cap City Restoration, (capcityrestoration.com), will be able to repair the damage, although it’ll have to be when the high winds settle.
Electrical Outage
When hurricanes strike, it can result in electrical outages at your home, and this can make a bad situation even worse. Make sure you have plenty of flashlights for the whole family to use along with batteries for the flashlights. Also, make sure you have a backup battery for the sump pump and look at investing in an emergency generator. Also, remember the food in your fridge and freezer, and have ice to protect food that could otherwise perish.
These are some of the main steps to help you to deal with hurricane season.