How To Hurricane-Proof Your Home

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When Hurricane Sandy hit the Jersey shore five years ago, coastal towns were devastated and outer lying areas were left reeling. We lost power for six days. School was cancelled for two weeks, and we were in a state of shock. We learned many lessons from our experience with Hurricane Sandy. First and foremost, we learned that it's definitely worth hurricane-proofing your own home and being prepared for the worst case scenario. You just never know when a natural disaster will happen and how extensive the damage and aftermath will be. It’s better to be prepared for it now than to regret it later. With Hurricane José ready to bear down on the Jersey shore, we are once again preparing for a potential hit. Here are some of the steps we've taken to hurricane-proof home:

Protect Your Windows And Doors

The first thing you need to do is make sure your windows and doors are safe. One of the worst things that could happen is having doors come off the hinges and windows break. The chaos that follows is not worth it. A good investment for hurricane-prone homes is impact resistant glass and shutters to protect from high winds and flying debris. Remember that hurricanes can hurl objects so hard that they can penetrate similarly to bullets.

Keep The Outside Of Your Home Free Of Debris

Try to keep the outside of your home as free of debris as possible. Prune your trees, remove logs and branches, and make sure that you haven't got any large outdoor planters if you’re suddenly hit with a hurricane warning. Removing any pieces of large, loose furniture that could get blown around is also important.

Waterproof Your Home

Waterproofing your home is a great way to protect it from any water that might come in. Your crawl space and basement are particularly prone to getting flooded during natural disasters. You might think that waterproofing your house is extreme, but it’s a sensible measure to take. You might regret not doing it later on.

Strengthen Your Garage Door

Garage doors can be particularly susceptible to high winds during hurricanes, and if they come off, you're putting your vehicles and other belongings at risk.  Find ways to strengthen your garage door and keep it in place. You might consider reinforcing it with another material or adding more fixtures that help to bolt it down.

Keep Your Gutters Clean And Free Of Blockages

Keep your gutters clean so that water can flow freely. If you fail to do this, you’ll often find that it gets into your roof or attic, causing huge problems.

Have A Standby Generator

During Hurricane Sandy, we lost power for 6 days. They were the most grueling days. A standby generator is one of the most convenient things to have in the case of a storm. You can consider installing a whole house system, but you don’t even have to do that to enjoy the benefits. You can simply install a stand alone unit to keep the essential electricity going, making it much easier to live with. Bear in mind that local building and zoning codes may restrict where you can place it as they can be noisy, so check these out first. And be sure to stock up on gas. You'll need it to power the generator.

You may not be able to keep the impact of a hurricane completely at bay, but you can definitely reduce the impact on your home and family by using these tips.