Prepare for the Worst - Protecting Your Home From Severe Weather

With storm season freshly upon us and the ever looming threat of severe weather for the next few months, there are many concerns about the safety of our homes and property. Below are some steps to help ensure that you do all that you can to protect your home this season.

• Window Shutters: Though this is more common in hurricane-stricken areas, window shutters are something worth considering if you live in areas of Tornado Alley that are harshly affected by high wind speeds and debris due to tornadoes, these might be worth considering. If this isn’t something that you can’t really fit into the budget, try pre-cutting some boards to fit your windows and have a kit readily prepared for when severe weather starts. If you’ve got everything streamline, you could have all of your windows boarded up in 20 minutes, or less if you have help. This could make all the difference in protecting you and your loved ones from broken glass and debris exposure during a storm.
• Garage Door Braces: Garage doors are one of the weakest links in your home. Combine the large surface area with high-speed winds and the fact that these winds pressurize your house and can blow the roof off – once you lose the garage door the debris or wind, you can consider your roof lost as well. One way you can help prevent this from happening is by installing garage door braces. There are vertical braces available from Secure Door that you can purchase from your local Lowe’s.
• Roof Clips: Also known as hurricane ties, these handy items are installed right onto the beams of your roof from inside your attic. They connect the top plate to the rafters which increases the strength of the connection of your roof to your house. This makes it more difficult for high-speed winds to pressurize your house enough to tear the roof off. With roof clips, you can choose how many to install as well. If you live in a higher risk area, you could have them installed on every truss of your roof, but if you’re only taking precautionary measures, you may consider installing them on every other truss. These are also available at Lowe’s for $0.82 each.

If you take preventative measures to protect your home and property this storm season, you could end up saving yourself hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in damage if tragedy strikes. As always, you should make sure to contact your roofing professional if you have any questions regarding the integrity of your roof or what to do in the event of hail or high wing damage.

Remember, Van De Steeg & Associates is always here to help!