Preparing Your Home for a Hurricane

Hurricane Matthew is coming with a vengeance. On Tuesday, the tropical storm hit Haiti and Jamaica. It was also determined that it is a Category 4 storm with a maximum sustained winds of 230km/h. The storm is heading north this Thanksgiving weekend. It’s too early to determine any impact on Canada at the moment, but they are keeping an eye on the storm.  It’s better to be prepared just in case. Here are some tips on how to prepare your home for a hurricane. 

If you don’t have it already, you should consider getting flood insurance. Most insurance policies cover the damage due to a hurricane but not always the damage from floods. If you live in an area that floods easily, you should talk about getting flood insurance.

 

If you have any damage to your roof or maybe some shingles are loose, this could be a disaster during a hurricane. Hurricanes have very strong wind and they could easily rip of shingles.  Spend a little extra time and money and make sure your roof is safe. 

 

Check your seals around windows and doors. After time, they can get damaged. The last thing you want during a hurricane is some rain to sneak pass the seals and get into your house.

 

If you have any décor, chairs, or tables outside, you should bring them inside or secure them. Any items that could be moved by strong winds should be taken inside. Imagine after the hurricane, you look outside and see all your porch chairs missing. Also, these items could be swept up by the wind and right into your house. So not only you will lose your items but they could be dangerous to your house.

 

Garage doors can easily be blown off their hinges. To secure your garage door, you should install a vertical garage door brace and reinforcing it with horizontal wooden beams.