How To Prepare Your Home For An Upcoming Storm?

Storms can bring forth a lot of damage to your residential property. A storm’s strong winds, heavy rainfall or snowfall, and the like can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and worse, injuries and even deaths. 

Prepare Your Home For An Upcoming Storm:

Luckily, you can mitigate the damage a storm can bring by making different preparations before a storm hits your area. Continue reading to find out the various preparations you can take:

1. Get In Touch With A Water Damage Specialist Near You

Storms, very strong storms in particular, can cause water damage to your home. They range from flooded basements, soaked foundations, to sagging ceilings. These types of damage are costly and can be very hard to deal with.

Thus, prevention is better than cure. It’s worth considering that you reach out to a water damage expert in your community. It’s a company that consists of different water damage experts that can help you deal with water-related problems in your house after a storm. 

Pick a water damage specialist that offers emergency services. Further, check the water damage specialist’s pricing, licenses, and so on. Ask around for the company’s reputation amongst the locals in your community. 

2. Work On Your Drainage

An effective drainage system will keep stormwater from your home. Hence, it’s paramount to inspect it before a storm. 

Start with the drainage in your roof. Remove any fallen leaves and debris that hinder the effective flow of water. 

Next is to check the gutter. Ensure it’s free from debris and any build-up that reduces its water-carrying capacity. Upon cleaning, it’ll help to place gutter guards to prevent debris entry before the storm starts. The downspout is attached to the gutter; ensure it’s also clear. 

One of the things that increase the chances of stormwater entering your home is the poor slope around your home. 

Does water flow away or towards your home? If it flows towards your home, it’ll help to raise the slope around it. Do this by heaping soil and placing a small gabion to prevent stormwater from washing away the heaped soil. Alternatively, or in addition, install a French drain around your home. 

3. Clean Out Your Compound

Clear out your property compound before a storm approaches. The storm’s strong winds can easily carry the light items you have outdoors, like your lawn chairs, potted plants, and many more, and cause damage. 

To clear out your compound, begin by storing the items you can’t secure in the garage or others. For those that are embedded in the ground, secure them in place. 

Suppose you have trees in your immediate perimeter. Prior to a storm, make sure that you prune them. Contact a tree pruning company that can help you out. They have the appropriate tools to trim your tree’s branches and the like. An already pruned tree will pose lesser hazards to you and your loved ones. 

4. Inspect Your Roof And Carry Out Necessary Repairs

Your house’s roof protects you and your family from the harsh elements present outdoors. It does a great job of keeping rainwater, snowfall, and the like from entering inside your home. Nonetheless, a neglected or old roof has holes or damage that can permit the entry of rainwater and others from a storm. 

Therefore, inspect your roof for damage and many more before a strong arrives. Start the inspection by removing debris and leaves on the roof’s surface because they might hide defects that can cause havoc during a storm. 

With the leaves and other debris gone, look for holes and missing roof parts like shingles. After identifying the issues, proceed to address them. Depending on the damage present, the age of your roof, roof condition, and other factors, you may need to repair or replace your roof. Reach out to a roofing company to help you with your roofing needs. 

5. Check Your Home’s Doors And Windows

Now you’ve only got a few hours before the storm hits your area. Don’t forget to check your home’s doors and windows before you stay cooped indoors together with your loved ones. 

Doors and windows can be the main entry points of rainfall in your home. Conduct a quick inspection of your doors and windows for spaces that could allow water in. For the doors, check the top and bottom. On the other hand, check the glass panes and jointing points for the windows. 

If the repairs are minor, you can use a quick-drying silicone sealant to seal small cracks in your doors and windows. You can use a rag as an alternative if you don’t have any sealant with you. 

Conclusion

The discussion above pinpoints that it’s possible to make different preparations to lessen the negative impacts of a storm. If you’re a homeowner and your community’s about to face a strong storm soon, it’d help to adopt the different pieces of insight given herein to safeguard your property and loved ones.