Preparing your Home for a Hurricane or Tropical Storm in CT
Unless you don’t use Facebook, watch the news or talk to people you’ve probably heard there’s a massive hurricane cutting a path straight towards the southeast part of the United States. While hurricanes are not as common in Connecticut we do occasionally get one. We more often get the remnants of hurricanes.
Remnants of hurricanes can be devastating to homes as well. They often arrive at tropical storm strength and can spawn tornadoes, flooding, dangerous lightning and hail. They can leave a lot of property damage in their wake.
Given the approach of Hurricane Florence and the two other hurricanes currently spinning in the Atlantic, we thought it was important to share some tips for preparing your home for a potential hurricane. These tips also apply to tropical storms or any powerful storm that we may get in Connecticut.
Connecticut is in the northeast part of the US. It is a shoreline state along the Atlantic Ocean. Because it sits on the Atlantic Ocean Connecticut often feels the brunt of powerful storms known as nor’easters. These usually come in the form of blizzards but in recent years we have seen some powerful nor’easters in the form of rainstorms.
Connecticut is usually spared from the full force of hurricanes because the ocean and air are cooler in the northeast part of the country. Hurricanes and tropical storms are usually weakened by our neighbors on Long Island as well.
If you live in CT, you know severe weather conditions can occur any time of the year. You also know that severe weather is more common in the Summer and Winter months.
Late summer and early fall are hurricane season. Hurricanes and tropical storms are not common in Connecticut. The last hurricane was Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
Hurricanes can be devastating for your roof if you have not made efforts to prepare it for rough weather conditions. Strong winds blowing at a very high speed can damage your roof easily. It is better to fix minor problems on your roof before the start of the hurricane season rather than paying a big amount for roof repair later.
Read: What You Need to Know Before Hiring a Roofer in CT [and How to Save Money]
We truly hope that we are all spared from Hurricane Florence and any other hurricane, but we also thought it best to give some tips on how to prepare your home for a hurricane or tropical storm.
Secure Your Home Roof with Straps and Clips
Your roof bears the brunt of the strong winds and heavy rains during any storm. After all, a roof’s purpose is to protect your family and property from the effects of weather. This means that your roof is likely to also experience the most damage. You must check the condition of your roof and take necessary steps so that it is able to withstand the pressure of the strong winds of a hurricane. Your roof can easily be blown away by strong winds if it is not secured.
What you should do is to call up a roofing expert and ask him to secure the roof using clips and straps. These straps and clips not just secure the roof against strong winds but also function like a 2nd layer of protection against roof damage. Not acting before the hurricane season means you could well be staring at a very expensive roof replacement after a hurricane hits Connecticut.
Secure Your Home Using Window Shutters
Your home remains vulnerable to the pressure of strong winds created during a tropical storm or hurricane. We saw evidence of this after the tornadoes earlier this year.
Simply boarding up the windows may not be enough, and winds can easily shatter the windows.
You can contact a CT roof repair specialist to secure your home with the help of window shutters. These window shutters may be decorative, but more consideration should be given to whether they can withstand the strong pressure created by winds and the debris in a hurricane.
Quick Tip: You can also put duct tape or packing tape in the form of an X on the inside of your windows. This will help secure the windows from shattering. In the event the window does break the tape will keep it from shattering into hundreds of pieces of glass.
Secure Garage Doors with Reinforcement
Your garage is another area where winds have a chance to attack the structure of your home. Chances of serious damage to the structure of your home increase exponentially if winds get a chance to enter your garage.
Make sure there are braces in your garage door to not allow the winds to enter your garage. Reinforcement of your garage doors goes a long way towards avoiding damage to your home because of strong winds during a hurricane.
Keep Supplies on Hand. Your Storm Preparedness Kit
Always keep the following items on hand to help in the event there is extensive damage, power outages or injuries. Most of these items will not go bad so it does not hurt anything to have some extras of them in the house.
- Batteries
- Flashlights
- Lighter(s)
- Candle
- Bottled Water
- Blankets
- Sweaters/Jackets
- Non-Perishable Food Items
- Can of Gas
- Emergency Phone Numbers Written Down (what if you cannot charge your cell phone)
- Flares
- Battery Operated Radio
- Something for the kids to do like board games or books to read.
During a powerful storm, the safest place to be is in your basement. Have your family stay in the basement until the storm starts to calm down. Assess the damage before allowing everyone else to come up to the main part of the house, especially kids.
Inspect the outside of your home after a storm. Check for damage to your rain gutters, roof and the structure of your home.
Read: 5 Ways Damaged Rain Gutters Can Wreak Havoc on Your Home
Read: How to Check For Roof Damage or Leaks After a Severe Storm
Also, be sure to check on neighbors after a hurricane, tropical storm or any other extreme weather. It’s the right thing to do.
Of course, we don’t want any of this extreme weather, but the reality is it will eventually happen. It’s best to always be prepared and be safe.
