A hurricane is a large, powerful rotating cell of the Atmosphere that occurs within the Pacific Ocean. A hurricane is made up of downgraded thunderstorms that have orbit around a center of pressure.
This pressure gradient causes strong winds, heavy rains, and potentially damage to property. The movement of a hurricane is caused by the up-and-down movement of the earth’s rotation.
Therefore, a hurricane cannot be stopped! Luckily, homeowners have less than one year to prepare for a landfall if it happens in 2018 or later.
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Make a plan
Before a hurricane makes landfall, it is important to have a plan. This may be changing your plans in the event of a storm for the first time, or it may be combining changes into a new plan for the first time.
The following tips can help you create your own plan to protect your home and family from a storm. They may not apply to all storms, and some may not be necessary depending on your area of concern.
Use advance planning to ensure you have enough supplies for at least three days of food, shelter, re-supplies, and informal support. Sign up for pre-apartheid education and prevention programs at local schools and community centers to learn about potential crisis situations and how to handle them.
Install an intercom so you can talk to someone if an outage occurs. Have two full days of emergency preparedness kits in your home or three days worth on hand, especially if there are more events such as hurricanes every few years.
Prepare your home
As the most important piece of property you own, you must take extra steps to protect it. There are several ways to do this.
Maintaining a safe home is more than just a “check off list” thing. It is a lot of work, and requires you to be constantly aware of your surroundings, and to know what happened in the past around your home.
To help prevent future catastrophes, learn how to properly prepare your home in an emergency. This includes taking steps such as:
Vans and other large vehicles should be hauled away before anything else is needed. You would want another person to come and remove them later if an emergency turned out to be catastrophic. Keeping these items in a secure location will help ensure they are not needed in an emergency.
Store supplies near windows
While it is nice to have a full kitchen, large living room, and lots of storage space available, you should also store supplies such as water, food, and winter coats in sealed containers and places.
This helps your family stay warm for several weeks in case the power goes out, or you have a quick influx of guests. It also helps you avoid having to run to the store when there is a disaster.
Run into problems with window installation? Not if you use proper measures such as double-pane glass sandwich board paper or thick cardboard cutout panels. These protect your windows from wind and rain that may accumulate on them.
To help prevent water damage, store supplies such as water dishes and blankets in appropriate locations. To save money, put up signs that windows are open or let the sun determine if it is hot enough for window installation.
Move or cover outdoor items
If a hurricane is predicted, move or cover some items such as food, water, and important medications. If one is not expected, then the most prudent action is to cover up and take shelter with friends or neighbors.
The last thing you want to do is stand by Passive Solar Heating Systems and watch the storm damage their beautiful properties!
Most hurricanes pass directly by without much notice. However, if it does make a turn to the north or south, then there is some danger.
Check roof seals
Before a hurricane comes through, the most important step is making sure your roof is properly sealed. A roof is made of paper-thin metal layers that hold onto rainwater and windblown snow to create our homes, buildings, and vehicles.
When a hurricane approaches, it can bring strong winds that could knock over power or elevators in your home. This could potentially damage the roof seal, which would not let any water in or out. If this happens, you will have to replace it!
To check your roof seals, you first need to find the edge of your roof where it meets the earth. Then, look up about a dozen feet to see if there is an observable edge. You should see some kind of seal where the two parts meet.
Upgrade windows
As previously mentioned, glass can break during a storm. So can doors and windows. It is important to upgrade your window and door systems when this happens.
Window and door upgrades cost money and may not be available every year, so do your research and make the necessary changes when needed. Having higher quality materials in your homes construction means it will last longer as well.
Using energy-saving features such as automatic or timed window openings and closing mechanisms can also help save you money on electricity bills. Invest in motion detectors to help keep you safe if someone tries to break in!
Lastly, try to be aware of your storm season dates to ensure you have sufficient windows and doors.
Create a document with all of your personal information
Your house should have a plan in case of a hurricane. This could be creating a safe room scheme, bringing extra tools and food, and planning ahead for essential goods. There are also community preparedness programs that teach you how to be ready as a community.
In the safest scenario, a hurricane passes by your house without stopping. However, if it does come back north, you are prepared with your plans!
Bring your personal goods to an evacuation site if needed. If there is a catastrophe, such as a hurricane winds away or direct hit, the insurance will cover part of your home. You can do this together as a family and rely on the system to help you out if something happens.
There are many online resources for this type of preparation.
Update insurance policies
As mentioned earlier, homeowners insurance provides cover for damages to your home such as hurricane force winds, storm flooding, and other dangerous conditions.
Also included is peace of mind with protection against theft and disaster damage. If you have a lot of expensive possessions, then it makes sense to have good security in your home to avoid theft.
With property insurance, you do not need to worry about replacing or upgrading your policy when the damaged property is yours. However, while personal injury protection is standard with most policies, there are exceptions for very large homes that may need more insurance.
Check with your insurer to see if a Homeowners Policy would be an exception and what type of home it would apply to.