The Sunshine State has welcomed many new residents over the past year! If this is your first hurricane season here, you may have questions about how to best prepare your home against possible damage. Even if it isn’t, having a casual attitude about hurricane preparedness can spell trouble should a major storm take aim at Central Florida. Because it’s always better to be safe than sorry, take the necessary time to inspect your property with our checklist!
In addition to following the steps listed here, we encourage you to read our previous blog posts on this topic for additional details:
- Preparing Your Home’s Exterior for a Hurricane
- Preparing Your Home for Hurricane Season
- Hurricane Season is Here! Are You Ready?
- Hurricane Season is Here! Make Sure Your Property is Ready!
Start at the Top – Have Your Roof Inspected
During a hurricane, your house is only as secure as its roof. West Roofing Systems, Inc., Marketing Manager Aubrey Barto recommends scheduling an evaluation on an annual basis.
“Having a knowledgeable contractor on your roof before hurricane season will ensure that there are no issues on your roof that a hurricane can make worse,” says Barto. “Before hurricane season is the best time to have a contractor perform repairs and double check the integrity of your roof.”
The following areas of the roof should be included in the inspection:
- Membrane – make sure there are no rips, punctures, holes or effects of aging.
- Flashings – make sure all flashings are correctly attached and sealed.
- Mounted Equipment – make sure the penetrations are properly sealed and that the equipment is securely attached.
- Gutters/Downspouts – make sure all gutters, drains, and downspouts are properly attached and flowing to the proper location.
You can even do one better with two yearly inspections: one before and one after hurricane season. A maintenance program is a great way to be proactive with your roof system. Having a roofing contractor keep up the maintenance of your roof is one of the best ways to ensure that your roof is ready to stand up to incoming hurricanes. Regular maintenance can catch preliminary roof issues before they get worse, saving you money.
Mark Kaufman Roofing elaborates on needed repairs that an inspection may detect. “This might include getting damaged or missing shingles or tiles replaced, having missing metal panel anchors replaced, getting any flashing defects dealt with, and making sure that loose soffits, ventilation turbines and gable end/eave vents are properly secured. Have hurricane straps or truss tie-downs added in the attic to bolster the roof/wall connections and bracing installed if your roof has gable ends taller than 48 inches.”
Check the Condition of Your Home’s Exterior Walls, Windows and Doors
Clean rain gutters – Leaves, branches and other debris can cause overflow, which can damage your siding and/or roof. If your gutters are clogged, the backed-up water will sit on your roof, and the probability of water entering your house will increase. Also repair any deficiencies – such as sagging or poorly-attached sections, or loose or poorly-placed downspouts, if they were not included in the roof inspection.
Hire a professional if necessary. NEVER attempt a property maintenance or improvement job that you don’t have the experience, ability or equipment to perform safely. This advice applies across the board.
Check the caulking around doors and windows – Good caulking is the first line of defense against water intrusion that can occur during the prolonged driving rains of a hurricane or lingering tropical storm. Water that seeps into past-its-prime caulking also can damage door and window frames. Keep in mind that Florida’s high summer temperatures take a toll on caulk around these components, making it necessary to reseal them more frequently than in moderate climates.
It is crucial to caulk cracks on the exterior of your house before a storm hits. A wall leak, when left unrepaired, can damage your home – especially when breached by hurricane-force winds and rain.
The most weather-resistant types of caulk are silicone, urethane and Elastomeric latex caulk – which is an especially good choice for our climate, as it is durable and can be painted. Other options include acrylic and latex caulk, with the latter being easy to apply.
Check the Condition of Your Screen Pool Enclosure
Inadequate bracing is often to blame when a hurricane takes down a screen enclosure. Pool enclosure hurricane braces reinforce the structural integrity of the pool enclosure. Verifying that your pool cage has hurricane braces before a storm arrives can minimize damage.
Also, check your enclosure’s hardware. Screws are small, but they can have a major effect when it comes to pool enclosure hurricane safety. Florida’s high humidity accelerates rusting, and rusted fasteners leave a structure weak. Checking that your enclosure is built with corrosion-resistant fasteners is an easy way to ensure that it has the strength to survive strong winds.
Assess Your Yard
Paying attention to the condition of your trees and trimming branches and/or removing dead or declining trees should be done before hurricane season, but there’s still time if you act now, as August through October are peak months. Heavy branches hanging over your roof can snap off in a hurricane and crash through your roof, or crush the top of your vehicle. The same for an uprooted tree. Branches also can become projectiles and crash through windows.
Be sure to call a pro for this job. According to TCPalm, trees trimmed by a professional are less likely to fall. Also, most people lack the proper equipment, safety clothing and gear – not to mention the necessary physical strength and stamina (especially working in our triple-digit summer afternoon temperatures).
Other hurricane-ready tree trimming advice from TCPalm includes:
- Thinning a tree allows wind to blow through its canopy, offering less wind resistance in a storm. Prune young trees to create a single leader, which will grow into a strong trunk.
- Minimize damage to mature trees by removing weak branches and reducing limb lengths.
- Hatracked trees become sails. Removing a tree’s canopy encourages bushy growth, making a tree top-heavy and wind-resistant. Hatracking also is illegal.
- “Lifted” trees lead to broken branches. “Lifting” is a practice in which lower branches are removed for clearance underneath. It can cause branch breakage and makes trees top-heavy.
However, it isn’t only your landscaping, but the items in your yard and on your patio that need to be secured. Look around your property to identify what you’ll need to bring indoors, move to a covered area or secure in place. Objects such as chairs, tables, toys and pool cleaning tools can become dangerous projectiles in hurricane-force winds and should be stored indoors. Also take in hanging pots, outdoor torches, string lights and other such items. Bring container plants inside. If this isn’t possible, line them against a wall in a covered area. You can bring a gas grill indoors, but leave the propane tank outside, chained in an upright position to a solid object or structure.
Don’t throw patio furniture into the pool, as this can damage the pool’s finish – especially if you have a vinyl liner pool.
Making a plan now about where to place and store outdoor plants, furniture and other items will save you the additional stress of scrambling in panic mode about them should a hurricane warning be issued for your area.
Being sure that you are prepared for a hurricane can help you feel more confident, knowing you’ve taken every step to make your home safe and secure. If you need help getting ready, The Paint Manager has served Central Florida since 2000 with quality professional services that include roof repair, caulking, gutter cleaning and painting.
Visit our website to learn about the many other services we provide – including pressure washing, roof cleaning and stump removal. Become a member of The Paint Manager to receive a 15% year-‘round member’s discount. Contact us to learn more about our services and membership discount offer.