SARASOTA – This time of the year, the weather is sunny and calm, so now is the time to think about hurricanes. And ignoring seemingly small things now can lead to mammoth problems later.
If you look at the video, two seemingly identical houses face the wrath of hurricane force winds. One doesn’t move, while the other is blown away from its foundation. But you already know that hurricane prep is important, so the question is — why prep now?
Dr. Anne Cope from the Insurance Institute of Business & Home Safety says, “Now is absolutely the best time to think about hurricanes because you’re not having to do it in a rush.”
Beautiful and cool weather is in high abundance this time of the year, so take advantage of it. Set a day to work on your lawn and trim your trees so branches don’t become projectiles.
Floridians know what damage a tree branch and everything else can have to those vulnerable windows. So I do it about once a year [before hurricane season begins],” Dr. Cope says.
Then there’s an even bigger opening to your home than the window.
“That big garage door is the largest opening in your home,” says Dr. Cope. She says that a garage door may not shatter like a window, but “if it breaks, all that wind is gonna try to blow up on the roof and try to exacerbate damage inside your house.”
Check your garage door for a label that says it’s been wind rated and tested. If not, now is the time to shop for a wind-rated garage.
“That would be one of the things you wanna put at the top of your list for investing in your home and keeping it strong,” says Dr. cope.
Take your time and prep now so you have much less to worry about later. As Dr. Cope says,
“You can make your plan, think about it, get yourself ready to go.”
For links to shingle performance ratings, click here.
For information on how to check if your garage door is wind-rated, click here.
For 7 tips to get your home ready now, click here.
