Experts Predicting Active Hurricane Season – Tips To Prepare Your Home

By Home Security Source Apr 27, 2011 | 11:55:00 am
Posted in: Home Experts are predicting a more active hurricane season in 2011 than usual. They have forecasted nine hurricanes and are saying they could come earlier in the season this year. The forecast gives a 72 percent chance of at least one hurricane making landfall somewhere on the U.S. coastline this year. There is a 48 percent chance that the East Coast including Florida will get hit and a 47 percent chance that the Gulf Coast will have a hurricane reach land.

So how ready are you for a hurricane? Have you taken the necessary precautions? According to the National Hurricane Center there are some things that you can do now to secure your home and make it less like to be damaged during a hurricane this season.
Now is the time to strengthen and reinforce some critical exterior areas of your home. The National Hurricane Center points to five critical areas. They include:

• Roof – If you have a gabled roof make sure that it is properly braced. Also check your shingled roof to make sure the shingled have been secured to withstand hurricane force winds
• Straps – Make sure you have installed hurricane straps and clips to secure your roof to the top of the wall
• Shutters – Installing impact-resistant shutters or laminated window systems is another good way to protect your home from wind damage during a storm. Make sure the shutters are securely fastened.
• Doors – Most homes have double or single entry doors. Solid wood or hollow metal doors should be able to resist hurricane wind pressure and debris. If your doors are not solid wood or metal you will need to reinforce them.
• Garage door – Try to determine if you garage door is a tested hurricane resistant door. If it is not, there are retrofit kits available to bring it up to standards that should help withstand hurricane winds.

One last thing you might want to check is your insurance police. Are you covered for flood damage? Most insurance policies do not include this type of coverage. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally backed flood insurance available to residents and business owners.

Related articles:
Common Myths About Hurricanes
How to Prepare Your Home and Your Business for Hurricane Season
Hurricane Shutter and Generator Security
Getting Ready for the Tropical Storm/Hurricane Family Action Plan—Natural Disaster

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