How to Help Your Home Stand up to Harsh Storms
Harsh storms can wreak havoc on your home and cause damage that may be expensive to repair. If your home is prone to storm damage, there are measures that you can take to keep your house protected against unfavorable weather conditions. By doing these four simple things, your home will stand a better chance of remaining damage-free during a storm.
Trim Your Trees
By keeping the trees on your property trimmed, you’ll minimize the chances of home damage from fallen branches. Large branches that aren’t needed for the tree’s survival and could pose safety hazards if they break off and fall onto your home should be removed.
Any dead trees that could collapse onto your house because of high-speed winds or heavy rainfall should also be removed promptly to avoid this hazard.
Get Your Electrical System in Order
Your home’s electrical system and appliances could also get damaged by a storm, so you’ll want to make sure the proper precautions have been taken to protect all your electrical components.
Surge protectors can help keep your electrical appliances safe from power surges that could occur from harsh storms. You should also consider hiring an electrician to inspect your electrical system for other vulnerable areas that might suffer storm damage. Avoid handling complex electrical repairs yourself since some repair projects can be dangerous without the right equipment and training.
Install a Lightning Rod
Lightning strikes could also damage your home and might even ignite a fire that puts your entire house and everyone’s safety in jeopardy. A lightning rod is essentially a stick made from copper, aluminum, or another type of metal that’s placed on top of your house to attract and direct lightning strikes to the ground so that they don’t directly impact your home.
You can choose from solid, pointed, hollow, and other styles. You can even have multiple lightning rods placed on your home for extra protection.
Reinforce Doors and Windows
Doors and windows are among the most vulnerable areas of a home when a major storm occurs. Steel storm doors and reinforcing door kits can help keep your doors intact. If you have garage doors, you can give them better protection with an aircraft-grade aluminum bracing system.
Shutters often work well for protecting windows from damage caused by flying objects that are blown by the wind, but you can also have shatterproof windows installed for better reinforcement.
Your home doesn’t have to fall prey to a violent storm. By taking the right precautions in advance, you can prevent storm damage and keep your entire house intact.
*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.
