Water Damage & Flooded Basement Restoration Services

How To Prepare For High Winds

By the RestorationSOS Educational Staff

Any time that wind advisories are in effect, property owners should take steps to defend their homes against wind damage. There are wind advisories and then there are more serious situations such as the winds contained within tropical storms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. How you prepare your property against these winds largely determines how much damage you will end up dealing with in the aftermath.

For starters, pay attention to the wind advisories. Too many of us listen and watch for projected rainfall amounts and don’t give the threat of high wind a second thought. Wind is the basic precursor to water damage and other problems, since wind is what has the strength to open your home or business up to the elements.

Remember that wind with enough velocity behind it can turn pretty much any object into an airborne missile. It is important to look around the exterior of your property and secure any loose items. Lawn furniture, trash cans, bird feeders or anything else that can cause damage if it is picked up and thrown in the wind. Store these items somewhere indoors if possible.

Propane tanks or other similar devices should be anchored down securely to prevent them from moving, or worse, turning over and causing a spill.

The trees in your yard may also cause damage or injury if they are knocked down by high winds. Weak or dead trees should be professionally removed since they will be unable to withstand strong winds, and healthy trees should be properly trimmed and pruned, removing any diseased or damaged limbs. Remember that tree limbs can act like a sail on a boat, catching wind and causing the object to move, so you want to eliminate as much of that possibility as you can.

Garage doors are particularly susceptible to wind damage, due to their size and the fact that they are, in many cases, very poorly reinforced. Kits are available that will strengthen the door, providing extra protection from high wind conditions.

In most cases, blinds and shades drawn over windows will prevent the risk of injury as a result of broken glass resulting from high velocity winds. In other cases, such as the approach of a tropical storm or a hurricane, property owners should look into boarding up their windows for maximum protection. Plywood is good for this purpose, since it is inexpensive and may be easily cut to fit pretty much any window opening. This measuring and cutting should be done before the risk of a storm pops up. That way once the alarm is sounded, it becomes a simple matter of execution.

If you live in an area prone to severe storms or high winds, you may want to look into purchasing storm shutters which are designed with both protection and aesthetic quality in mind. Storm shutters can be activated easily and provide a considerable measure of protection against the threat of wind damage.

Recommended Reading
How Wind Damages Roofs
How Wind Damages a Property