STORM PREPARATION

SIMPLE MEASURES FOR STORM PREPARATION

Weather is unpredictable! You never know what kind of weather you are going to get, but you can make sure you are prepared for it. In some parts of the world, you may have an idea of what kind of extreme weather could happen, even if you don’t know exactly when it will occur or how extreme it will really be. Regardless of where you are, one type of extreme weather that can certainly happen is a storm and therefore, it's a good idea to be as prepared as possible for any big storms that might strike your area.

Let’s take a look at some of the main steps you can take to prepare your home for big storms. As long as you carry out the following, you are going to be much better prepared.

Set Emergency Alerts

One of the best things you can do before you even start preparing the home itself is to set yourself up to receive emergency alerts. There are multiple apps that you can use on your phone that will send weather alerts as storms are likely to arise, increasing your chances of preparedness. Just having something like that in place will give you a fighting chance of getting your home ready in time.

You can also follow local meteorological accounts on social media, and of course keep up with the news or the radio. As long as you know when a storm is due, you are much more likely to be able to prepare for it.

Outdoors

To begin preparing the home, it may be best to start outside as most of the damage that can occur will take place here. Most of all what you need to do here is to find anything that might fly off and cause damage - once you start looking, you’ll be surprised by how much you discover that might do so.

For instance, you will need to watch out for the roof to see if there are any loose tiles or shingles, as these could fly off and cause serious damage. Likewise, it’s wise to remove any loose bricks from around the chimney stack, if there are any.

You should consider bringing inside or bolting down anything else in the garden, lawn, or exterior that might fly around. Umbrellas, patio furniture, and trampolines are all items that can easily blow away, tip over, or cause some sort of damage if not secured properly prior to a large storm or heavy winds. Flags can withstand some heavy wind and outdoor elements but can become worn down and tattered over time, therefore making them likely to tear and blow away.

Trees that are dead or that have not taken root are susceptible to strong winds and storms. Trees may uproot from the ground and/or dead limbs can break. The end result might be damage to the lawn, home exteriors, fences, etc.

It can take quite a while to ensure all items and areas of the home exterior are secure, but it’s essential that you do, and will help you to get much more prepared for any big storm that comes. As long as you keep on top of all that, you’re going to be much better prepared externally for any storm that might strike.

Have you experienced storm damage in the Mid-Michigan area? Home & Hahn may be to help! Contact us to tell us about your project needs today!

Indoors

As you may have guessed, there are also things to consider preparing on the inside of your home. A lot of the things you may want to consider here has to do with electricity, because big storms can cause huge power surges that can be damaging to electrical equipment as well as potentially dangerous to the people in the home.

So what can you do to ensure you are preparing the home in this way? Largely it’s a case of unplugging any electrical appliances you don’t need to have plugged in - in other words, if it’s not a medical machine keeping someone alive, unplug it! Anything can surge in a storm, and it can be very damaging and dangerous, so just unplug everything to be safe.

If your home is outfitted for a generator, this can be especially useful, as these can be used when there is a power outage. As long as you have a generator, you’ll be able to deal with a loss of electricity, so you can maintain some necessities around the home such as keeping your refrigerator functional.

In Summary

As you can see, there are a few things to definitely be aware of when it comes to preparing your home for big storms. As long as you have thought about the above, you’ll find that you are much more likely to feel ready.

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Home & Hahn offers quality and reliable home improvement services, kitchen remodeling, and bathroom remodeling to the Mid-Michigan area. Contact us today to talk about your next project!