How to Prepare Your House for a Hurricane

Hurricane season may be months away, but it’s never too soon to learn about protecting your home from hurricane damage. Your home emergency Wingmen, seeks to inform the public about easy-to-implement steps that can ultimately save them money and headaches in the event that a hurricane strikes. Here, Home Angels shares six important tips that homeowners can start working on now.

1. Decide on a Contractor: Have a contractor picked out in advance whom you know and trust to repair your home in the event of a storm. When a hurricane is forecast for your area, touch base with him or her. Also you may want to contact a public adjuster to help you understand what your policy may or may not cover you for.
2. Back Up Your Info: Have a copy of your important information (e.g., insurance policy, ID, contact phone numbers) kept outside of the hurricane watch and warning zones, possibly with a family member in another state, or on a cloud-based service like Google Drive. A powerful storm could destroy this information if stored in your house, and it will be important in the wake of the hurricane.
3. Secure Your Screen: If you have a screen enclosure, pull the spline and screens out prior to the storm hitting. The screens act as sails and, with enough force, will rip down all the metal framing of the enclosure. The screen is really easy to re-install and is a lot less costly than replacing the whole enclosure.
4. Store Extra Water: In addition to having bottled water on hand, clean, scrub and fill bathtubs and sinks before a storm so you’ll have extra clean water.
5. Know Generator Safety: Never connect a portable generator to home wiring. There is an extreme damage of the power back-feeding to other areas of down wiring, which could electrocute utility workers.
6. Remember Your ABCS: Anchor your roof. Brace your entry and garage doors. Cover your windows. Safe room: Establish a room that will buffer you from storm winds.

For more information, to ask your own questions or to report a home emergency, contact the 24/7 Call an Angel hotline at 888-550-9407 or visit www.homeangelsfl.com.