How To Prepare For Storm Damage

Storm damage comes in different forms and can affect anyone, so as a homeowner its important to know how to prepare for storm damage!

However, how you prepare will differ depending on the region you live in.  
 
In this article, we are going to share with you how to prepare for storm damage!  

Before we examine ways to prepare for storm damage, it’s important that we discuss how storm can affect your region.

Typically, there are 4 types of storms that will cause storm damage, and depending on the area in which you live in, are storms you need to prepare for.

These 4 types of storms are:

• Hurricanes
• Tornados
• Thunderstorms
• Winter Storms

Of these 4 types of storms, Hurricanes cost people the most amount of money for restoration. In fact, cumulatively, Hurricanes cost over 1 billion dollars annually.

Tornados similarly, also cause over 1 billion dollars in storm damage with over 1 thousand tornado’s hitting the Midwest every year.

The most common storm damage however is Thunderstorms! Every year, the United States sees approximately 100,000 thunderstorms.

While most of these thunderstorms aren’t catastrophic, the ones are that are cause tremendous damage. The most common damage found from thunderstorms is caused by flash floods, hail, and straight line winds.

Depending on the region you live in will depend on what type of storm damage you experience, however, no matter the storm, there are usually 4 types of storm damage to prepare for:

• Water damage
• Fire damage
• Structure damage
• Interior damage

Water damage is one of the most common types of storm damage home owners experience. The reason water damage is so common is because it comes from storms that produce a lot of water and these types of storms affect every region of the United States.

Storms like hurricanes, thunderstorms, and even winter storms can cause water damage.

Here are some best practices to prepare for storm water damage:

One of the best ways you can prepare for storm damage is to look at the severity of the storm forecasted.

A category 5 hurricane is much easier to prepare for than a thunderstorm but is going to cause much more water damage. While a severe thunderstorm requires more longterm preparedness but usually doesn’t require as much.

If you read our article on how to prevent water damage, you’ll remember that most water damage can be prevented by knowing where your water shutoff valve is. If you have a basement, this is usually where your water shut off valve is.

This also means that most of your water in your home is running through the basement. Preventing basement seepage can prepare your home from storm damage.

In our blog top ways to prevent water damage, we discuss maintaining appliances and plumbing systems.

When you understand your homes plumbing system, you can save yourself from a lot of headache when it comes to preparing for storm damage.

Take some time when the weather is calm to inspect your home and get to know your plumbing system.

Another common type of damage caused by storms is fire damage!

Fire damage is common because of electrical outages.

When a heavy thunderstorm, hurricane, or tornado come through your area it can cause electrical outages and transformers to explode.

Another common cause of fire damage from storms is falling trees and debris.

Here are our best tips to help prepare your home from fire damage:

If you read one of our most recent articles where we talk about the best ways to prevent fire damage, you’ll see a lot of the same ideas apply for preparing for storm damage.

If you’re expecting a storm, it’s best to minimize the risk of fire damage by unplugging electrical items you’re not using.

For most people, this is going to be lamps, pieces of decoration, or TV’s they are not using.

This tip applies more for winter storms, but making sure your heating items are working properly is one of the best ways you can prepare for storm damage.

The number one cause of fire damage in the United States is faulty heating equipment. When a winter storm comes through, you’re focused on…well, getting warm!

This leads you tot turn on the heater. What happens if your heater doesn’t work properly? It can lead to an electrical fire!

With Winter right around the corner for many parts of the United States, we suggest taking some down time to test and make sure your heating equipment works.

Let it heat an open space for 5-10 minutes to make sure it’s heating correctly. This will make sure you have working heat works and helps you prevent fire damage.

The other common type of damage that can affect your home during a storm is structure damage.

Structure damage is any kind of damage that affects the core of your home.

This includes the roof, foundation, walls, and load-bearing walls.

While structure damage can’t be prevented, here are some of our best practices to follow to prepare your home for storm damage:

When a thunderstorm or a hurricane comes through, your home is met with a lot of rain.

Caulking and sealing your windows can help prepare your home from water seepage.

One of the best ways you can prepare your home for storm damage is to check your downspouts!

We recommend removing any debris and positioning your downspouts so that they direct water away from the house.

Heavy wind, rain, snow and ice can affect structure damage more if there are already weak points on your home.

To get the most of preparing your home for storm damage, we recommend taking the time to repair any minor damages that already exist!

Another very common type of damage that occurs as a result of storms is interior damage.

Interior damage is any type of damage done to the interior of your home.

This includes things like paint, drywall, flooring, and even furniture.

While interior damage during a storm is hard to prevent, here are some of our best practices to help prepare your home for storm damage:

This tip depends on what type of storm you are expecting, but moving your furniture to areas where they are less likely to be affected can help prepare your home from storm damage.

This one sounds a bit confusing, but the best way to prevent your interior from damage during a strong storm is to prevent circumstances like water damage or fire damage.

Preventing water damage and fire damage from happening can give you peace of mind and prepare your home for storm damage.

Our team recommends proactive long term prevention of storm damage so that way you’re not met with an emergency, however, if you ever do come across storm damage, it’s worth knowing who to call. Give us a call or reach out to us if you ever come across storm damage!