Storm Guide: How to Prepare Your Home for Storms and Natural Disasters
Preparing your home for a storm can seem like a monumental task. Tornadoes, serious downpours, flooding, high winds, hurricanes, and even copious amounts of snow and ice can wreak havoc on your abode. The good news is that there are ways to secure your biggest investment and ensure that you stay safe, and this storm guide will help you with every step.
Well before the storm hits, start getting ready. Collect the supplies you need and follow our checklist to prepare your home for any disaster — including hurricanes.
Before the Storm: General Preparation
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to storm preparedness. Whether your area is impacted by hurricanes, tornadoes, harsh winter weather, or large rain storms, there are lots of things you can do to ensure your home is in the best shape possible. Let’s explore your home’s best defenses against natural disasters in this storm guide.
Prepare for All Types of Natural Disasters
While hurricanes and storms are often top-of-mind for preparedness, other natural disasters like earthquakes, fires, and tornadoes can strike with little to no warning. Preparing your home and family for these events can make a significant difference in their outcomes.
Earthquakes: Securing Your Foundation
Earthquakes can rattle even the sturdiest of homes, causing structural damage and risking injury from falling objects. Taking steps to reinforce your home can reduce the risk of damage:
- Secure Heavy Furniture: Anchor bookshelves, cabinets, and large appliances to walls with brackets or straps. Use museum putty to secure fragile items like vases and picture frames.
- Reinforce Your Foundation: Consider installing anchor bolts or steel plates to secure your home to its foundation.
- Brace Water Heaters: Use a strap kit to secure water heaters to wall studs.
- Install Safety Latches: Add childproof latches to cabinets and drawers to prevent contents from spilling out.
- Know Utility Shut-Offs: Learn how to turn off gas, water, and electricity quickly in case of leaks or electrical hazards.
Fires: Defending Against Flames
Wildfires and house fires can spread rapidly, leaving little time to react. A proactive approach to fire safety is critical:
- Create Defensible Space: Clear a perimeter around your home, removing dry vegetation and flammable materials.
- Use Fire-Resistant Materials: Replace roofing, siding, and decking with materials like metal or treated wood designed to resist fire. Consider adding fire-resistant insulation if you live in areas prone to fires.
- Install Smoke Detectors and Sprinklers: Test detectors monthly and consider a sprinkler system for added protection.
- Prepare a Fire Escape Plan: Ensure all family members know two exits from each room and designate a safe meeting spot outside.
- Seal Gaps and Vents: Use fire-resistant mesh to cover vents where embers could enter.
Tornadoes: Battling the Wind
Tornadoes can wreak havoc in minutes, tearing apart homes and throwing debris at deadly speeds. Here’s how to prepare:
- Secure Your Roof and Walls: Reinforce your roof with hurricane straps and secure exterior walls to the foundation with anchor bolts.
- Install Storm Shutters: Protect windows with storm shutters or pre-fitted plywood panels. You should also consider storm windows if you live in tornado-prone areas.
- Create a Safe Room: Use an interior, windowless room on the lowest floor of your home as a shelter.
- Anchor Outdoor Items: Secure patio furniture, grills, and other loose items.
- Stock an Emergency Kit: Keep flashlights, water, helmets, and other essentials in your safe room.
Structural Safety: Protecting Your Home’s Exterior
Your home’s exterior is its first line of defense against nature’s fury. From your roof to your siding, these components shield you from high winds, hail, and heavy rains. By keeping these critical elements in top shape, you can minimize damage and keep your home safe during even the harshest conditions.
Roofing: The First Line of Defense
Your roof might take the brunt of the weather, from supporting the weight of piled snow to enduring hailstones. Keeping all that water from leaking inside, where it can cause mold and rot, should be your top priority when you’re preparing your roof for storms. In order to prevent water damage to your home, make sure to:
- Replace missing shingles immediately.
- Fix any ponding on your roof.
- Regularly inspect any openings or joints in your roof.
- Inspect your attic ceiling for damaged or moldy insulation.
- If you replace a large area of shingles, make sure to use the right underlayment. Though tar is the most common, peel and stick underlayment has proven to be more flexible and durable.
- If you have a flat roof, make sure the fasteners are adequate to withstand high winds.
Beware of Ice Dams: These occur when the heat from your house melts the snow on your roof. It then runs down until it hits the edge, where the low temperatures refreeze the snowmelt and cause ice dams that clog your gutters and stop runoffs.
Making sure your attic is properly insulated should reduce the heat making it to the rooftop. You could also install deicing cables, which plug into an outlet and provide just enough heat to melt the ice and let it run into your gutters.
Windows: Keep the Weather Outside
The proper windows will allow you to watch the storms but stay perfectly safe (and dry!) inside your home. Though your windows are vulnerable to hail and flying debris, there are ways to make them safer. Here’s how.
- Use window safety film applied to the inside of each pane of glass. The installation is easy and the safety film is affordable. It can prevent the windows from turning into projectiles of glass if they happen to shatter when hit with debris.
- Hurricane fabric is another option. This flexible fabric is set up on the outside of the window and protects the glass by deflecting debris. It can be installed temporarily or left up year-round.
- Plywood is a very common and affordable solution in areas that are prone to hurricanes. Make sure the plywood is eight inches longer on every side than the window it is protecting, and use heavy-duty screws to ensure it stays put in high winds.
- Hurricane shutters are an effective, long-term solution to the damage caused by hurricanes and other storms. They come in a variety of styles to match your aesthetic, including accordion, colonial, Bahama, and roll-down shutters.
Siding: Wrap Your Home in Safety
The siding on your home can be vulnerable to storm debris, hail, and high winds. Regular inspection of your siding and repair of any holes, cracks, and loose fasteners is a must to prevent damage. Here’s more you need to know about preparing the siding of your home for nature’s fury.
- Clean the siding and repair cracks and holes right away. The cleaner the siding, the easier it is to see those damaged areas.
- Check for loose boards, as they can easily be picked up by the wind and yanked away from your house — and that means water infiltration, which turns into a very big problem. Have plenty of fasteners on hand for do-it-yourself reassurance.
- If you live in hurricane country, don’t start any new siding projects within a month of hurricane season, just in case.
Utility Protection: Safeguard Systems Inside and Out
Utilities are the backbone of your home’s functionality, and protecting them ensures your comfort and safety during and after a storm. From your HVAC system to solar panels, safeguarding these essential systems can prevent costly repairs and keep your home running smoothly when disaster strikes.
HVAC: Protection Inside and Out
As with other parts of your home, making sure everything is in good working order well before a storm can help you ride it out. To that end, replace your filters regularly, inspect the ductwork, and stick with a minimum of a twice-yearly maintenance plan. In the meantime:
- Remove anything that might damage the condenser. Strong winds can move patio furniture and turn outdoor items into projectiles that could destroy the unit.
- If you can turn off your HVAC before the storm hits, you could cover the condenser with a heavy-duty tarp that can prevent much of the flying debris from reaching it.
- Watch your condenser unit carefully during the winter, as snow and ice buildup can make the whole system work harder and could even damage some of the components. Do what you can to prevent that snow and ice buildup.
Solar Panels: Keep Your Investment Safe
Solar panels are quite sturdy but can still be damaged by the elements, especially if they aren’t getting regular maintenance. These steps can help you protect your investment from the dangers that Mother Nature can bring.
- Inspect the solar panels on a regular basis. If there are any cracks or breaks in the panels, immediate repair or replacement is a must.
- Check your insurance coverage to be certain that your panels are covered by damage from hail, wind, and other elements.
- Be prepared with tarps for the roof in the event that wind does take some of your solar panels and damage others. That damage and absence of panels likely means that there are now holes in your roof that must be repaired. A tarp will buy you some time.
- Cut back any tree branches that overhang the panels well before storms come to town. This will help alleviate some of the danger of flying debris hitting the house and causing damage to the panels or your roof.
- Ensure that the sealant used on the panels to prevent water infiltration is still going strong. Your manufacturer can tell you when it’s time for new sealant to avoid water damage.
Doors and Gutters: Essential Defenses
While they may seem small, doors and gutters play a big role in protecting your home. Strong doors can keep the wind out, while functional gutters prevent water damage. Regular maintenance and upgrades to these features can help your home weather any storm.
Doors: Lock Out Stormy Weather
Doors can lock out the weather, but they can also become a serious problem if they aren’t properly fitted to the door frame — that can allow the wind to come in and possibly pull the door from the frame if things get really rough. Here’s how to protect yourself.
- Ensure there are no gaps in the door. If there are, use weatherstripping to make sure that the door is sealed as well as it can be. If the door doesn’t close properly, call in a contractor to make sure it’s flush and tight.
- If you have glass panels in your door, use strips of wood to cover them up as the wind begins to blow.
- Consider adding a storm door to keep your main door even safer.
- If your exterior door is peeling or the paint is fading, it’s time to spruce it up. Sanding and refinishing the door will ensure the wood underneath stays safe, preventing it from warping or cracking during bad weather.
Gutters: Keep the Water Flowing
Gutters are the main defense against water flowing toward your foundation. Make sure those gutters are in excellent shape before a storm hits.
- Clean the gutters and downspouts, ensuring that water can flow easily through them.
- Make sure the water flows away from your home. You might need downspout extenders to make sure that’s what happens.
- Consider using gutter guards. These can help ensure that leaves and other debris pulled from trees during the storm won’t wind up in your gutters and clog up the downspouts.
- Check the fasteners holding your gutters in place. A cubic inch of water weighs about 0.036 pounds. Multiply that by the surface area of your roof, and you could easily have a thousand pounds of extra weight for each inch of water coming down during a storm.
During The Storm: Staying Safe Indoors
When a storm hits, staying safe inside your home becomes your top priority. Whether you’re battling freezing temperatures or sweltering heat, being prepared can make all the difference. Learn how to maintain comfort and safety for you and your family when the power goes out.
Handling the Cold
When the storm is happening, be ready to handle what happens when the power goes out. This means being prepared for oppressive heat or frigid cold, depending upon the season. Here’s how to tackle the cold for a few days without power.
- Close blinds and shades to reduce heat loss. If you have curtains, keep them tightly closed. You can also cover windows and doors with quilts or blankets to provide an additional layer of insulation.
- If you are using space heaters during this time, make sure there is three feet between the heater and any flammable objects. Keep kids and pets well away from them. Don’t use it when you’re asleep!
- Wear layers of clothing. Make sure they are lightweight and loose-fitting.
- Close off rooms to avoid wasting heat.
- Stuff towels and rags underneath doors. This will prevent heat leaking into rooms not in use.
- To prevent pipes from freezing, leave your tap on just slightly so it drips. This keeps water running through the pipes, which can prevent them from freezing and breaking.
How to Handle the Heat
Losing power in the middle of a storm is a common occurrence, and the worse the storm, the longer you might be out of power. Here’s how to keep your cool when your HVAC system stops working.
- Set up swamp coolers. Also known as evaporative coolers, they cool off your home by evaporating water into the air. This only works in low-humidity areas. A cheap and easy DIY swamp cooler can be constructed by placing a damp towel over a box fan. Soak the towel in ice water, wring it out so it doesn’t drip, then lay it over the fan so the air will blow through it. Alternatively, consider investing in a good portable AC unit if you live in a high-temperature region.
- Open your windows and doors during cooler evenings to encourage air circulation, and close them and their blinds when the sun is out. Window reflectors, such as cardboard covered in aluminum foil, will help to reflect the heat away from your home.
- If your indoor air temp is over 95 degrees Fahrenheit, it’s time to get to a cooler place. Try the library, a movie theater, stores, or community areas with cooling stations.
After the Storm: Assessing and Repairing Damage
Before you begin assessing any possible damage to your home, first, make sure the storm (as well as any potential hazards) has fully passed. Downed power lines, electrical hazards, and flooding are all dangers that should be avoided. If you see any of these hazards, call 911 and stay inside.
If it’s safe to check for damage, take a notebook and pen along with you. You’ll want to take notes for the insurance company. Take a camera to snap pictures if necessary. Wear sturdy shoes as you might step on debris.
Your roof likely took the brunt of the storm damage. Here’s what to look for.
- To find any missing shingles, look for gaps in the pattern or pieces of exposed roof. You may also see shingles on the ground near your home. Shingles that have been damaged might be curled, buckling, dented, or cracked.
- If shingles are blown off the roof, the deck and underlayment is left exposed to the elements. For flat roofs, check for cracks, tears, and surface bubbles/wrinkles. For shingled roofs, look for missing, cracked, or curling shingles.
- If you are inspecting after a snowstorm, signs of damage from snow include cracks in the walls, popping and cracking noises, doors and windows that fail to close properly, and sagging ceilings.
While you’re inspecting the roof, look at the gutters as well. Any gutters that are hanging, dented, or damaged will need to be repaired or replaced. Look at the downspouts to make sure water is still flowing through them and they are in good shape. If there is debris in the gutters, remove it as soon as you can.
Your windows might be damaged by storms as well.
- Usually, hail will damage your windows by cracking the glazing, breaking or shattering the glass, breaking, denting, or tearing the screens, or denting the flashing above the window or frame.
- You might also see a buildup of condensation between the panes, even if the window looks just fine otherwise — this means the seal has been broken.
Take some time to evaluate your HVAC system.
- Is there debris on the condenser? Make sure it’s removed, and inspect the unit for any visible damage.
- Did anything hit the condenser? If large branches, furniture, or other heavy objects made impact with it, you might want to consider calling an HVAC technician before you attempt to turn the unit on.
- When the unit is running, is it making a weird sound? That may mean debris like twigs or stones are trapped inside.
- Is your unit not cooling your home as well as it did before the storm? That’s a sign the refrigerant lines may be leaking, and should be an immediate call to an HVAC contractor.
- Is your unit not turning on? If you lost power during the storm, you may need to flip the circuit breaker to get it running again.
Then take steps to protect your house from more damage, such as boarding up broken windows, removing loose siding boards, covering bare spots on your roof with weighted tarps, and the like.
When you are ready to move forward with fixing the damage done to your home — or to ensure that it survives the next storm that rolls through — it’s time to hire a professional. Modernize can connect you with contractors in your local area who can bring the help you need in the storm’s aftermath.
Compare top-rated pros in your area.
Read real homeowner reviews, explore qualifications, and view promotions. Modernize makes it easy to browse professionals and find one that will be perfect for your project.
