The longer, easy going days of summer are just around the corner. And while it’s easy to feel carefree during these months, it is also the beginning of hurricane season. In order to be well-prepared for high winds and major rainstorms, we’ve created this post as a useful reminder and offer guidelines to help protect your family and home.

In Southern areas, hurricane preparedness and safety are important homeowner concerns and should not be placed on the back burner until heavy storms roll in. Each year as many as 25 – 30 named storms are predicted, so it is important to be prepared in case of a natural disaster.

As long time residents of the area know all too well, it can affect one’s life for months if not years after the storm has passed. That’s exactly why it is smart to be prepared for hurricane season.

Dulando Screen & Awning recommends the following tips to protect your home and family. These tips will help you minimize costly damage from hurricanes and storms and provide you with peace of mind in advance of any storms:

In-Home Steps To Prepare for Hurricane Season

No matter what type of home or dwelling you live in, here are several basic preparatory steps to take now at the beginning of the season:

• Stock a 3-day supply for each family member of ready-to-eat food and drinkable water

• Keep a 30-day supply of vital medicines on hand as well as a first-aid kit

• Stock up on batteries, flashlights and candles. If quick access to power is critical to your home or health, then invest in an emergency generator

• Purchase a portable storm radio with extra batteries or a crank-up model

• Review your homeowners insurance and ask your agent to explain all the important details of your coverage. Understand what is covered and what is generally not covered in the event of damage to your home (especially in the case of a hurricane with winds and rain)

Having those preliminary steps taken care of in advance will help you and your loved ones stay calm and safe during the time when storms enter the Southern Regions areas.

Preparing Your Home’s Outdoor Areas For Storms and Hurricanes

The next level of prevention happens outside your home. If you’re handy with a hammer, saw and landscaping tools, much of the work can be done yourself. Here are helpful tips on how to prepare the outside areas of your home:

Landscape and Backyard:

Keep all trees and shrubbery trimmed, especially those near your patio, pool, screen enclosure and garage.

Cut back weak branches and aged trees, most likely to fall on or near your home.

Remove any light-weight or unsecured outdoor décor such as container plant pots, benches, wind chimes and anything else that may be easily carried off by storm winds.

Windows, Shutters and Awnings:

Inspect windows, shutters and awnings to be certain they are in good shape for the season. If you are replacing your existing windows, install impact-resistant window systems.

Another option may include installing impact-resistant shutters that close over window openings to prevent flying debris from breaking windowpanes. Since these areas involve the integrity of your home’s structure, it may require a professional contractor to help with the right selection of storm-ready materials and installation. Contact us for a quote.

Entry and Patio Doors:

Make certain all your entry doors are well secured in their frames and hinges. With patio doors, the sliding glass type are more vulnerable to wind damage than most other doors.

If you are replacing your patio doors, consider installing impact-resistant door systems made of laminated glass, plastic glazing or a combination of plastic and glass.

When a hurricane threatens, an easy, temporary and effective step is to cover the entire patio door with shutters made of plywood or oriented strand board (OSB).

Patio and Screen Enclosures: Patio areas and screen enclosures are one of the areas of your home that are most vulnerable to immediate and lasting hurricane damage. As a result, it’s very important to prepare these areas for any incoming storm, just the same way you would do for the rest of your home.

Here are 3 areas of concern to pay special attention to:

Flying debris is one of the most serious issues whenever you need to prepare patio for hurricane. It is this debris, not necessarily the wind and rain, that can wreak the most serious havoc. Even small items such as hanging plants become powerful projectiles in storm conditions. Remove anything from the patio that you can safely store inside.

If you have outdoor furniture that cannot be moved, try turning them upside down. Close and bring in patio and table umbrellas. This helps prevent them from being caught by the wind and potentially lifted during the storm and going through your screen enclosure.

If your patio area has a pool, include it in your plans as you prepare for a hurricane. Many pool experts recommend leaving a normal water level in your pool as a storm approaches, but adding extra chlorine to reduce storm water contamination.

Please contact us with your questions on how to get your patio and screen enclosures ready for storm season – we’re here to help you!