While Florida may be known as the Sunshine State - offering a tropical paradise with year-round warm weather and sunshine, our beautiful coastlines do come with risk of a hurricane each season. Florida's hurricane season officially begins June 1 and runs until November 30, but if you have yet to create a hurricane preparedness plan for your home and family, no need to panic! Our maintenance department and team of licensed property managers have curated a list of tips and useful resources that can help you prepare for this year's hurricane season.
Sign up for local alerts and warnings
By monitoring your local news and weather reports you'll be able to stay in the know and receive play-by-play updates on any hurricanes or tropical disturbances that may be heading your way. This can provide you plenty of time to plan how you want to prep your home for the storm.
Trim hedges and trees
Branches and limbs near your roof can potentially become dangerous to the well-being of your home when the winds of a hurricane begin to strengthen. Not only can larger branches crash against your roof and windows, smaller branches can become dangerous projectiles if winds become strong enough. To avoid this, we recommend trimming your trees away from your house and removing as many dead branches and limbs as possible.
Reinforce windows
If you have the time and resources we highly recommend investing in storm shutters to install over your windows for extra protection from breakage caused by high-speed winds. If you are in a time crunch, another great option is boarding up your windows with plywood. Because hurricanes create swirling winds, it is important to remember that all windows in your home should be boarded up, not just the ones facing the water.
Secure your garage doors
Believe it or not, garage doors are notoriously known for being weak spots during hurricanes. One way to avoid any damage during a strong storm is by installing a reinforced garage door, however, if you are looking for a quick, last-minute solution, we recommend purchasing a garage door brace that allows you to reinforce it without having to replace the entire door,
Prepare for outages
It is very common to experience a power outage during and even after a hurricane. Investing in a backup gas-powered generator can help you keep important electronics temporarily running, however, we also recommend keeping extra flashlights and electric lanterns on hand.
Secure loose or heavy outdoor items
While it's important to secure your windows and garage doors, it is just as important to secure heavier outdoor items such as boats, cars, and motorcycles. Bringing them into your garage or up to higher ground if possible is the best way to protect your home and larger items from strong winds. In addition, make sure to bring in any small outdoor items such as patio furniture, potted plants loose rain gutter and downspouts, tool, or any other small items that could potentially strike your home if left in bad weather conditions.
Please note that while all of these tips are very important in preventing excess damage to your home, it is just as important to protect yourself and your family first. Being prepared for worst-case scenarios and preparing ahead is the best way to stay safe this hurricane season!