Home Hurricane Preparedness Sheet

Hurricane-proof your home, before there is a hurricane in the Gulf

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1. Reinforce your garage door:

It has been reported that about 80 percent of residential hurricane damage starts with wind entry through garage doors, according to the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. Many garage doors are made of lightweight materials to conserve weight and expense, which makes them vulnerable to high winds. Look for a sticker on the inside of your garage door that gives you a pressure rating. If you don't see a sticker, chances are you'll need to reinforce your doors. Consumer Beware: There are many products out there claiming to provide protection. It makes better sense to replace your garage door system with impact resistant garage doors. This can cost you about $1,200. A cheap way of reinforcing your garage is to use plywood or steel. You can also hire a contractor to reinforce your garage, but you should expect to pay about $600, according to the Federal Emergency Management Association. You can do it yourself for as little as $200.00, check out these helpful links. http://www.ehow.com/how_5625580_brace-garage-door-hurricane-protection.html , http://hurricanedepot.com/garagedoorbrace.htm .

2. Reinforce your windows:

Forget about taping your windows, it's a waste of time and the tape is extremely hard to get of after a day of Houston sun and heat. If you live in a hurricane or storm-prone area, you may want to think about installing impact resistant windows, recommended by the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes. These windows are designed to withstand flying debris.

Hurricane windows

Keep in mind, you'll be paying for the extra protection. Impact resistant windows may cost twice as much as regular windows. These windows are designed to withstand the impact of a standard missile traveling at 34 mph. If you don't live in an area that has a lot of hurricanes, you may think about investing in storm shutters. For the best shutter protection, install permanent shutters that carry the Miami-Dade building code approval. This is the highest standard a product can carry, according the Institute for Building and Home Safety. Storm shutters can cost $50 to $60 per square foot of window. You can also use plywood shutters. According to the Red Cross, these shutters can offer a high level of protection if you install them properly. But make sure the plywood is at least 3/4 inch thick and secured every 18 inches. Shutters come in a variety of styles including accordion shutters, aluminum shutters and rollup shutters. For more information on types of shutters available and how much it may cost you, check out www.flash.org.

3. Check your roof:

During a hurricane, the wind may almost seem to be ripping the roof off your home. So give your roof a bit of reinforcement. Check your shingles to make sure that the glue strip is secure. You can do this by carefully trying to peal up the edge of a shingle, if the shingle is properly glued down you will not be able to lift the shingle. You may want to have a professional check this so that no damage is done to the roof.

Remove that satellite dish from the roofing surface. The satellite dish will not be able to withstand the wind that accompanies a hurricane, the dish will be torn off the roof taking shingles with it and the entire roof may follow.

Clean your gutters and make sure that the downspouts are not obstructed or restricted.

4. Check your trees:

Every year falling trees and tree limbs cause hundreds of millions of dollars in damage as well as personal injuries and deaths. Homeowners are the first line of defense against problem trees.

You'll need to regularly check for signs of damage or disease including cracks in the trunk or major limbs, insect infestations, trees that look one-sided or that lean significantly, branches hanging over the house or limbs within 5 -10 ft the roof. Limbs in contact with power lines should be reported to the he utility company. Do not attempt to trim trees near power lines or mushrooms growing from the bark, which can indicate decay.

5. Check the yard:

Check your fences to make sure that there are no loose pickets or stringers, make repairs with the proper nails.

Most rear yards in the Houston area are designed to drain toward the fences on either side of the house and then drain toward the street. If there is a blockage of some kind along the fence line such as excessive vegetation, stored materials, high soil or mulch at side fences it could lead to water backing up along the slab and leaking into the house. Don’t forget those French yard drains either, make sure that the yard drains will not clog with debris by using dome style drain caps or large rocks to cover the grate. The best time to check if the drainage around the house is OK is when it’s raining, don’t wait until a hurricane is in the Gulf to go outside when it’s raining to check

6. Secure your stuff:

Be a good neighbor and protect yourself and others from wind blown debris. If you have furniture and other outdoor equipment on your patio or deck, bring them inside or put them inside the pool (not recommended if super chlorination was conducted) when strong weather threatens. Don't forget trash cans, grills, toys, and potted plants. Keep them from becoming flying objects that can cause additional injury or damage during storms with high winds.

WHEN THE STORM IS APPROACHING:

· Get shutters, storm panels or plywood in place on windows. If you haven’t installed sockets, attach with wood screws;

they’re better than nails and do less damage.

· Don’t tape windows; tape can create daggers of glass and bakes onto panes.

· Remove swings and tarps from swing sets. Tie down anything you can’t bring in. Check for loose rain gutters, moldings.

· Move grills, patio furniture and potted plants into your house or garage.

· If you do any last-minute pruning, take clippings inside so they don’t become missiles.

· Disconnect and remove satellite dish or antenna from your roof.

· Check your mailbox. If it’s loose, secure or remove it.

· Remove roof turbines and cap holes with screw-on caps. Unsecured turbines can fly off and create a large hole for

rain to pour through.

· Prepare patio screening. It usually is built to sustain tropical-force winds, but as it fills with wind, it can separate from the

frame. Officials recommend you remove a 6 foot panel on each side to let wind pass through. Pull out the tubing that holds

screening in frame to remove screen.

· Secure and brace external doors, especially the garage door and double doors.

· Move vehicles out of flood-prone areas and into garages if possible. If not, park cars away from trees and close to

homes or buildings.

· Know where all of your main utility shut-off’s are. There are probably two places to shut-off all the water into the

house, one is at the main water meter located in the yard near the curb and at the house either on the exterior wall or at an

interior location. The main gas shut-off can be found at the gas meter. The main electrical shut-off is normally at the main

breaker box. It is not normally necessary to shut off any of your utilities prior to a hurricane, although you may want to turn

off all of the utilities if you are evacuating. If you do turn off utilities don’t forget to turn off gas/electric to the water heater.

· Pool: fill your pool and super chlorinate. Turn off electric breakers to the pool pumps, heaters, and blowers. Remove or

wrap your electric motors.

· One last thing to remember. After the storm has passed, if you lost power it is recommended that you turn off the main
electrical breaker to prevent “Brown out” conditions that can destroy electrical components and A/C systems. Wait to turn on the main electrical breaker unit power has been stabilized in your area.

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Robert J.P. Goodspeed

Serving the Houston Metro area since 1996

281-403-1010 office www.GoodspeedInspection.com office@goodspeedinspection.com

Mr. Goodspeed has been in the construction inspection industry since 1987. He has conducted thousands of quality fee paid residential & commercial real estate structural/mechanical inspections & light industrial and Wood Destroying Insect inspections in the Houston metropolitan area since 1996.

Memberships & Licenses held by Mr. Goodspeed:
Texas Real Estate Commission, Professional Inspector #4100
American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI), Certified Inspector #204556
Texas Structural Pest Control Board, Business License #12068
Texas Structural Pest Control Board, Certified Applicator #41764
Certified Pool/Spa Operator #77-54953
Texas Association of Real Estate Inspectors, Advanced Inspector
Fort Bend County Chapter of Texas Association of Real Estate Inspectors Board of Directors

Licensed and Regulated by the Texas Department of Agriculture, Structural Pest Control Service,
PO Box 12847, Austin, Texas 78711-2847, (512) 305-8250.

Licensed and Regulated by the Texas Department Real Estate Commission.

Copy write protected by Goodspeed Inspection Services, Inc. 2011