Northshore Living: Preparing for This Hurricane Season

by David Deering

 

Now that hurricane season has begun, our yearly rituals can also begin: closely watching any tropical depression that develops and making sure that our homes are prepared for the worst. But preparing for a hurricane does not have to consume a lot of your energy or money. In fact, there are many practical things that you can do to prepare for a storm that will cost little to nothing but will save you a lot of time—and money—in the long run.

The ABCs of Hurricane Preparedness

The most essential aspects to remember when protecting yourself and your home before a storm are the ABCs of hurricane preparedness: anchor, brace and cover. Make sure that your house has wall-to-foundation anchors. You can purchase metal anchors that will secure your roof’s rafters to the walls. Next, be certain to brace all exterior doors. Ensure they all have dead-bolt security locks and don’t forget about bracing your often-overlooked garage door. Finally, cover by protecting every exterior opening of your home. You can use plywood, but there are better, and easier, alternatives out there.

A product called Fabric Shield, made by Wayne Dalton, is essentially a very strong woven fabric coated with PVC. It has passed small- and large-missile impact tests and meets Louisiana’s building codes for hurricane protection. Fabric Shield is lightweight, easy to deploy and take down, and does allow some diffused light to enter into your home. Installed, it costs about 70 percent less than hurricane shutters.

Another option is a hurricane screen, which looks more or less like a tightly woven window screen, but is made from a geo-synthetic material, similar to Kevlar, the material used in bulletproof vests. Hurricane screens are extremely lightweight, but they, too, have passed the same tests and meet the same codes as Fabric Shield. The screens will block 97 percent of the wind and rain, will allow you to see completely through them and will let light enter your home.

A hurricane net is coated netting that has been reinforced with thousands of fibers per square inch in each direction, making it incredibly strong. A hurricane net can reduce a hurricane’s destructive wind pressures by 63 percent and block large projectiles, making it a great option in protecting large areas such as porches, lanais, roofs, manufactured homes, signs, and even cars, boats and airplanes.

Other Sensible Tips

Before you evacuate, put all of your refrigerated and frozen foods into heavy-duty plastic garbage bags, then place the bags back into your refrigerator and freezer. In the event that you lose power and all of your food is spoiled, all you have to do is carry the bags out to the trash. The best part is that you won’t have to worry about cleaning out a big, ugly mess when you return. Bring in any items in your yard that could become wind-borne, such as yard furniture, garbage cans and BBQ grills. Fill your bathtub with water to use for cleaning or for flushing the toilet. And, whether you evacuate your home or stay, make sure you have the hurricane basics: flashlights, a battery-operated radio, extra batteries, a fire extinguisher, a first-aid kit, hand tools, gloves, a can opener, tarps, toilet paper, waterproof matches, food and water.

While we hope that this hurricane season will be gentle on us, we all need to be prepared and protect the things that matter to us in the event of a serious threat. Just remember that advance preparation is the key, and while we cannot control what nature will do, we can control whether or not we will have any regrets after this hurricane season is over.

David Deering is the owner of Before the Storm, a local company offering solutions to protect homes and businesses against hurricane damage. For more information, call (504) 427-4748 or log on to www.beforethestorm.org.