Protecting your Home from a Hurricane

Irma-gosh, this hurricane season is already a pretty active one. Harvey threw his best at Texas
and the Gulf Coast, now we have a couple named storms that may have Florida in their sights.
Here are a few things you can do to prepare for hurricane season. First, develop a plan for
where and how you are going to evacuate if that becomes necessary, that way you aren’t
running around like your hair is on fire if/when the time comes. Second, have food, water, and
fuel. The Kavie Stahl team has been out and about today and can report that bottled water is
already pretty hard to find. Water filters can be good for basic filtration but it won’t be good
enough if the water supply is compromised. Also, they don’t work with salt water. Third, flood
insurance has a delay before it goes into effect. If you don’t already have it, it probably won’t be
available to you for the storms on the radar now. You way want to consult your insurance
professional for options down the road, but keep in mind everyone is calling them when storms
are on the horizon.

Now, for the things you can do to protect your home if a storm should hit.
Trim trees and shrubs, flying debris can cause a lot of damage. Speaking of flying debris,
secure all of your patio furniture and grills. Just in case your neighbor hasn’t done this, cover
your windows with shutters or plywood. Make sure they are secure, loosely attached plywood
and shutters can do damage too. Fill your gas tank now, gas prices have gone up since Harvey
but you will want to be able to leave if you need to. You can use your lawn mower gas can for
extra fuel storage. If you have a generator, make sure there is a place you can run it outside and
away from where anyone will be. Exhaust fumes account for many injuries and deaths during
storms. Make sure the fuel and batteries in your generator are fresh, do a test run early. During
Matthew last year, we found out the hard way how disappointing it can be when you have a
generator that won’t start. It’s almost worse than not having one at all. Lastly, fill your bathtub
before the water stops working. Most residential tubs can hold 60 or so gallons of water. It most
households need a lot of water for hygiene, flushing toilets, cooking and drinking. A case of
Zephyrhills may not be enough for everything.

This isn’t our first Hurricane season and it won’t be our last, the devastation in Texas has
everyone a little on edge.

Be safe and help those around you. We’ll all get through this season together.