Hurricane preparedness tips for homeowners

Hurricane season is upon us! The Orlando Regional Realtor Association offers some tips and advice to protect your home from damage by wind and rain.

For starters, purchase hurricane insurance for your home, and flood insurance if your location warrants. Then consider asking your insurance company for a policy check-up, to ensure the necessary coverage is in place.

A professional pre-hurricane inspection is always a good idea, as inspectors are trained to access and identify structural weak spots that can be missed by a homeowner. Hang on to your inspection results and receipts from any completed repairs in the event you need to provide them to your insurance agency.

Your roof

At least once a year, eye your roof for the following:

• Curled, loose, or missing shingles or roof tiles, especially around the edges.

• Point of light steaming through the roof and into your attic (these are gaps that can let in wind and water).

• Rafters and trusses with protruding nails, which can indicate a loosened plywood roof deck.

Now take some simple steps to fortify your roof:

• Apply roofing cement under shingle tabs.

• Run a bead of construction adhesive along the seam between the rafter and deck to provide added strength.

• Apply roofing cement to the edges of the roofing where sides of shingles are exposed.

Here in Orlando, where hurricanes are a frequent occurrence, many homeowners whose houses don’t already have “hurricane straps” elect to have them installed by a professional roofing contractor. The straps attach roof to walls to prevent lifting by strong winds.

Your doors and windows

Windows and doors are especially susceptible to wind damage, but there are protective measures you can take. Some, such as the installation of storm shutters or high-impact glass, may help lower your insurance premium as well as guard your home.

Other measures include:

• Application of hurricane film to prevent shards of broken glass from being blown into your house (film has the added benefit of blocking ultraviolet light)

• Pre-installation of screws, anchors, and expansion bolts to hold boards already cut to the right dimension for each opening, including exterior doors with glass insets.

• Inspection of exterior door hinges, thresholds, and frames for looseness. While you’re at it, add hinges (three hinges provide strength and prevent buckling) and replace short bolts or screws with longer ones that penetrate farther into walls and floors.

A wide, lightweight metal garage door is particularly susceptible to wind gusts. You can brace it with boards anchored into the garage wall, (wind retrofit kits are available at your home improvement center), or replace it entirely with a heavier steel model.

— Orlando Regional Realtor Association