Preparing for the Hurricane Season

Why Start Now?
Hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1st. Why? Because if you don't begin soon, you won't be ready for an approaching storm. We're all somewhat guilty of procrastination. Get over it! Your family's safety is important. Do something now.

Wind Borne Debris
What you need to do now, while the temperature isn't too high, is prepare your property (landscaping and yard). Your main concern is wind borne debris. What is that? Well it's basically everything that can be blown around by strong winds of a tropical storm or hurricane. It starts out as things like garbage cans, lawn furniture, etc. If the winds begin to pick up, then you will find palm fronds and other smaller tree limbs, along with the other items mixed in. These items could cause minor damage to your home.

During hurricane force winds, backyard sheds and wood or vinyl fencing begin to tear apart, Shingles along the upper edge begin to fly off rooftops. Things begin to get nasty. Major damage will be the result of these things striking your home. Winds from a hurricane making a direct hit on an area can cause these projectiles to become deadly. What you want to do is to eliminate, or at least reduce the chances of things in your yard becoming this potentially destructive debris.

Yard Work
Start by addressing any trees, especially those located near your house. Begin by pruning, thinning out the canopy. This will allow the wind to blow through the tree easier instead of the tree acting as a sail. Strong winds along with saturated ground around the tree could cause it to topple over. This could cause significant damage to your home or any vehicles parked near the tree. Also, remove any dead or diseased limbs. You may consider completely removing older, weaker trees. Many of these older specimens appear fine, but many are rotting from the inside out. If you're not sure contact a local arborist to determine if removing them is your best option.

An excellent guide to landscaping in hurricane prone areas is a book titled Stormscaping, by Pamela Crawford. It is packed with information on how to select and care for landscaping in Florida as well as other southern states which are subject to dealing with the threat of hurricanes.

Next, is to inspect any fences surrounding your property: fence sections and fence posts. Check all attachments, adding any nails or screws (I prefer screws) to secure things better. Fence post should be set in concrete, otherwise the entire post could be sucked right our of the ground by a strong gust of wind.

Get Everyone Involved
No one wants to be working outside alone. Get the rest of the family involved, and make it a group effort. Your children need to know that being prepared for hurricane season is important to the entire family. It is also a lesson of responsibility we all need to learn. The younger ones can help pick up small branches and leaves, while the older ones can lend their muscles to the cause. It's not necessary to remove everything that could become blown away from the yard at this time. Leave the kid's toys out for now. Just remind them that if a storm approaches it will be their job to gather and bring them in before the weather turns bad.

Next Time . . . Windows and Doors
Take a breather for now. The next challenge is preparing your home for that wind borne debris.

Remember, "Just Say No to Hurricanes"