A hurricane is a powerful tropical storm that measures several hundred miles in diameter. The strong winds from hurricanes can damage your home, trees and cars. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to rate a hurricane’s intensity. The scale ranges from one to five to estimate the potential property damage and flooding from a hurricane landfall.
Protecting windows and doors is an important part of any plan to prevent or reduce wind damage.If a hurricane approaches, you need to cover your windows. Nail sheets of plywood over plate glass windows. This will prevent flying debris from breaking windows and exposing your house to winds and rain. Often, homes lose roofs only after a window is broken as this allows the wind to rush in and possibly lift the roof from below.
Because hurricanes bring heavy rains and can cause flood damage, you need to be sure you have purchased flood insurance. Keep in mind that flood insurance is not included in your home insurance policy. If you need to apply for flood insurance, don’t postpone because unless you have recently built your house, there is a 30-day waiting period between the application and the date it goes into effect.