How to keep your home and roof safe before a storm?

After the storm has finally passed, you have to inspect a number of things in and outside your house. However, the one that is prone to maximum damage is your home’s roof.

Although, these days, you will find that the material with which it is made is such that it allows your roof and also the house to withstand rough weather for at least 15 years to 20 years, however, you can prolong the life of the house further if you take certain precautions beforehand.

In this article, let us find out more about preparing your house for the storm under the following sub-topics-

1. How does bad weather impact the roof of your house?
2. What measures will you take to safeguard your roof and home from storm?

Let us take each topic one by one in the paragraphs that follow-

1. How does bad weather impact the roof of your house?

As mentioned above, the roofing materials are such that they are meant to last long. But if you are aware how the different natural elements impact your roof, it will be easier for you to take the right measures well in advance.

Remember, no matter how strong a material you build your home with, there is no guarantee that any building material is indestructible.

• How will hailstorm affect your roof?

In fact, this is one of the elements that can cause the maximum damage because when it comes down, the impact is the most and with a lot of force. Also, there is a repetition of force with every hailstone that falls on the roof. As such, dents are not unlikely in the roof. Over the years and repeated exposure weakens the foundation of the roof.

• Wind and its effect on roof

Roof has asphalt shingles that can dislodge when strong winds strike the surface of the roof. Also, gusting winds can dismantle the metal roofing sheets. Oftentimes, you will find metal sheets fly off from the roof and fly off to neighborhood due to strong winds.

• Snow

There are 2 major causes of concerns when it comes to dealing with snow and ice, namely, wetness and weight. Alternate melting and building up of snow and accumulation of ice sheets cause a lot of damage to the roof. And it is quite likely that the shingles get weak with time.

• Rain

While rain is less damaging than its counterparts mentioned above, it does have the ability to seep into crevices and cracks that weaken the walls and roof if you do not arrest the damage promptly.

Having talked about the natural elements and their impact on your roof, let us now find out how you can prepare your roof and home when a storm is impending. This has been discussed in the paragraphs below.

Alternatively, you can also visit the Patriot Roofing website, where you can contact the experts and seek solutions that will suffice.

2. What measures will you take to safeguard your roof and home from storm?

Given below are few measures that you can take so that you can safeguard and prevent damage to your roof as much as possible. These steps are as follows-

• Inspect the roof well- First of all, inspect the roof carefully. Look out for dents, bent shingles, and asphalt breakouts. In fact, these are the points that are most vulnerable to the storm. Make sure you get these weak points repaired before the storm so that it does not get worse.
• Keep away broken and dead branches of trees – Many a times you will find that there are broken branches of trees hanging close to your windows and doors or roof. Remove them so that the strong winds do not allow them to cause any damage to structure or life.

• Impact glass windows – You have to select a house when you are moving in to a new home that has impact glass for windows and doors. This holds true especially if you are living or moving to a hurricane zone.
• Patio furniture – If you have furniture placed at patio or out in the garden, remove them and place them inside your house. Also, keep the driveway and patio clear of any loosely lying things since they can fly off damaging your glass doors and windows.
• Clear nearby debris from gutters- Nearby gutters often have debris in the form of dried leaves, broken twigs, tree limbs, and branches. Make sure you clear the debris from the gutters before the storm as the strong winds may pick them up from the gutters and carry them to other places or in your courtyard and patio only to make the mess worse.

• Secure the garage doors – Most of the impact is on garage doors and you have to secure it well enough to withstand the impact. As such, you can choose to install temporary shutters or coverings. Investing in “heavy-duty” metal doors is a one-time investment but it offers adequate protection during the storm season.

• Prepare an emergency kit- This is one of the first things you must make. The emergency kit will have adequate funds, important documents, insurance papers, social security documents and records, your travel documents, and most importantly, medicines. Medicines means not just the ones that you take on a daily basis but also the ones that you might require for other sudden ailments.

In a nut shell, just remember, no storm is too big to tackle. Yes, the aftermath may be difficult to deal with when it is ongoing but it has to subside.

When governments give alerts about hurricane and storms, be prepared to face them bravely. Remain indoors with all family members. It is also a matter of respite when you have a closely-knit family and know that each one is safe inside your haven.

Start preparing well in advance and do not wait for the last minute. Stock inventory and food stuff all that you require, taking into account that you may not be able to stir out of the house for at least a week.