Prepare Your Ft Myers Home For Hurricane Season
Brian O Sutter
Premises Liability
Hurricane season for Ft. Myers may be some time away, but if the residents of the region learned anything from 2022’s storm season it’s that you can never be too prepared. Storms come quickly, and what could be deemed a “minor” storm one day could grow into the potential for a major hurricane the next. You don’t want to be caught with no time to prepare, and this means learning what to do, what not to do, and getting ready early for the peace of mind that you’re ready when a storm hits. Preparing Your Home For Flooding
Hurricane Ian destroyed thousands of homes throughout the Ft. Myers area in 2022, and a great deal of the damage not attributed to wind was due to flooding. Storm damage coverage typically does not cover flooding, which is handled by a separate flood insurance policy. If you’re without a flood damage policy and a flood occurs, you may be left handling the entire situation out of pocket.
While disastrous flooding may be unavoidable, there are things that Ft. Myers homeowners can do to prepare their homes for flooding from less severe storms. Sump pumps can help to push water out of a crawlspace or basement before it begins doing damage. While many Ft. Myers homes may not have crawlspaces or basements, for those that do a fast moving sump pump is highly valuable.
Waterproofing is another thing homeowners can do to protect their homes from water damage. Installing drainage systems, taking care of any cracks in a home’s foundation, and encapsulation for crawl spaces are effective waterproofing strategies to protect homes from storms with minor flooding.
Preparing Your Home For Hurricane Winds
Winds produce much of the damage to properties in Ft. Myers during a hurricane. Homeowners can prepare their homes to better handle hurricane force winds in a few different ways. Roof reinforcement can secure the joints of your home and keep your roof secure, while a thorough roof checkup helps to make sure your roof is in healthy enough standing to generally withstand a storm.
Once the roof has been prepared for hurricanes, the next step should be preparing the windows. Installing storm shutters is always a great idea for home investments in Ft. Myers as Florida is likely to see significant storms year after year. One broken window during a serious hurricane can create a wind tunnel effect in the home, turning one broken window into a situation that could put your very structural integrity at risk.
Prepare The Garage
Typical garage doors aren’t known to be very tough against hurricane force winds and rain. Installing a wind-load garage door or retrofitting the garage door with braces or hurricane shutters is recommended if you wish to protect your garage from becoming ground zero of your hurricane damage. When garage doors fail, it often creates a domino effect that then moves to the roof, interior doors to the garage, and to the rest of the home.
What Happens After The Storm?
While storms like Hurricane Ian don’t hit Ft. Myers every year, they can hit any year. Storms as severe as Ian in 2022 may have the ability to break through all of your hurricane defenses – so what is there to do next? You’ll have to file a claim with your home insurance provider, your flood insurance policy, and perhaps even your auto insurance in order to recoup the losses the storm has caused. This can take a lot of legwork, especially when insurance providers are trying to pay out the lowest possible amounts. Assistance from a storm damage attorney can help you to get the compensation you need to recover and rebuild after any storm.