7 Things You Need to do Early to Prep Your Home for Hurricane Season

For St Lucian residents, hurricane season comes around just as predictably as every other season. It officially runs June through November, peaking August through October. Think Tomas, and sadly, now Maria and Irma and their destruction to Dominica and Barbuda respectively. And yet for most of us, the risk doesn't feel real until a real-life situation is upon us. Why, with so many examples of the very real threat hurricanes and other natural disasters pose, do so many of us delay our preparations?

Hurricane damage: L-Dominica (Maria), R-Barbuda (Irma)

Some people call it “disaster denial.” We either don't think a natural disaster will happen to us, or we don’t think preparing for one will do any good. Plus, we’d rather focus our attention on more positive things.The point is this: we’re really bad at taking the risk of natural disasters seriously, even after they get real.

With a little less than two months before the official start of hurricane season, Rayneau Construction and Industrial Products Ltd is stressing the importance of being prepared early and for this reason is well-stocked on all the Hurricane supplies you’ll need.

What does it mean to be hurricane ready? It’s more than just knowing how to duck and cover, it’s about protecting yourself, protecting your home, and most importantly protecting the people you care about. If you live in any of the districts, you can make an informed decision now on how best to prepare for hurricane season 2018, such as preparing your house before it arrives.

                             Hurricane Preparedness Supplies

How Can to Prep Your Home

It’s never too early to start thinking about how to prepare for hurricane season when you’re living on this island. Hurricane season does not guarantee that a hurricane will make it to the shore, but there’s a significant chance. And, as we’ve re-learned through hurricanes Tomas, and what Irma and Maria did to Barbuda and Dominica respectively, we must either be ready for the worst or suffer the consequences.

Your home is one of your largest investments, so protecting it from natural disasters is probably one of your top priorities. We have continually advocated in previous blog posts that it only takes one storm hitting our island to make it a bad year, regardless of the number of storms that are forecast in the seasonal outlook.

1 - Inspect Your Roof: Inspect your roof covering to make sure all the shingles or tiles are secured and that none are cracked or missing. The roof is the largest potential opening on the house, and wind and water can do terrible things if they get through the roof.

2 - Build an Emergency Kit: You should have an emergency kit no matter where you live, but they are an absolute must. Don't wait until the hurricane is at your door to figure out what you do. You can either purchase a pre-made emergency kit (we recommend The St Lucia Red Cross kits), but if you can also make your own.  Some supplies households might need include enough food and water to last between three and five days, gas, charged phones, flashlights, medicine, pet food and a radio. (Make sure you have batteries too!).

3 - Clean  your Gutters: No one likes cleaning their gutters, because who knows what you'll find up there. Unfortunately, this dreaded task is important to do if you live in a hurricane prone zone. Having them flow properly allows water to move away from your home. Keeping them clean also prevents water from splashing back up against the roof and under the roof covering and causing damage.

4 - Check up on Doors and Windows: Check the seals around your windows and doors. Hot weather can damage seals over time, allowing sideways-blowing rain to get in during a storm.

Plywood

5 - Plain-old plywood to the rescue:  Purchase supplies, including plywood to cover windows and extra security to keep doors from blowing open, in advance, to secure your home from damaging winds. Simple 5/8-inch plywood covers offer good protection. With inexpensive “window clips” that go on without screws or nails, a typical home can be boarded up in less than half an hour (assuming the plywood covers are ready to go). Rayneau sells several types

6 - Prepare for Power Outages: During strong hurricane winds, power lines and phone lines might fall down, creating power outages. While candlelight is fine and dandy for an occasional date night, if you want to avoid finding yourself without electricity, consider purchasing a generator. Speak to Kendal at 725 - 9573 for the ideal generator.

7 - Get Your Homeowners Insurance Ready: No disaster preparedness blog post would be complete without an insurance reminder, so take time to make sure your insurance policy is up to date and will cover the full cost of rebuilding if you lose your home in a storm. A lot of people insure their home to what the value of the home is, but maybe the cost to rebuild is more. Building costs are always on the rise, so you want to make sure you'll have enough to rebuild.

Don’t let you and family be victims of “Disaster Denial.” Stop  procrastination,get busy and be prepare early!