FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) advises the public on how to prepare for hazards to their homes. Having a plan in place to protect your home from the flying debris and wind-driven rain caused by tropical storms and hurricanes will give you a head start to protecting one of your greatest investments.
Our homes are where we raise families, store family heirlooms and where many of life’s milestones occur. Taking steps now to strengthen your roof, windows, downspouts, shutters and other parts of your home against hazards from storms can mean the difference between minor damage and destruction.
Below are steps you could take to harden and protect your property against storms:
- Review home insurance policies to ensure proper coverage and take photos of the property.
Losses caused by flooding are not typically covered by standard homeowners’ insurance policies. Learn more about the National Flood Insurance Program at www.floodsmart.gov.
- Prepare to store anything from your property that could be picked up by hurricane winds and turned into a harmful object.
- Trim trees to remove dead limbs and secure rain gutters and downspouts.
- Make sure porches, decks or sheds are sound and firmly attached.
- Fasten down roofs with hurricane straps or clips and install strong bolts at the top and bottom of exterior doors. Buy or make storm shutters for windows.
- Complete your home inspection to determine which areas of your home need to be strengthened this hurricane season.
Learn more about strengthening your home from hazards storms pose from the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) at Resilience – #HurricaneStrong. FEMA is a founding and legacy partner with FLASH.
Learn more from the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency about basic hurricane preparedness tips, preparing your home against hurricanes and storm notifications and alerts at Hurricanes (vi.gov). Sign up for Alert VI to receive real-time notifications for emergencies in the U.S. Virgin Islands at VITEMA – Public – Sign In (everbridge.net).
