As the weather patterns get more severe, we wanted to share a few tips to keep your property protected from damage…barring Acts of God of course.

It seems that hurricanes are getting fiercer, our area of the Mid-Atlantic is now getting tornadoes on a semi-regular basis, rains are heavier and wind shears are intensifying. It seems like more times than not the weather reporters tell us we are experiencing “100-year storms”.

Fall is a great time of year to make sure your home’s exterior is set up to withstand some of these potential stresses.

Outdoor Furniture:

As fall turns cooler it will be time to put away the outdoor furniture. Before you do or if you keep it out all year, have a system in place to secure the furniture from flying at your house (or down the street). Bungee cords or rope secured to something permanent is usually a good option.  You can either leave it secured while not in use if you use it infrequently or just be ready to secure it prior to storm reports.

Trees and Severe Weather:

We know you can’t prevent lightning from striking a tree near your house, especially if the tree is on the neighbor’s property. However, it is important to identify any trees that may be in process of dying or with large dead branches to have them trimmed or removed. If a branch from a neighbor’s tree hangs over your yard, you are typically allowed to have those branches trimmed. (Check your local regulations and of course, discuss with your neighbor ahead of time.)

Gutters:

Make sure you have your gutters cleaned of the fall foliage and any debris that may have built up. Ensure that downspouts lead the water away from the foundation of your house. Many basement floods are caused by erosion over time from gutters that are not doing the job properly and keeping the bulk of water away from your house. When it is time to replace your gutters, consider extra wide gutters to better accommodate the heavier rains we seem to get on a regular basis.

Home Check:

Take a good look around the exterior of your house, is there any loose siding, or roof tiles missing, have you had small leaks in the past during big storms? While things are calm it is important to be proactive to prevent major problems during the next storm of the century, when many other people will be reaching out to us for major repairs to their homes. We do our best to get you back to normal as soon as possible, but as noted in our previous article, there are still shortages of supplies and home improvement contractors that have many projects taking longer than a couple of years ago.

In summary, while we would certainly be glad to get your home back to normal as quickly as possible after severe weather damages your property, we hope some of these steps can minimize the amount of work that would need to be done. When you do need emergency restoration or just have a home improvement project Triage Restoration is ready to walk you through all the steps, call Toll Free at 1-877-559-7876.