Living in a hurricane-prone area means preparing your house for the ferocity of tropical storms and hurricanes. One of the most vulnerable parts of your home is your roof.
Consider strengthening your roof before a hurricane arrives to minimize damage from these weather events.
Hire an Experienced Roofing Contractor
Hurricanes can cause significant damage to your home, and the roof is one of the most vulnerable parts. Living in a hurricane-prone area requires proactive preparation to safeguard your property. A qualified roof company can identify and correct loose shingles or tiles before hurricane season, preventing them from becoming a hazard in a storm. In addition, installing steel hurricane clips that strengthen the connection between the roof and walls increases the strength of your home against wind-driven rain.
A professional can also patch, reinforce, or reseal flashing, which is the metal sheathing that seals areas of the roof around features like chimneys and windows. Additionally, ensuring that your insurance and warranties are properly organized can expedite the process of filing an insurance claim after a hurricane.
Make Sure Your Roof is Installed Properly
Although it’s impossible to protect your home from hurricane winds fully, you can take many practical steps to minimize damage. From addressing leaks to securing loose shingles, these proactive measures can make a significant difference when the hurricane hits.
Another factor within your control is ensuring the roofing materials used for your home are rated for hurricane-prone areas. These roofing materials are designed to withstand higher wind speeds and resist uplift. You can also fortify your roof by having an experienced contractor install metal straps across the trusses and rafters of your home. This helps to secure the ceiling and roof together, making it more challenging for strong winds to remove the entire structure. Having the gutters cleaned and large branches trimmed will also help prevent water from entering through damaged or leaky roofs during a storm.
Check for Loose Shingles
When hurricane winds blow over a roof, they create upward-sucking forces that can tear shingles off or pull them away from the roof sheathing. This leaves holes for water to infiltrate the structure, causing significant damage and putting you at serious risk.
You can prevent these issues by securing loose shingles and tiles before the storm. An experienced roofing contractor can also install steel hurricane clips that help strengthen the connection between the roof and the house. Another way to reduce the chance of roof damage is by having trees trimmed regularly. Overgrown trees may fall during a hurricane, causing structural damage or injuries to people inside the home or business.
Check for Rusted Nails and Metal Connections
The high winds associated with hurricanes can cause damage to the structure of your home, including the roof. This often leads to water damage, which can be a severe problem for your property. One way to minimize the risk of water damage is to ensure that your gutters are clean. Rainwater can go back into your gutters and cause leaks and water damage in other house areas. You should also make sure that your roof is properly braced. If your home has a gable end wall, it should be braced with hurricane straps or bolts. Additionally, you should use hurricane connectors (rather than clips) to connect wall framing to each rafter or truss. These connectors are made from galvanized steel and can withstand much uplift pressure.
Check the Flashing
Even a hurricane can damage your roof if it is not properly protected. Ensure you have a homeowner’s policy covering flood and hurricane damage and other types of home insurance coverage. Flashing is the metal sheathing that covers seams around penetrations like chimneys, dormers, and skylights. Gaps and cracks in the flashing may allow water into the house during a hurricane, so it’s important to have it professionally patched, reinforced, or resealed before the stormy season arrives.
Other steps that you can take include:
- Securing outdoor furniture.
- Bringing in trash cans and large items like propane tanks.
- Trimming any trees close to the house (especially dead limbs that could fall on your roof during a hurricane).
A metal tie-down system is an extra option for strengthening the connection between your roof and your house.