Worried About Extreme Weather? – You Are Not Alone

John A. Miller, P.E., CFM, Mitigation Liaison

According to a recently released survey by LendingTree of nearly 2,000 consumers, about half are fearful of climate change-related hazards effects on their homes, with severe storms making up a quarter of the hazards of worry. Worry is not only based in personal safety and physical impacts. A quarter of respondents were concerned about reduced property value in the next ten years, while seven in ten think the increasing risk will make insurance more expensive (20% say they have already experienced in increase), with more than a third worried they will be dropped by their home insurer.

As we enter a season of increasing severe weather, it’s time to look at potential wind damage to your home, and what you can do about it. There are steps you can take to reduce damage from high winds.

Reduce Your High Wind Risk

The below are steps on how to assess home components and make corrective actions:

• Tie-Downs and Anchoring of Manufactured Homes – 75-80% of tornado fatalities are in homes, and over half of these are in manufactured homes, while only 6% of the US building stock are manufactured homes [Prof. Stephen Strader of Villanova University]. It is important to have a wind resilient manufactured home for your safety.
• Check your Garage Door – these are typically large and unreinforced openings in your home and failure can result in contents and structural damage.
• Check your Roof Flashing – flashing keeps water from penetrating your roof and damaging interior space and contents.
• Inspect Wall-to-Foundation Anchorage – weak connections in home construction are susceptible to external forces. Especially in an area that can experience high wind, visibly inspecting the house for signs of separation will identify potential failure before it occurs. Proper anchoring of the house to the foundation may be a necessary step to secure your home. See the Fortified Roof^TM program of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.
• Install Permanent Storm Shutters or Prepare Temporary Wood Covers – especially in hurricane force wind prone areas, shutters or covers can protect windows and house contents from high winds and windblown debris. Shattered glass will provide an opening for additional storm damage.
• Reinforce Exterior Doors – just like windows, doors are penetrations into your homes protective shell. High winds finding this weakness can lead to structural damage and water intrusion.
• Secure gutters – loose gutters can take flight in a high wind event and become a projectile. In addition, if rainfall occurs with the high wind, you will be missing protection from roof runoff falling adjacent to the house foundation and causing a wet basement.
• Secure outdoor Furniture and Other Gear – this is a relatively simple step you can take to minimize damage to outdoor equipment and nearby homes. If you can’t bring the items inside, you can anchor or weigh them down.
• Strengthening Soffits – you can prevent water damage by securing the underside of your roof.

As with any activity, you should assess your abilities and only perform the above actions safely. For activities that are beyond the owner’s capabilities, you may check with a contractor on getting an estimate for the mitigation work.  

For more information on reducing your home’s vulnerability to high winds, see How to Reduce Damage from Future Storms | FEMA.gov under Reinforce Vulnerable Areas to Minimize Damage.