Are you prepared for hurricane season?

Hurricane Season runs June 1 – November 30

Start with the Roof

Every home and business’s first line of defense against weather

Within minutes of losing your umbrella in a rainstorm, you and your clothes are soaked. The same will be true of your home and its contents if the roof deck is not sealed and the roof covering blows off in a hurricane or other severe rain storm. Once the roof covering and felt are gone, the wood decking will be soaked by rain, and water will pour through cracks between the wood panels that make up the deck. The water will soak the insulation and damage ceilings and walls.

When added to a planned re-roof, a Sealed Roof Deck adds about $1000 to the cost of the roof. Learn more.

Protect the Doors & Windows

Prevent high winds and wind pressures from entering your home or business

IBHS’s shutter guide includes a comprehensive list of shutter materials, cost estimates, and pros and cons to consider when choosing the right type of protection for your property.

Watch the video below to see how quickly a structure collapses once wind rushes inside during a test at the IBHS Research Center:

If permanent shutters are not available, plywood panels may be the only option.

Recommendations for Using Plywood

Use 1/2 in. to 3/4 in. CDX plywood available in 4 ft x 8 ft sheets. Plywood should not be used to cover openings larger than 4 ft x 8 ft unless additional framing is added.
Use two layers of 3/8 in. material to obtain the same effect as one layer of 3/4 in. material. Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is not recommended.

Shut the Doors on Wind

Close all interior doors to compartmentalize pressures

Closing interior doors can give your roof a fighting chance in a severe wind storm. If a window or door is broken by flying debris or has blown open, your house will rapidly fill with air (imagine a balloon inflating inside your house) and cause a dangerous increase in peak forces pushing on the roof. In our testing of a 1,400-square-foot single-story home at the IBHS Research Center, we found that simply closing the internal doors reduced by up to 30% the amount of extra load the roof had to withstand in this situation.