Rain.... Hail.... Winds.... Oh My!

7/6/2020 (Permalink)

Seasonal storms can be unpredictable at times, stay prepared by creating a storm safety plan.

The Kanawha and Putnam counties are no strangers to ravishing storms.  Rain, Hail, High winds all a recipe for disaster for many homeowners.  Preparation for our moody mother nature is key to help protect your home.  While you can’t control the weather, there’s still a lot you can do to protect your home and your family. Additionally, most of what we’ll discuss in this blog will also help protect your neighbors’ homes and property!

SERVPRO® of North Kanawha Valley & Teays Valley has a list of the basic outside upkeep on your home, which may help prevent or minimize the damage done to your home during a storm in West Virginia. 

• Check for missing or damaged shingles, then get them replaced

When shingles are damaged, they are more likely to break free.  If the shingles are missing this will cause a gap and allow for wind to get under the shingles causing more damage.

• Repair loose siding

The same rule as roofing applies to your siding as well.  Ensure that the siding is not damaged or pulled loose, allowing for wind to damage the remainder of the siding.

• Keep your gutters clear

Ensure that your gutters are free-flowing and your downspouts are in a direction that will allow the water to flow away from the foundation.  If the water is not directed from the foundation, the water can cause water damage to the home and flooding.

• Adjust the flow of runoff water coming toward your house.

The best way to combat runoff water coming near or inside of your home is to dig a ditch or drain to divert the water that is intruding on your home.

• Keep your sump pump, pumping.

Checking your sump pump should be done on a pretty regular basis.  It is far too often that we get a call for sump pump failure.  Purchasing a secondary pump is additional reassurance that you can minimize basement or crawlspace damage during a storm if your primary sump pump stops working.

• Trim your tree’s frequently

Keeping your tree’s trimmed regularly helps keep the risk of having damage done to your home's roof, siding, and windows.

• Take a quick walk around your property.

This is primarily to clean up around your home of anything that could be potentially become projectiles.  Things like lawn furniture, tools, flower pots, trash cans, anything that can be lifted off of the ground

• Purchase a generator

Larger storms can cause serious outages leaving you without power anywhere from a few minutes to a few days.  The generator can be used so that you minimize the loss of food, keeping medications cold, there are a number of things that make it a good idea to have a generator.

Keep in mind that your home and the things inside of your home are replaceable.  Your family is not.  Creating a storm safety plan is essential and should be regularly reviewed and practiced with your family.  If you believe that your home may have still obtained damage during the storm, contact SERVPRO of North Kanawha Valley & Teays Valley to have your property assessed for storm damage.