Preparing for Severe Weather: How to Protect Your Home in Every Season

As we’ve recently experienced, severe storms can hit in any season. Whether it’s snow and a deep freeze in winter, a hailstorm in the summer or a hurricane in the fall, it’s important to make sure your home is ready for any of the extreme Texas weather the seasons throw our way.  A qualified professional can help you with major renovations, and there are plenty of things you can do to help keep your home and family safe during severe weather.

Create an Emergency Kit

No matter the season, there are a few things every homeowner should have ready in preparation for possible severe weather:

• A waterproof, fireproof safe that holds your insurance documents and other important documents
• An emergency kit with flashlights, batteries, candles, water, non-perishable food, first aid supplies and more. Ready.gov offers a full list of recommended items for your kit.
• An evacuation plan that everyone in your family is familiar with

Storm-proofing Your Home for Every Season

In addition to the emergency preparation items listed above, there are many things you can do to protect your home from severe weather.

In spring and summer and fall, when severe thunderstorms or hurricanes often roll across our state, the most important thing you can do is check thoroughly for damage after each storm to prevent more damage from the next. Your windows, roof and siding can all be damaged by wind and hail, and if you don’t fix it quickly, it can result in leaks and water damage next time there is rain.

To proactively protect your home, you may want to invest in the following:

• Wind and impact resistant windows – or storm shutters to protect your existing windows
• Fiber cement siding, which is much thicker than vinyl and has a better ability to withstand harsh weather such as strong wind or hail
• Routine roof inspections to fix damage before it becomes a bigger problem

In winter, the biggest challenge homeowners face is freezing pipes. While prolonged, severe cold is not a common occurrence in Texas we do have cold spells – like the one we just experienced – which can mean thousands of dollars in damage if you’re not ready.

Before winter even arrives, there are a few things you can do to prevent pipes from freezing, breaking and then leaking and flooding.

• Drain outside pipes to remove water that could freeze inside the pipes, causing them to break
• Blow out your sprinkler system and disconnect and drain garden hoses
• If you have a pool, drain its supply lines
• Close the inside valves that supply water to outdoor spigots
• Seal your basement or crawlspace to prevent cold air from entering and encircling pipes

When you know severe cold is coming, you can take additional precautions to safeguard your home during a deep freeze:

• Turn on the faucets and allow a trickle of water to flow into your sinks, showers or bathtubs as flowing water tends not to freeze
• Open the cabinets under your sinks to allow warm air to circulate around pipes
• Use a space heater safely to protect your pipes by keeping cold parts of your home warm

Finding the Right Professional for the Job

Now that you know what you need to do to prepare for severe weather, finding the right service providers is key. We’ve taken care of the research and vetting for you.