Hurricane Spring Cleaning
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Preparing for the Hurricane Season
By D Scott Moore
Why Start Now?
Hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1st. Why? Because
if you don't begin soon, you won't be ready for an
approaching storm. We're all somewhat guilty of
procrastination. Get over it! Your family's safety is
important. Do something now.
Wind Borne Debris
What you need to do now, while the temperature isn't too
high, is prepare your property (landscaping and yard). Your
main concern is wind borne debris. What is that? Well it's
basically everything that can be blown around by strong
winds of a tropical storm or hurricane. It starts out as
things like garbage cans, lawn furniture, etc. If the winds
begin to pick up, then you will find palm fronds and other
smaller tree limbs, along with the other items mixed in.
These items could cause minor damage to your home.
During hurricane force winds, backyard sheds and wood or
vinyl fencing begin to tear apart, Shingles along the upper
edge begin to fly off rooftops. Things begin to get nasty.
Major damage will be the result of these things striking
your home. Winds from a hurricane making a direct hit on an
area can cause these projectiles to become deadly. What you
want to do is to eliminate, or at least reduce the chances
of things in your yard becoming this potentially destructive
debris.
Yard Work
Start by addressing any trees, especially those located near
your house. Begin by pruning, thinning out the canopy. This
will allow the wind to blow through the tree easier instead
of the tree acting as a sail. Strong winds along with
saturated ground around the tree could cause it to topple
over. This could cause significant damage to your home or
any vehicles parked near the tree. Also, remove any dead or
diseased limbs. You may consider completely removing older,
weaker trees. Many of these older specimens appear fine, but
many are rotting from the inside out. If you're not sure
contact a local arborist to determine if removing them is
your best option.
An excellent guide to landscaping in hurricane prone areas
is a book titled Stormscaping, by Pamela Crawford. It is
packed with information on how to select and care for
landscaping in Florida as well as other southern states
which are subject to dealing with the threat of hurricanes.
Next, is to inspect any fences surrounding your property:
fence sections and fence posts. Check all attachments,
adding any nails or screws (I prefer screws) to secure
things better. Fence post should be set in concrete,
otherwise the entire post could be sucked right our of the
ground by a strong gust of wind.
Get Everyone Involved
No one wants to be working outside alone. Get the rest of
the family involved, and make it a group effort. Your
children need to know that being prepared for hurricane
season is important to the entire family. It is also a
lesson of responsibility we all need to learn. The younger
ones can help pick up small branches and leaves, while the
older ones can lend their muscles to the cause. It's not
necessary to remove everything that could become blown away
from the yard at this time. Leave the kid's toys out for
now. Just remind them that if a storm approaches it will be
their job to gather and bring them in before the weather
turns bad.
Next Time . . . Windows and Doors
Take a breather for now. The next challenge is preparing
your home for that wind borne debris.
Remember, "Just Say No to Hurricanes"
Copyright © 2008, D. Scott Moore, All rights reserved.
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