Pre-Storm Property Checklist
Claims Advocacy / Storm Preparedness / Pre-Storm Property Checklist
The first step in being prepared is understanding your surroundings and knowing what to do when disaster strikes. Going through a checklist before bad weather arrives can reduce damage and improve your safety and well-being.
Days preceding an impending storm
| Secure or bring inside outdoor items, such as lawn furniture and trash cans, that could be picked up by high winds and cause injury or damage. | |
| Anchor objects that would be unsafe to bring inside, such as gas grills and propane tanks. | |
| Have plastic sheeting available to cover broken or shattered windows to prevent windstorm or rain damage to your home. | |
| Similar to other outdoor items, if you have a boat on a trailer, anchor the trailer to the ground or house. |
Months preceding an impending storm
| Have the trees around your home trimmed by an arborist or landscaping professional. Remove branches that overhang the house and remove dead, dying, or diseased trees to the extent feasible. | |
| Protect windows with permanent storm shutters. Alternately, fit plywood panels to your windows, which can be nailed to window frames when a storm approaches. | |
| Sliding glass doors should be made of tempered glass and, during a storm, covered with shutters or plywood. These types of doors are more vulnerable to wind damage than most other doors. | |
| Inspect and repair weak exterior door or window latches or hardware. | |
| Seal outside wall openings such as vents, outdoor electrical outlets, windows, doors, electrical boxes, vents, and pipes and locations where cables or pipes go through the wall. Use a tube of silicone caulk to seal cracks and gaps to keep water out of your home. | |
| Have drains, gutters and downspouts cleaned and, if necessary, repaired. | |
| If you have a generator, make sure that it is serviced and operable. | |
| To the extent possible and if can be done safely before a storm, inspect the roof to determine whether immediate repairs need to be made to the roof (loose shingles), skylights, chimneys and flashing. Clean off any debris on the roofs. |