Real Estate Palm Beach Broward Blog

5 Easy Ways to Prepare your Real Estate for a Hurricane in Palm Beach County

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South Floridians are always prepared for hurricane season, or are they? South Florida has been relatively quiet since 2005 when Hurricane Wilma hit.  This category 3 hurricane swept through the everglades and caught many by surprise.  In this quick blog, I want to help out our new neighbors prepare for the worst, while saving money and time!

1. Prepare exterior of your home, starting with your garage-  It is time to throw away or donate those old valuables loitering in your garage.  Also, don’t wait until the first hurricane to trim your trees.  Make sure there are no loose items that could potentially become projectiles in your yard.

2. Check your insurance policy! The National Flood Insurance Program, is a pre-disaster flood mitigation and insurance protection program designed to reduce the escalating cost of disasters. The National Flood Insurance Program makes federally backed flood insurance available to residents and business owners

Flood damage is not usually covered by homeowners insurance.  Do not make assumptions.  Check your policy.

3.  One way to protect a home from damage in wind storms is to install impact-resistant shutters over all large windows and glass doors. Not only do they protect doors and windows from wind-borne objects, but they can reduce damage caused by sudden pressure changes when a window or door is broken. Laminated window systems (plastic bonded to glass) are another option, and are a particularly good choice for either building a new home or adding to an old one.

The easiest designs are those that simply cover the opening with a structural panel such as plywood. In past hurricanes, many homeowners upon returning have noticed their temporary plywood shutters blown off because they were not adequately fastened. If you have a wood-frame house, use adequate fasteners to attach the panels over the openings when a hurricane approaches. Have these temporary shutters stored and ready to use since building supply stores generally sell out of these materials quickly during a hurricane warning. If your home is made with concrete blocks, however, you will have to install anchoring devices well in advance.

The American Plywood Association (APA) - The Engineered Wood Association offers a series of Hurricane Shutter Designs. Each design is available for $1, or you can download all five designs from the APA's Web site at no cost.

4. Do not over-prepare by buying a ton of batteries or items that have a definite expiration date.  Instead, keep a 3 day supply of batteries and fuel at all times.  In the event of a hurricane, go to your nearest home improvement store for an additional 3 day supply. 

5. Plan your summer vacation around a hurricane. Hey! This is not a bad option at all.  Since we are running the risk of potentially being out of work for a week or so, why not plan a summer vacation around the time you may be out of work?  This may even save you vacation days when it is all said and done.  

Hurricane hazards come in many forms: storm surge, high winds, tornadoes, and flooding. This means it is important for your family to have a plan that includes all of these hazards. Look carefully at the safety actions associated with each type of hurricane hazard and prepare your family disaster plan accordingly. But remember this is only a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense.

Download the Hurricane Preparedness Week Poster (2011 version)
High Resolution Poster (17 MB PDF)