Hurricane Preparedness: Are You Ready?

Living on the coast, we have all seen and heard of different ways to prepare for a hurricane. While some are effective, many of them are not and can actually increase the risk of danger. In this article, we give you a few hurricane preparedness tips and dispel a few of the more common myths.

Hurricane Preparedness: Preparing Your House

Before a storm threatens our area, it’s a good idea to work on hurricane preparedness. Days with clear, sunny skies are the best time to get your house ready — not when a storm is on our doorstep. Short of building a FEMA safe room, there are several things you can do to help ensure your home will weather the storm and keep you comfortable in the aftermath.

• Make a hurricane supply kit
• Determine the appropriate evacuation route for your location
• Trim back branches or remove trees that are near your home
• Invest in a portable generator and several gas cans. Be sure to fill the cans with fresh gas before the storm!
• Make sure your rain gutters, shutters, and any decorative trim attached to your house are properly secured.
• Install windows made with impact resistant glass.

Window and Door Safety 

As a Gulf Coast window company, we would be remiss if we didn’t emphasize window safety as it relates to hurricane preparedness. Windows and doors are your home’s entry points. Naturally, they are the weakest places on the surface of your home and the most susceptible to damage from flying debris.

Impact rated glass strengthens theses weak places to help keep your family and home safe. The glass in these windows also provides numerous benefits compared to other protection tactics. For example, unlike bulky shutters, impact-resistant glass windows protect your home without blocking your view. These windows meet the requirements for high wind loads and as an added bonus, they look great!

Impact-rated windows keep flying objects from penetrating your home and allowing wind and rain to damage your belongings. While they represent a significant investment, the convenience and built-in energy savings they provide help to offset the cost compared to other protection methods. So, if a hurricane comes to our shores you will can keep your focus on your family instead of installing plywood or worrying about unprotected glass windows and doors!

Window Safety Myths 

Of course, there are plenty of myths surrounding window safety during a hurricane. Here are the three biggest myths:

Myth #1: Crack Open Windows to Stabilize Air Pressure

Most homes are not perfectly airtight, so adding another opening won’t make a difference in stabilizing air pressure. However, allowing the full strength of hurricane-force winds in can put outward pressure on your roof and windows, causing them to fail quicker!

Myth #2: Only Windows and Doors Facing the Water Should Be Protected

Hurricanes rotate around a central eye. As the storm approaches, wind gusts and flying debris come at your house from one direction, then switch to the opposite direction after the eye passes. While storms do tend to travel north towards our area from the Gulf of Mexico, that does not mean the wind is always out of the south. Be sure to protect every window and door of your home .

Myth #3: Taping a Big X on the Window Will Keep It from Shattering

This is the most common — and perhaps most dangerous — myth that is still shared among friends and neighbors. Instead of breaking into thousands of tiny pieces, the tape will keep the glass from a broken non-impact rated window in a mass of sharp, glass daggers. Skip the tape and spend your time and money on efforts that actually reduce your risk.

Call Lee’s Glass to Help with Your Hurricane Preparedness!

At Lee’s Glass & Window Works, we take pride in helping to make your home beautiful and keep your family safe. Contact us today to get a free estimate on strong and secure impact-rated windows.