How To Help Prevent Damage To Your Home From Storms

Storms can wreak havoc on your home and cause serious damage. But it doesn’t always need to be a tornado or a hurricane to harm your home. Even a thunderstorm can be problematic for your home. To prevent damage and minimize what does occur, it is important to take steps to help protect your home. While some weather events are not so common here in Michigan, there are some like severe thunderstorms which can cause all sorts of problems in your home including water damage. We’ll provide some tips in this post to help you prevent some of these problems in your home.

How To Help Prevent Damage To Your Home From Storms

Once water enters your home it can lead to all sorts of problems. Almost immediately you can have water damage in your home. Over time you may also have mold in your home. Once you start getting mold in your home it likely means you’ll need the help of a home restoration contractor such as Michigan Restoration Pros to remedy the problem. What’s even worse is that the longer the problem exists, the worse it can get. Always get any problems taken care of quickly to prevent even more problems. Here are some tips to help prevent these problems from occurring:

Keep Your Gutters Clear

Gutters are a crucial part of your home because they transport water away from your home and prevent water from sitting on your roof. You should aim to check and clean your gutters at least once a week to make sure there are no obstructions and water can drain freely. Otherwise, you can end up with a lot of sitting water on your roof and around your foundation. This way when the storm hits there will nothing blocking it from draining as it should.

Install A French Drain

French drains are designed to create a slightly sloped trench in your yard to help divert water from your home. You can make the drain as shallow or as deep as you need, but will help prevent excess moisture around you home, flooding in your basement or problems with your foundation.

Keep A Tidy Yard

Landscaping isn’t just to make your home look nice and increase curb appeal. Keeping your trees trimmed plays a huge role in protecting your home from damage in storms. This is because strong winds can snap branches and blow them into your home. If the trees are weak they can also be blown over entirely. This is why it is important to keep trees trimmed away from your home and remove any trees that are not structurally sound enough to handle strong winds.

You should also keep your grass short and remove debris like leaves or dead shrubbery. This is because they provide excellent fuel for fires. The shorter your grass, the better chance there is of keeping wild fires under control. You can also choose plants that have higher water content and avoid wax, terpenes and oils. This is because they are far more flammable. Instead, opt for plants like succulents if you live in an area prone to fires.

Upgrade To Impact Proof Doors And Windows

Whether it is just strong winds, or you live in an area prone to natural disasters like hurricanes or tornados, you should always go with impact-resistant doors and windows. This will help to provide greater security, especially when you do not have time to board up windows. That will also reduce the amount of damage caused to the interior of your home and the belongings inside.

Check Your Policy

You should check over your home insurance policy to make sure you have proper coverage in case of storms or acts of god, especially if you live in an area prone to problems. Know you policy before the storm hits, and make sure you will be protected when something goes wrong. It is always better to pay a little extra to be covered, rather than risk losing everything and be on your own.

What To Do if There is Water Damage

When you discover that there is water damage to your home it’s important to get it taken care of quickly. At Michigan Restoration Pros we can repair any problems that caused the storm or water damage. We can also dry the area and remove any mold that may be present. Give us a call today at (248) 509-8104 if you have water or storm damage on your Michigan home.