Weather damage is some of the most prominent damage that you can experience in your home. However, it’s also good to remember that if you’re getting ready for weather damage, you can seriously mitigate the problems that you’ll experience from them. Preparing for weather damage problems is the best way to avoid them in the first place. Here’s how weather damage in your home can be something you’re really ready for.
Mother Nature vs. Your Home Created By: Foundation Recovery Systems
The Most Serious American Weather Damage Events in the Last 10 Years
One way to understand why weather damage is such an important topic is to consider is to look back into history. Even just recent history can be an interesting opening into why you need to think about weather damage more seriously. Here are the most damaging weather events since 2010.
Hurricane Harvey – Texas – $131 Billion
Hurricane Maria – Puerto Rico – $95 Billion
Hurricane Sandy – Northeast United States – $74 Billion
Hurricane Irma – Florida – $52 Billion
Heat Wave and Drought – General United States – $32 Billion
Hurricane Michael – Florida – $26 Billion
Western Wildfires – California – $25 Billion
Hurricane Florence – The Carolinas – $25 Billion
Western Wildfires – California – $19 Billion
Hurricane Irene – Mid-Atlantic Coast – $16 Billion
Almost all of these are hurricanes, and the ones that aren’t are typically heat-related problems. That means you definitely need to put lots of thought into weatherproofing your home for hurricanes and heat-related problems, especially if you live in an area that’s experienced plenty of these problems in the past few years.
Types of Weather Damage That Impact American Homeowners
So, what types of weather damage are you most likely to end up with? The truth is that there are a number of weather damage types that may lead to lasting problems. Here are the most prominent types of weather damage in the United States, along with the problems they can indicate.
Drought – Landscaping Damage and Forest Fires
Lightning – Fire and Electrical Damage
Water – Flood Damage Inside and Outside the Home
High Winds – Structural and Foundational Damage
Hail – Roof and Window Damage
Of these weather damage problems, certainly the most common is high winds. High winds are an element of many natural disasters and they can even arise on their own without an accompanying natural disaster. As a matter of fact, somewhere around a quarter of homeowner’s insurance claims happen due to some risk factor from high winds, with the majority happening in the springtime.
Tips and Tricks for Protecting Your Home From Extreme Weather Conditions
What can you do to keep your home safe from extreme weather conditions? The best advice is to make sure that you’re prepared from the beginning. It’s never a good idea to try and clean things up after the fact. Rather, you should make sure your home is as weatherproofed as possible. Here are a few of the things you might need to keep your home safe.
Sump Pump With Backup Batteries
Windproofing Through Roof and Window Upgrades
Hurricane Shutters
Fire-Resistant Planting
Flood Prevention With Retrofitting and Waterproofing
Home Maintenance
Winterproofing With Proper Insulation
HVAC Servicing and Leaky Pipe Fixing
Smoke Detector Testing and Maintenance
Foundation Inspections
You might be able to do some of these, like the smoke detector testing, on your own. However, it’s also important to make sure that you get an expert in to do the more difficult ones like the flood prevention steps. That way, you’ll get the best results.
Conclusion
Making sure that you reduce your risk of home problems starts with ensuring that your home has strong weatherproofing processes. No matter what home problems you’re experiencing, chances are there was something you could have done to avoid the problems as a whole. Talk to a foundation, basement, or crawl space repair expert to learn more about your weatherproofing options.
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