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Tips
For Preparing For Hurricanes
by Simonton Windows
Hurricane Facts:
The Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale is a 1-5 rating on a hurricane’s intensity.
- Category 1 Hurricane –
Winds 74-95 mph
- Category 2 Hurricane –
Winds 96-110 mph
- Category 3 Hurricane –
Winds 111-130 mph
- Category 4 Hurricane –
Winds 121-155 mph
- Category 5 Hurricane –
Winds 156 and greater
2009 Hurricane
Predictions:
# Named/#
Hurricanes/# Major Hurricanes
Colorado State/Bill Gray
- 14 Named, 7 Hurricanes, 3 Major
Weather Research Center
- 7 Named, 4 Hurricanes, 0 Major
Weather Services Inc. -
13 Named, 7 Hurricanes, 3 Major
Accuweather - 13
Named, 8 Hurricanes, 2 Major
Before the Storm -
Preparing Your Family:
- Develop and practice a
family emergency plan.
- Create a disaster supply
kit for the home and a separate one to take in case you must
evacuate.
- For your “stay at
home” emergency kit include flashlights, batteries, tarps,
duct tape, non-perishable foods and water for the entire
family and pets. Don’t forget a battery operated radio,
disposable camera, medicines and critical paperwork.
- For your “evacuation”
emergency kit, include the following in a watertight
container: prescription and over-the-counter medicines,
important papers (i.e. passports, birth certificates, copies
of insurance papers and wills, health insurance paperwork,
pictures of furnishings, listing of medications, policies,
deeds, stocks and bonds, titles to cars), checkbooks, record
of all bank numbers, inventory of valuable household goods,
address book with contact information for doctors, insurance
agents and relatives, safety deposit box keys, evacuation
map of area.
- Make sure your homeowner
policy is updated and includes flood insurance.
When a Storm is Forecast
for Your Area:
- Fuel your car.
- Fill bathtubs and sinks
with water.
- Review your evacuation
route.
- Get cash in case you must
evacuate.
- Have a battery-powered
NOAA weather radio available.
- Use your family’s
evacuation and family emergency plans.
- Make sure all family
members wear closed-toe shoes or sneakers.
- Make arrangements to
board or evacuate pets. Take shot records, rabies certificates
and tags and vet information.
- Have supplies and basic
foods available.
Safeguarding Your Home:
- Secure all loose objects
(such as lawn furniture, garbage cans and planters) that can
become flying missiles when hurricane winds intensify.
- Turn off your gas, water
and electricity before evacuating.
- Unless you have
impact-resistant glass in your windows, make sure to shutter up
or board up windows and doors.
- Tape over and seal all
soffit vents and roof vents to prevent wind-driven rain from
splashing into the vents and flooding the attic.
- Add bracing to the
interior of garage doors to reinforce them against wind damage.
- For “after storm”
cleanup, have the following items available: tarps, duct tape,
heavy work gloves, gas cans, batteries, chain saws, shovels,
rakes, water filters, cleaning supplies, first aid kits and
extra strength large garbage bags.
- Trim tree limbs near or
touching the home and call for
tree removal with any weakly
rooted and dying trees.
Creating a Secure Home:
- Windows – The
biggest cause of devastation during a hurricane is the ability
of wind to enter a structure through a broken door or window.
This causes a build-up of pressure inside the structure that can
literally blow out the roof and walls. Homeowners with
code-approved impact-resistant windows like Simonton
StormBreaker Plus® are designed to withstand flying debris
during brutal storms. They help provide maximum protection and
add beauty to the home, without the need for unattractive
shuttering systems, or board up windows and doors.
- Roofing - When
having a new roof installed or an old roof replaced, select
impact-resistant roofing tiles and those that can withstand high
wind speeds. Make sure the installer follows the roofing
manufacturer’s warranty guidelines for installation. Proper
nailing will help your roof make it through severe weather.
- Entry Doors -
Install door that swings out instead of in. These doors have
welded hinge pins, so security is not a problem and the wind
actually helps to keep the door secured properly.
- All Products -
When building or remodeling, make sure to use the latest
weather-resistant building materials available, such as
hurricane strapping, clips, corner bracing and tie-down systems.
Provided by Simonton Windows
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