With the nation’s attention firmly fixed on COVID-19, many residents of Florida might have forgotten that hurricane season is rapidly approaching. Hurricane Preparedness Week for 2020 will take place May 3rd-9th. Given that many Orlando area folks are maintaining distance and staying at home a lot more, now is the perfect time to take some extra precautions to protect your home this hurricane season. Today we will focus on two things you can do to help your roof remain intact during a hurricane.
Forget the Myth
If you haven’t already heard, the old myth that opening windows can protect your home during a storm is absolutely false. In fact, just the opposite is true. Without delving into the actual physics of the situation, open windows will allow the storm’s air pressure to literally blow your roof off. Keep your windows closed.
Protect Your Windows
Keeping your windows closed is all fine and good, but they won’t last if you don’t do something to protect them. The biggest concern about broken windows isn’t the shattered glass debris or the water damage from the rain. The real issue is back to the roof and the air pressure. A broken window is no better than an open window, so protecting your windows actually protects your roof, too.
Window Protection Options
Homeowners can do several things to reinforce windows. Aluminum panels are fairly easy to install. Fabric shields, while not as robust as solid panels, can prevent a lot more damage than you might think; they also let in some light and store more easily when it’s not hurricane season. Another option is steel roll downs, which offer perhaps the most protection.
Protect from the Inside Out
Get into your attic space and reinforce the roof structure from the inside out. One simple and effective way to do this is to use construction adhesive. Run a half-inch bead of construction adhesive along both sides of the rafters where they meet the roof sheeting. That extra reinforcement can help prevent the roof from being blown off by hurricane winds.
Contact Us
We hope that Orlando and the rest of Florida won’t see a hurricane in 2020, but if we do and your home’s roof is damaged, contact us at J. A. Edwards of America. We can get your home on the road to recovery quickly and easily.