With hurricane season upon us, it’s essential to take extra precautions to ensure that your roof stays in top condition. Although home insurance will cover a lot of the damage done by hurricanes, you likely don’t want to deal with roof repair unless necessary. But there’s much more to hurricane season roof preparations than just saving yourself money.
What Damage Can a Hurricane Cause to Your Roof?
What damage can a hurricane cause to your roof? A lot, and it can happen pretty quickly. The most common types of damage during a hurricane include:
- Roofing material loss – If the wind is strong enough, it can lift shingles off the roof deck or even blow them clean off. The result is a leaky roof deck, which will require extensive repairs.
- Roof deck failure – If your home is old, there’s a chance that the structure of your house may not be strong enough to withstand strong winds from a hurricane. In this case, there could be structural damage to your home or garage, requiring costly rebuilding fees.
- Water penetration through the ceiling – The force from strong winds can cause water infiltration into the interior portions of your home through ceilings and walls. Water damage can be costly to repair because it can affect multiple rooms at once.
How Should You Prepare Your Roof Before a Hurricane?
Cut Down Overhanging Branches
In addition to the damage caused by heavy rain and wind, high winds can also cause tree branches to fall onto your roof. This can result in extensive damage to your shingles and the underlying roofing materials. If a large enough branch tears through your roof, it could even lead to structural damage and water damage inside your home.
One of the easiest ways to prevent this type of damage is to ensure no overhanging branches near your home. From time to time throughout the year, inspect your property for branches that may be too close for comfort.
Clear Your Gutters and Drains
The main reason for keeping your gutters clean is to prevent water from pooling in them during heavy rains or high winds. This can cause water to back up behind your fascia board (the wooden part at the top of your house where the gutter meets) and potentially damage it.
If this happens, you could get leaks in your ceiling or even have a portion of your roof collapse under the weight of all that water. Not only will this cause significant structural damage to your home, but it could also lead to mold problems down the road if left unchecked.
You can clear your gutters by using a hose attached to your gutter spout or around the downspouts on the exterior of your home. Ensure that you turn off all power to electrical outlets before beginning work on your roof.
Examine the Roof Itself
It would be best if you looked at the shingles on your roof to make sure they are in good condition. If they are cracked or have holes, repairing them immediately is vital.
Examining your roof is crucial as you can more accurately prevent difficulties of more severe problems like leaks and water damage during storms or high winds. If water gets into your home through a damaged roof during a storm, it can cause severe damage. Guaranteed, it would spoil your household furniture and commodities.
Check Your Vents
It’s essential to check your vents because water could get inside your home during heavy rains or high winds if you don’t. This can cause mildew problems in your attic and structural damage to your roof. If water gets into your attic during a storm, it increases the chances of mold growth which could be very dangerous for those with allergies or asthma.
The best way to ensure your roof will withstand any intense storms is to know beforehand how bad the damage could be. This will help you plan for necessary preparedness steps before the storm. For example, if your roof is nearing its end and needs to be repaired or replaced, you should do it well in advance of hurricane season.
The last thing you want is to be stuck with a massive repair bill after a hurricane has just done substantial damage to the roof and exterior of your home. Take the correct preventive measures to be on the safe side and avoid a catastrophe.
