Winter storms don’t always bring soft, fluffy snow. Sometimes, they bring brutal and dangerous hailstones that pummel your property. Hail and wind damage from these storms is very common for cars that are unfortunate enough to be parked outside in a hailstorm. However, these weather patterns can leave their mark on your home, too, leaving you with broken windows, a damaged roof, and even water damage in Olathe, KS. How can you protect your home from wind and hail damage in these storms? Here are a few tips.
Maintain Your Roof
Your home’s roof is its primary line of defense against adverse weather. It’s essential that you maintain it properly to help it withstands the hailstones and high winds of a bad winter storm. Have your roof inspected by a contractor to look for any lost or damaged shingles, and any weak points that might indicate a leak in your attic. Make sure your roof is in good shape, and a hailstorm will have a much harder time making an impact on it.
Prune Tree Branches
In a big winter storm, water won’t usually begin to infiltrate your home unless something breaches your home’s “defenses”—that is, the roof, windows, or other parts of your home’s structure. One of the most common ways this happens is when high winds break a branch off a nearby tree and send it hurtling into your home. A wind-tossed tree branch can do enough damage that hail will be given a clear entrance into your home, allowing water damage to be added to the harm already caused by the high winds.
The best way to prevent this from happening is to ensure your trees are always properly pruned. While you probably don’t want to lop off all your trees’ branches, cutting them back, so they’re not hanging over your roof makes it a bit less likely that they’ll damage your home in a storm. (Branches are more likely to snap and fall than they are to be thrown horizontally by the wind.)
Prep Your Home for Winter
Simply winter-proofing around your home can also work as weatherproofing against hail and wind damage. In addition to your roof (which we’ve already discussed), doors and windows are the most likely areas of your home to leak, so give them some extra attention. Check for any signs of a draft around these fixtures, and add new caulking or weather-stripping if needed. If you see any signs that windows or doors aren’t closing properly, or if there is noticeable damage, have them repaired as soon as possible.
Insulate Your Pipes
While hail and wind probably won’t damage your pipes, that hailstorm is going to be bringing one more thing with it—cold. If it’s cold enough to hail, it could be cold enough to freeze your pipes as well. Make sure your pipes are properly insulated so they won’t freeze and burst, flooding your home in the middle of a storm.
If you do experience water damage from a hail storm, despite your best efforts to prevent it, contact Emergency Mitigation Services for help. We’re a top water cleanup company in Olathe, KS, and offer 24/7 emergency services.