Hurricane Protection in Houston and Galveston, TX - Texas Capital Forum & Coalition

Proper Hurricane Preparedness

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Proper Hurricane Preparedness

One of the most destructive types of weather you will get to experience is hurricane. It can cause so much damage to your life and your property, especially if you live in a coastal city. In order to minimize its bad effects and to keep you safe at all times, it is very important to protect your home from the potential damage of hurricanes including storm. Fortunately, there are a lot of options available that are worthy of consideration when it comes to providing your home with the right protection particularly your doors and windows which are most vulnerable to debris and strong winds brought about by hurricanes. High quality hurricane panels are among the most basic, very effective, and definitely economical kind of protection you can have. They are especially made to provide reliable defense and additional security for your home.

Remember that hurricanes are indeed inevitable however the damage it can cause can be very destructive. Based from the study done by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Organizations, there would be more hurricanes for the coming years. Because of this, you really need to be prepared at all times by means of improving the overall safety of your home making is strong enough and a lot safer during a hurricane.

Hurricane Preparedness Supplies

Make sure you have all the supplies you’ll need. All of these items need to be in travel-friendly packs. Laundry baskets, I like these collapsible ones. They come in handy for this use! They are easy to store stuff in and easy to grab and go if need be.

Certainly, medicine is very important to think about. If you or a loved one has a prescription you want to have at least a month’s supply if possible.

When a category 1 came through here last time, I couldn’t get my son’s medicine for over a month!!!

Gas & Other Necessities

Go to the store and the gas station. Grab necessities like water and food. While your out, fill up your gas tank on your way back from the store, don’t forget to get some gas for your chainsaws, generators and other aftermaths/clean up tools! Additionally, it’s important to get gas as soon as you can. The line at the gas station undoubtedly gets long real quick!

Charge All The Things

Charge your cell phones, tablets, laptops, and any other devices you might want to use when the power’s out. Think about buying a portable power bank in the near future for next time!

Evacuate or Not to Evacuate?

Evacuate or no? Many people wait to decide to evacuate until 1-2 days or even less before the storm hits. Even if you think you’re not going to evacuate, have a plan on where you could go if you HAVE to. The people who survived Katrina had no idea how bad it was going to be.

Many of them had no idea, that they would have to be rescued off the roof of their own homes. That’s why it’s necessary to have a place picked out, to evacuate to just in case you change your mind (before it’s too late)—some things to think about when deciding whether to evacuate or not.

Evacuation may be necessary if you live in a mobile, manufactured, or very old home. Even a category 1 hurricane might be strong enough to do damage to these kinds of homes and evacuation may be necessary.
Watch the news to see if your area or type of home is up for a voluntary or mandatory evac.
Local government websites will have information on the necessary procedures. They should be able to inform you about storm-related public services, such as shelters, evacuations, and emergency supplies that are available in your area.

Create An Evacuation Plan For Your Family

Decide what to do with your animals. If you’re traveling with domestic animals check out the preps for pets page to learn what to pack for them.
An emergency meeting place in case anyone in your group gets lost.
Designated contact person – Pick someone that is out of the hurricane’s path. This person can relay important information on your whereabouts to the rest of the family. Also, make sure to tell them your destination, when you’re leaving, and so on.
Communication plan – If you get split up have a communication plan. This can include phone calls, text, the Red Cross App, etc…
Create emergency cards for each member of your family. Include important information like name, address, emergency contact number, etc…
Pack a bug out bag for each family member.
Find an acceptable route.
Pick an alternate route in case of heavy traffic or other reasons.
Pack – Use my free hurricane preparedness checklist to pack.
Emergency car kit – Including jumper cables, towline, gas can, road maps, first aid kit, and other helpful supplies.

Sandbags

My city makes sandbags available (up to 15 per household). You must bring a shovel and fill the bags yourself, but hey, free sand and bags. Find out if your city has a program like this.

Safe Place or Room

Identify a safe room within your home. The safest place during a storm is obviously underground like a basement. However, if you live somewhere like Texas where those kinds of things don’t usually exist. The next best thing would be a room without windows and without an outer wall. A closet might be a good idea.

Bring a few supplies into your safe room. Flashlights, lanterns, a deck of cards, water, snacks, blankets, pillows, and other comfort items.

Batten Down The Hatches!

Prepare your home and your land. Install hurricane shutters or board up the windows. Boarding windows can help prevent damage to windows and help keep the wind and rain out of the house.

Learn more about boarding up windows by reading the storm prep article too.

Houston Hurricane Protection Systems for Windows

Texas is one of the states that are frequently visited by hurricanes. Since 2010, there are already eight hurricanes recorded to have passed Texas. Hurricanes are devastating. They bring heavy rains and, usually, tornadoes. They can injure or kill people, destroy cars, and ruin buildings. You cannot prevent hurricanes but protect your property and family through hurricane window protection in Houston.

The hurricane panels or shutters are made to protect glass windows from flying objects. Once the windows are broken, wind will go inside the building and can be troublesome. The air pressure can also cause damages to the roof.

Like windows, you can find hurricane shutters in various styles. Some can be rolled up or down. Others are in accordion style. There are bahama and awning shutters, too. The two are similar in that their top part is attached to the top of the window. The bottom part or sides have a bar for support. You just have to remove the support to close the panel when hurricane is coming. Whatever style you prefer, make sure that the shutter is made of overlapping panels. It is stronger than a single flat panel. If you are concerned with the aesthetics of your home, there are shutters that can be attached using bolts and tracks. They can be completely removed during sunny days.

The hurricane protection systems for windows vary in price. The difference is based on what material is used and how it operates. Of course, the automatic shutters may cost up to $35 for every square foot. The manual type such as the ones with support that you need to move to put the shutter in place is cheaper. The price ranges from $15 to $25 per square foot. They may be expensive but it is a smaller cost compared to the cost of repair for damages that the hurricane might cause.

Benefits of Hurricane Shutters

Hurricane shutters are the best form of protection that you can use to prevent damage to your house, during storms. Hurricanes are very frequent in Texas, and the National Hurricane Center advises everyone to prepare there homes for storms. The shutters are placed on doors and window openings, to keep away the debris and other flying objects that are carried by a storm from breaking the windowpanes. These shutters are beneficial in two ways.

First, they prevent debris from entering the house through broken windows and causing destruction to property within the home. In addition, it keep everyone living within the home safe.
Second, by protecting the windowpanes, the shutters ensure that the air pressure inside the house is stabilized and remains in equilibrium with the negative pressure that is created outside by the storm. This reduces the likelihood of the roof collapsing.

Different Types of Hurricane Shutters

Although the use of hurricane-proof glass has increased in recent years, shutters are still the most economical solution. They are usually made of polycarbonate plastic, plywood, or metals such as aluminum, or steel. There are various types of shutters that are used in modern homes, with each type having its unique benefits.

Storm panels

This is the most common type of shutters due to its low cost of installation and maintenance. Corrugated steel or aluminum is used in making the panels. To strengthen the panels, the pieces are overlapped.

Roll-down shutters

This special type of shutters is installed above the windows such that they roll down to provide protection. An enclosure is built at the top, such that when the shutters roll up, they are stored within the box.

Accordion shutters

These consist of one- or two-piece panels that are installed in an accordion-style, at the sides of the window. During a storm, these panels are unfolded to cover the windows. When not in use, they can be folded back. Just like the roll-down shutters, they are easy to make storm-ready.

It is important to research the best window protection options for you, and ensure that you hire a reputable company to install them to ensure they are done right.

Clean up Outside

It is imperative that you clean up any debris laying around outside. Store garbage cans in a shed. This will help shield them from the wind. In addition, store equipment like lawnmowers in a shed or undercover.

Garbage should be taken to the dump if you have the time.

Lawnmowers, grills, garbage cans, tools, coolers, plants, dog houses, feed buckets, metal signs, and any other equipment that you store outside should be stored preferably in a shed.

Or if you don’t have space in a shed, store them up against a strong structure. Lightweight items should be weighed down with heavy items so they don’t take off and become airborne.

Clean up Inside

If you have time before the storm comes, do the laundry! It makes it easier to pack with plenty of clean laundry. Get the dishes done, and have some easy dinners so that there are fewer dishes to clean. Pack up any important items. Like photos, or expensive gear that you don’t want to lose.