PREVENTION TIPS

• Do you know your risk? Answers can be found at your local American Red Cross chapter for information on the weather hazards in your community.
  
  
• Be alert. Noticing changes in the weather and tuning into the local news or radio station can give you up-to-the-minute weather reports.
  
  
• Protection precautions. Your home is usually the best source of protection from high winds. During a windstorm, wind forces are carried from the roof down to the exterior walls, to the foundation. Homes can be damaged when wind forces are not properly transferred to the ground. The exterior walls, doors and windows are the protective shell of your home. If the shell is broken during a storm, high winds can enter the home and put pressure on the roof and walls, causing serious damage.
  
  
  • The roof is your main shelter from high winds but also stands the greatest risk to be damaged. One way to protect your roof from breaking down is applying roof sheathing. Roof sheathing are plywood boards nailed to the roof rafters or trusses. End gables are the sidewalls of the roof that also need protecting. Gable braces should be installed to help keep the roof stabilized. Gable bracing consists of 2' X 4's placed in an "X" pattern at both ends of the attic.
    
    
  • Are your windows "wind ready"? If you live in an area where high winds are a problem, impact-resistant windows should be installed. Another option is covering the existing windows with a clear safety film that can be purchased at your local hardware store.
    An additional window treatment that will help protect your home are storm shutters. Storm shutters should be placed on all exposed windows. A cost efficient and temporary approach to shutters are pre-drilled pieces of plywood fit for each window and installed when high winds are expected.
    
    
  • The doors of your home are easy culprits for wind to destroy. A safe entry door should have at least three hinges with a one-inch dead bolt security lock.