Tips for Hurricane Season - In the Yard

 

Hurricane season has officially begun, and homeowners in Coastal areas such as Long Island can be at a high-risk for storm damage.  In order to protect themselves, homeowners should consider taking action before a hurricane threatens to hit the area, keeping their home and family safe in the event of an emergency.

 

To protect homes and vehicles from potential storm damage, homeowners should begin preparing their homes by making sure that their rain gutters and exterior drains are free of debris to avoid potential water backups.  Roof sheathing should also be checked to make sure that it could withstand heavy winds.

Exterior furniture or art that could act as a dangerous projectile should also be moved inside or secured with cables or netting.

In the yard, homeowners should be sure that trees and other outdoor landscaping are trimmed so that there are no branches hanging over the home or vehicle that could fall and cause severe damage or even personal injury.

Trees or branches that fall can create a great deal of damage to your property, but an inspection by an arborist can help identify unhealthy tree branches and remove them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Protecting the Home Inside and Out: Tips for Hurricane Season - Series

Hurricane season has officially begun, and homeowners in Coastal areas such as Long Island can be at a high-risk for storm damage.  In order to protect themselves, homeowners should consider taking action before a hurricane threatens to hit the area, keeping their home and family safe in the event of an emergency. 

During hurricane season, people living in at-risk areas need to protect themselves should a severe storm put them at risk. Taking the proper precautions, collecting emergency supplies and creating a family evacuation plan are just a few ways homeowners can remove a stress from an inherently stressful situation. Once a hurricane is reported, homeowners will be competing for a limited supply of critical materials and resources such as gasoline, generators, tarps and boards and bottled water.

Visit our Blog Page over the next few days to learn a few tips for hurricane season to help keep you and your family safe.

Farmers and Gardeners: Prepare Now to Weather the Whims of Mother Nature

Commercial farms and home gardens alike present similar challenges when natural disasters are a threat. The flat, open land that crops grow in and animals graze on has few natural defenses against flooding, and any tall buildings on farmland, such as barns and silos, can be vulnerable to lightning strikes.  While the average home garden doesn’t have the same scope of a large farm, owners of both can use similar methods to protect their crops, livestock and property from the impact of a natural disaster.

Take a full inventory of everything: livestock, equipment, pesticides, fertilizers, other chemicals and fuel. Animals should be tagged so they can be returned if they get lost or hurt during an incident. Have sandbags and plastic sheeting on hand to cover and protect crops and garden plots in case of flooding. Use wire and rope to secure objects, and lumber and plywood to protect windows. Put a fire extinguisher in every building and vehicle on your property.

Choose a safe, flood-proof location to store extra fuel for tractors and vehicles, food and water for livestock, and a gas-powered generator in case of power failure. Make sure that electrical power to flood-prone machines and structures can be easily turned off. Have hand tools accessible to assist in preparation and recovery.

If you are in a particularly flood-prone area, figure out escape routes for livestock to get to higher ground. Also, keep them out of barns that may flood, as their natural instinct is to seek shelter in a barn during an emergency.

In the aftermath of a disaster, report leaks of any hazardous materials (pesticides, fuel, fertilizer and other chemicals) to authorities.

Check your utilities for signs of damage, and contact your utility company before turning anything back on. Spray surviving livestock with insect repellent to protect against mosquitoes, and have all animals checked for infectious diseases such as pneumonia or foot rot.

Test the soil, especially in smaller gardens and flower beds. It is recommended that flooded areas not be planted again for at least 30 to 60 days. Before replanting, make sure the soil is dry and has been reworked. Salt water can get washed up by waves and storm surge and get into the soil and on plants and trees, causing leaves to brown and damaging roots and buds. The damage salt spray can do to plants can last for several years.

Dispose of any leafy green vegetables and any other crops with edible parts that were touched by flood water. Affected root vegetables can be sanitized for consumption by rinsing them and soaking them in a bleach/water solution.

New York Metro Area at Risk for Hurricane Storm Surge Damage

Although scientific predictions suggest lower-than-normal storm activity for 2014, the risk of significant damage to homes is a constant threat. “Though the 2013 hurricane season will be remembered for the fact that no storms made landfall along the U.S. coast, this reprieve from hurricane-related damage should not lead to complacency in preparing for future storms and the potential life-threatening conditions they can bring,” said Dr. Thomas Jeffery, senior hazard scientist for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. “This year’s season is projected to be slightly below normal in hurricane activity, but the early arrival of Hurricane Arthur on July 3 is an important reminder that even a low-category hurricane or strong tropical storm can create powerful riptides, modest flooding and cause significant destruction of property.

Florida topped the list for states with the highest number of homes at risk of storm surge damage, with nearly 2.5 million homes at various risk levels and $490 billion in total potential loss.

Additional findings include:

The five states with the highest total number of properties at risk are:

Florida (2,488,277)

Louisiana (738,165)

New York (466,919)

New Jersey (445,928)

Texas (434,421)

The five states with the highest value of reconstruction costs for homes at risk include:

Florida ($490,403,653,377)
New York ($182,474,294,695)
Louisiana ($161,062,467,382)
New Jersey ($134,194,963,314)
Virginia ($92,001,482,217)

Home reconstruction value in the Gulf is much less than the reconstruction value of homes in the Atlantic region. The total reconstruction cost value of homes along the Atlantic coast is nearly $951 billion, approximately double the value of at-risk properties in the Gulf region at just over $545 billion.