Hurricane season is here, which means it’s more important than ever to know how to properly prepare your home and loved ones to weather the storm. No homeowner wants to have their house damaged or even potentially lost due to a natural disaster, so that’s why our experts have compiled a list of 5 steps to prepare for a hurricane to help you secure your home, protect your loved ones, and stay safe.

1. Create an Emergency Plan
One of the most important steps of preparing for a hurricane is creating an emergency plan that the entire family can follow, including your evacuation route. You will also want to figure out some other things, such as where you’ll take shelter, how you’ll communicate during a hurricane, and what to do if family members get separated. Your emergency plan should also consider any special measures that need to be taken to accommodate pets, children, the elderly, or the disabled. It’s ideal if everyone in the family understands the plan before hurricane season hits.

2. Identify a Shelter Room
Ideally, identifying a shelter room would be part of your emergency plan. You’ll want to choose a centralized area of your home on the first floor that is away from any windows or outside doors. You want to stay on the main level because houses have been known to cave in or partially fly away during a rigorous storm. If you think you’ll be waiting out the storm for extended periods of time, you may want to re-arrange this centralized area, so it’s as comfortable as possible for you and your loved ones.

3. Secure Your Home
Hurricanes can bring high winds, flooding, and other dangers to your front doorstep. Therefore, you’ll want to secure your home inside and out to prepare for the storm. Remove any patio furniture, potted plants, bikes, and toys from the outside, and you will also want to think about moving your cars to higher ground away from any power lines or tall trees. For the interior, remove any art or other valuables that aren’t completely secure, and you’ll also want to unplug any appliances in case of a power surge. Finally, you’ll want to install storm shutters on the windows or even plywood or sheet metal in a pinch to block out the oncoming storm.

4. Power Up
Hurricanes often knock out the power grids, meaning affected areas may have to go days or even weeks without power. That’s why before the storm comes, you’ll want to power up certain things in your home. Charge your cell phone, fill your car’s gas tank, test your generator, and have plenty of fuel on hand in case you do face a power outage. These small preparations may be the difference between escape and entrapment during a raging hurricane.

5. Double-Check Your Insurance Policy
Before hurricane season, it’s a good idea to double-check your insurance policy to ensure you’re fully covered in the case of an incident. Particularly if you live in an area prone to hurricanes, you’ll want to make sure you have enough coverage to rebuild your home and replace all your personal belongings if something occurs. It may vary from state to state, but in Florida, the type of coverage needed for hurricanes is windstorm/hurricane coverage.

Final Thoughts
Once you’ve followed these 5 steps for preparing for a hurricane, your home and loved ones should be ready to respond properly in the case of a storm. From our family at Evergreen Home Buyers to yours, we hope you stay safe throughout hurricane season and that these tips will help you weather the storm.

And remember, once the skies are clear again, if you’re looking to sell your home for quick cash, we will purchase your house AS IS with no repairs, inspections, appraisals, or contingencies necessary. So, for a completely quick and painless way to sell your home for cash faster, visit www.selltoevergreenjax.com today.