Are Your Windows & Doors Ready for Hurricane Season?

Are Your Windows & Doors Ready for Hurricane Season?

Courtesy of NOAA news Online

By Gates Dearen

The 2017 Hurricane Season is upon us, with 15 named storms, including eight hurricanes predicted.  With the exception of Hurricane Matthew last year, many people living in Florida may have gotten complacent, since the Sunshine State had not seen a hurricane make landfall since 2004 when the state weathered four hurricanes in quick succession.

It has been 13 years since a hurricane scored a direct hit. Before Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005, many residents thought they’d be able to weather the storm. As a result, Katrina became the third most deadly storm in US history with more than 1,200 deaths and $108 billion in damage, even though the hurricane was only a Category 3.

Protecting your windows during Hurricane Season

Courtesy of  commons.wikimedia.org

It’s July in Florida.  That means Independence Day to most.  To Floridians it also means Hurricane Season, when the next named storm could come to town to ruin your holiday spirit.  While most Floridians are well aware of the danger that summer storms can bring, what many don’t know, is that it isn’t the high wind that causes most of the damage to homes and businesses during a hurricane.  It’s the water.  While the wind can tear off shingles and break windows, the most severe structural damage comes from letting the rain inside.