Types of Storm Damage You Can Prepare Your Home For | SERVPRO® of West Forsyth County

8/19/2022 (Permalink)

Residences can suffer greatly from severe storms. While many modern houses are constructed to take on these dangerous weather threats, almost every house will experience some form of damage when strong storms rip through our area.

Dangerous winds and wind-related disasters can throw debris all over town and produce cold rain, snowstorms, lightning and flash floods. Based on the time of year and the kind of storm, each of these threats could compromise your home’s structure as well as anything else on your property.

Depending on the nature of the storm and events taking place, there could be different types of damage inflicted upon your home. The landscape surrounding your property, the area’s geography, the quality of your home’s foundation or building materials and other elements all play a role in determining the severity of potential damage. (We admit that there is also a component of luck.)

While there are many different types of weather events that happen around the world, our area is at a particular risk of a few of them. Your Winston-Salem home could be impacted by lightning, severe winds and dangerous flooding throughout the year.

In order to properly prepare you, let’s examine the three primary types of storm damage:

Wind

When powerful wind gusts that blow at extraordinarily high speeds come in contact with buildings, you can expect some wind damage to occur. Tornadoes and hurricanes are the most prevalent cause of high winds, but even thunderstorms can produce gusts of up to 100 mph.

Debris around your yard may be picked up by heavy winds and thrown into your home or vehicles, and the wind itself can sheer siding off a building or shingles off a roof. It’s crucial to stay indoors during storms and stay away from any windows and exterior walls in case glass breaks or the walls are pierced by flying debris.

You can also take measures ahead of the storm to minimize the severity of wind-related damage. Reduce the amount of material a storm has to work with by keeping your property free of any limbs, big rocks, loose furniture and dead trees.

Water

Water damage could develop inside your home during and after a severe storm. Even a small storm can produce heavy downpours that cause water to collect around your home and then seep inside through the seals on your doors and windows.

If there is enough water present, it may potentially leak into your foundation and seriously harm its structural integrity.

Consider remodeling your yard with unique landscaping designs that draw water away from your home rather than accumulate next to it to reduce the amount of damage that water may cause to your property. You could also try a rain garden, a creative way to change the look of your yard while also keeping rainwater from creating water damage around your property.

Also, make a point to keep your gutters clean so that they can function as intended and prevent water from weighing down your roof or pooling near your foundation. Water can gather in clogged gutters and make its way into your house from the top, seeping down to the bottom.

Impact

“Impact damage” is another way severe storms can have a destructive effect on your home. Strong winds can cause trees to collapse or debris to be thrown into your property, causing damage. In essence, this type of damage occurs when anything hits or impacts your home or other items on your property.

Trimming trees surrounding your property and making sure any dying trees are removed are both surefire ways to prevent this kind of catastrophe and can keep Mother Nature from sending them down onto your roof.

Catastrophes brought on by the weather cost around $145 billion in losses in 2021 in the United States alone. These suggestions could help you save a tremendous amount of time and money and help protect your home by stopping these disasters before they start.

If your home faces destruction at the hands of a severe storm, our team at SERVPRO of West Forsyth County can help reverse the damage. Our restoration professionals combine innovative technology and techniques with years of experience to find the best solution to your problem!

When you suffer storm-related damage to your home or business, it’s important that you know who to call! Contact us today to get your storm damage restoration started faster. 336-946-1131.