If you have experienced some kind of home disaster, the devastation doesn’t stop with the damage to your property. There is a toll that you go through physically and emotionally as well. Be sure you address all aspects of the damage. Of course the first thing you’ll need to do is get in touch with your insurance company to let them know what’s happened. Today, in the event that a disaster has hit your home, lets discuss securing your home.
Check your roof
If there has been a major hail or wind event, you need to be sure to check the shingles on your roof. Shingles don’t have to be missing for their to be a problem. Large hail can actually put holes in shingles that can allow rain to come through to your home. Wind can bend your home’s shingles leaving gaps that can also be a way that allows the elements to make their way in to your ceilings. If your roofline is too high to reach, see if you can borrow a drone from someone to catch video of the roof surface.
The roof is the first line of defense when it comes to keeping the elements out of your house so you need to be sure it’s free of damage.
Look for any water damage
Depending on the type of storm or disaster that has happened, you may need to check for water damage. Clearly if you had a flooding event, you know if water rose high enough to enter your home. If you have a basement, water likely made it’s way there. Once the rain has stopped you need to remove the water from the basement. If you don’t have the means to do this, you can get in touch with a water damage restoration service to take care of the situation for you. They can remove the water and clean up the damage at the same time.
Check around windows for any water seepage as well just to be sure you don’t have any drywall damage that may need to be replaced. Water is your worst enemy when its in places it should not be.
Check for fallen trees on electric lines
If you have large trees on your property, you need to take a walk around to be sure none have fallen or have the potential to fall and take doen any power lines. We had this happen in our backyard and it was so scary. There was a loud crash and a small explosion as a huge tree trunk broke away and took down the main power line to our home. It pulled that line from the transformer and took down the power for two city blocks. Sorry neighbors! Needless to say I stayed clear of the lines and waited for the electric company to come and clear them.
If you see any tree branches across power lines do not try and move them yourself. This can seriously be deadly. Call your local electric company and have them come and take care of them. Call them immediately.
Dealing with storm damage can be a seriously stressful thing, but try to be calm.