Hurricane Preparedness

Safeguard Commercial Property To Withstand Hurricanes And Other Major Storms: prepare your property against heavy winds, heavy rains, and flying debris.

Prevent Broken Glass and Facade Damage
• Trim trees to remove weakened and decaying limbs that could become projectiles in a high wind.
• Trim tree limbs away from buildings to lessen roof and other damage.
• Remove loose objects from the roof that might tear away and become projectiles.
• Secure outdoor displays and signage, trash cans and storage sheds.

Pick Other “Low Hanging Fruit”
• Clean drains, gutters and downspouts to facilitate water flow during heavy rain.
• Routinely test backup generators and have sufficient fuel for an extended power outage.
• Secure prior commitments from vendors to assist with repairs and clean up if needed.
• Assess buildings and assets each year to enable a fair insurance claim if storm damage occurs.

Your Builder Can Assist With Challenging Tasks To Minimize Costly Damage:

Check Roof Sealants
• Check for leaking roof sealants and roof penetrations such as stacks, skylights, and chimneys and make the repairs as needed.

Inspect Window System Integrity and Incorporate Storm Resistant Solutions
• Replace faulty window seal caulking with a high-quality urethane caulk.
• Protect single-story commercial properties by securing heavy-duty plywood coverings to the window frame or the building exterior.
• Install impact-resistant windows with heavy-duty frames that are secured to the window header and two layers of laminated glazing held together with a membrane in the middle. They aren’t shatter-proof, but the membrane holds the glass together, keeping the barrier intact, preventing wind and debris from entering the building.
• Apply a transparent coating, hurricane window film to the window exterior and secure it to the frame, to hold the glass together after an impact and sustain the window barrier’s integrity.

Protect Doors and Doorways
• Reinforce glass doors and storefronts. Hurricane-resistant glass storefronts and doors are one of the most effective strategies, and plywood covering can be used as a second line of defense.
• Install exterior doors with at least three hinges as they are better able to withstand extreme hurricane winds.
• Install metal and solid wooden core doors that are best equipped to withstand extreme air pressure changes and flying debris.
• Reinforce glass doors, hollow-core wooden or metal doors, or double-entry doors with plywood or shuttering.
• Install high integrity dead-bolt locks with at least 1-inch of bolt throw to help prevent doors from flying open during a hurricane and combat a potential break-in.

Reinforce Overhead Doors
• Reinforce commercial and industrial hanging doors that are susceptible to wind damage and can be pushed off their tracks.
• Seal doors properly to stop wind from entering the building and causing costly damage to the roof and siding from within.
• Install hurricane-resistant doors and wind-pressure systems to help mitigate risk from gale force winds.
• Replace deficient caulking with a high-quality urethane caulk.

Seal Wall Gaps and Secure Wall Systems
• Closely inspect the exterior building envelope to include condition of masonry, masonry expansion joints, siding, soffits, flashings at wall penetrations and stucco.
• Inspect grading and landscaping to insure proper drainage.