If you live in a coastal area or an area prone to hurricanes, you probably have some outdoor furniture and accessories for the warm weather. After all, the weather’s great most of the time. But when thunderstorms hit, or when hurricane season is in full swing, you’ll need to have a plan for securing all of your patio furniture and other items. Here are a few tips:
Take Stock of All Outdoor Items
First, take a quick walk around outside the front, back and sides of your home. Decide which items you will move indoors, and which will stay out. Make plans for other items like trashcans, grills, plants, and your hose.
Use Weights or Sand Bags
For the items that will remain outside, you can pick up sand bags from your local home improvement store as a cheap and easy option for security. Just place them on the pieces to stay outdoors, and they will keep your furniture secure in high winds. If you want to avoid the breakage and consequential mess of sand getting everywhere, furniture weights are available for purchase at most home improvement stores and online. If your furniture is on a deck, another security option is to purchase deck down anchors.
Other Objects to Secure
Size doesn’t matter when it comes to preventing loose objects from causing damage. Even the most unsuspecting items can become deadly projectiles in hurricane force winds. Here are a few more items to look for:
- tools
- bird feeders
- container plants
- hanging baskets
- wind chimes
- garden art
- swing sets
- bicycles
- toys
- playhouses
- doghouses
Additionally, be sure to go through your garage and shed, and take care of insecticides, motor fuels and cleaning chemicals. These and similar products should be stored in areas that are secure and as high as possible as they can be hazardous if floodwaters spread them through your home or garage.
Review Your Insurance Policies
A very important task in hurricane season preparation is to go over your insurance coverage and ensure that it is sufficient for your needs. Give your insurance agent a call or stop by the office to review your homeowner’s policy, discuss flooding and windstorm coverage, and find out the details and terms of what your current policy will and will not cover. Make sure to ask about things like replacement cost coverage for your personal possessions and additional living expenses. Then evaluate whether you are ok with paying damages that are not covered.
With some simple precautions and a little effort, your outdoor furniture and other outdoor objects will be as safe and damage free as possible when a hurricane strikes.
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