DIY guideStorms
Get the house ready for hurricane season
Before the season starts: the shutters checked, the drains clear, the main water and the main breaker found, a supply kit packed, and the house photographed.
- 1 hr to 2 hr
- 7 steps
- Every step animated
7 steps
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Find the shutters or storm panels, check every piece is there, and put one up once for practice.
Clear the downspouts' ends, the yard drains and the drain at the foot of the driveway.
Find the main water shutoff and check it turns, so you can stop a burst pipe.
Find the main breaker so you know where it is. Turn it off only if you're told to, or water is coming in.
Never touch it if you're standing in water: leave and call the power company.Pack water, food that keeps, a flashlight, a radio, batteries, medicines, chargers and copies of your papers.
Take photos of every room and the outside now, for an insurance claim later.
Heavy limbs over the house, or shutters that need fixings drilled into the walls: ask Handyman for an arborist, or a pro to fit them.
What you need
- Your shutters or storm panels
- A bin for the supply kit
- A phone for the photos
Call a pro if
- Heavy limbs hang over the house
- Shutters need fixings drilled into the walls
- The main water shutoff won't turn
Handyman says: Limb over the house? I'll find an arborist.
Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.
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Rather have
a pro do it?