Wind Damage and Its Impact on Your Property

3/4/2019 (Permalink)

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Wind Damage and Its Impact on Your Property | SERVPRO® of East Central Austin 

Severe storms bring many concerns, but damaging winds are always a threat. These winds, which can come with little to no notice, can damage personal property as much as a tornado or hurricane.

What You Need to Know About Damaging Winds

When thinking of damaging winds, the first thought may be winds from a tornado or hurricane. However, those are not the only times when they may happen.

Damaging winds are considered those with wind speeds exceeding 50–60 mph and can occur with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds are often referred to as “straight-line” winds, which differentiate the damage from a tornado.

The damage from these winds can be surprisingly destructive, as they can cause other objects to become projectiles. These projectiles can go through windows.

Windows and roofs can take the brunt of this damage, and the winds are intense enough, they can cause water damage to the home as the outside elements come indoors through shattered windows and damaged roofs.

Anyone who lives in a thunderstorm-prone area is at risk from damaging winds, but some structures are especially at risk. Mobile homes, for example, even those that are anchored, can be seriously damaged in winds gusting over 80 mph.

How to Protect Your Home

Some suggestions of ways to protect your property from damaging winds are listed below, but keep the “Two R’s” in mind: reinforce and remove.

• Use a professional to reinforce your garage door.

• Remove and/or secure loose objects on your property such as trash cans outdoor furniture and grills that could be moved or tossed by the wind.

• Have a professional remove large or dying trees and branches that could fall on your home.

As we all know, not all high winds come with advanced warning, but some of these suggestions could leave you better prepared should damaging winds occur.

Also, if you are building a new home or renovating an older home, be sure the windows, walls and doors are up to code for weather situations for your area. 

If your home has been a victim of damaging winds and resulting water damage, the highly trained specialists at SERVPRO of East Central Austin are available ²⁴⁄₇ to help with the cleanup and restoration of your home.