Prepare Your Patio for Hurricane Season

September 22, 2017

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, you understand better than anyone that this time of year is particularly precarious for homeowners due to increased hurricane activity. These intense storms can be a serious hazard for your family and your property, so it’s imperative that you plan ahead to make sure you stay safe.

One area that often gets ignored during hurricane preparation is the patio. This is unfortunate, as patios and screened enclosures, which give us such beautiful patio shade in Houston, TX in the warm months, are areas that get hit the quickest and the hardest when strong winds kick up—think flying umbrellas, furniture, potted plants, cushions and much more. Luckily, it’s easy to secure this area in a few simple steps. ABC Awning Company is here to help, so don’t hesitate to give us a call for all your patio-related needs!

Secure all heavy items

The first and most important step you can take is to secure or remove all the heavy items you may have in your outdoor space. This includes:

  • Tables and chairs: if you can’t move them inside, turn them upside down so it’s hard for the wind to transport them into glass doors or out into the yard.
  • Umbrellas: Make sure to close and tightly secure umbrellas so they don’t turn inside out or get caught in the wind. Patio shade in Houston, TX is great for sunny days, but you don’t want to find an umbrella coming through your window or screen door!
  • Trunks: If you have any storage containers where you keep swimming supplies or other patio items, pull them inside if you can. If they’re too cumbersome, try to weigh them down with heavy items inside, and put them in a corner where they won’t get blown around.

Remove patio décor

After any expert patio installation in Houston, TX, it follows that you’ll want some lovely decorative items to finish out the look. These are great for normal situations, but you’ll definitely want to remove them before a hurricane blows through. Collect any artwork, lanterns, tea lights and other personal items, and store them inside the house or garage so they don’t suffer water damage or get blown away.

Prepare your pool

You don’t need to drain your pool—in fact, many pool experts recommend leaving water in the pool before a storm or hurricane. While your pool water could potentially overflow, it’s less likely to suffer heavy damage from debris or items that fall into it, which could potentially crack the flooring or walls. However, you should consider putting additional chlorine in the pool to help offset contamination from storm water.

Safeguard against electrical damage

Make sure to invest in some good outdoor electrical covering of the waterproof variety, so you don’t have electrical damage or exposed fuses.

At ABC Awning Company, we help customers like you with beautiful patio installation in Houston, TX every day. We know how to expertly plan, construct and maintain your outdoor spaces, so give us a call today to see how we can transform your outdoor living area!

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