The threat of hail is very real in many parts of the country. In fact, hail can occur wherever strong thunderstorms pop up, which means that they happen just about everywhere in the United States.
Hail can be much more than just a simple nuisance. It can cause real damage to your home. When it hits, it acts almost like shrapnel, shredding right through your home’s roofing. This can then lead to water damage to many parts of your home including the ceiling, walls, floors, and your personal possessions that are kept inside.
Luckily, there is a lot that you can do to protect your home against the threat of hail. A few of these things are discussed in greater detail below. Taking note of these tips will save you a lot of time, money, and worry in the long run.
Replace Your Roofing
The most important thing that you can do to protect your home against hail is to replace your roofing. You should hire a professional contractor to do the work and you should also check with local officials to make sure that your reroofing complies with all of the local building codes.
But don’t just replace your roofing with any old covering. You should replace it with asphalt shingles that have a Class 4 rating. Such a rating shows that the product in question has withstood the impact of a two-inch ball hitting it twice in the same spot. Knowing that your roofing can stick up to such stress is a sure sign that it will perform well in a hailstorm.
What to Do in a Hailstorm
When a hailstorm strikes, the best thing that you can do is to remain indoors. Close all of your windows and doors. Close your drapes and blinds as well. Large pieces of hail coming down at a slant can actually pierce windows causing the glass to shatter. Having the blinds drawn will prevent these pieces of glass from glowing inside. As tempting as it might be, do not go outside until the storm is completely over with.
Review Your Homeowner’s Insurance
The final thing that you can do to protect your home from hailstorms is to review your homeowner’s insurance on a regular basis. Make sure that you have the right kind of coverage to protect your home from natural disasters like hailstorms. Furthermore, it is important to immediately report any damage to your home to your insurance agent as soon as the disaster is over with as it is critical to repair hail damage soon after it has occurred.
Hailstorms can mean serious business. But that does not mean that there is not a way to protect yourself and your home from them. By taking the tips discussed above into account, your home will be in much better shape after a big hailstorm strikes.