How To Get Your Home Prepared For Hurricane Earl

Hurricane Earl will give us a brush tomorow and even if its not a direct hit, those high winds can cause lots of issues and headaches for homeowners. The time to prepare is right now! Home Repair Expert and radio show host of "The Money Pit" Tom Kraeutler joined us this morning to talk to us about how to get ready.

Protect Your Power: Power outages are more common that ever before so take steps to protect yours.
• Get a Generator: Prices have come way down and it's just a good idea to have one. Generators are available as a portable (prop) or as a permanently installed stand-by (see image).
• Avoid Candles, use LED Flashlights: Candles are a dangerous fire hazard as a lighting source. Much safer to use the latest flashlights (prop) which have LED bulbs that are super bright and last far longer than incandescent flashlights.
• Unplug Electronics: Protect your home's electronics against surges by unplugging TV, computers and other sensitive electronics that could be damaged by a lightning strike. Consider using surge protectors and battery back-ups too (prop).

Avoids Projectiles: Survey your property for anything that can become a projectile in the wind (lawn furniture, toys, etc.). And check your neighbor's property to. Hurricanes don't respect property lines! It also is important to trim or cut down weak trees and branches which are easily broken off by high winds and may damage a home.

Flood-Proof Basements: Basements and crawlspaces flood when the volume of water in the soil builds to the point where walls can no longer hold it back. To avoid this, act now to remove obstructions from gutters, extend downspouts (prop) and unclog any stair wells or window wells so that they can drain.

Reinforce Windows: Windows are a weak link. You can duct tape them but remember that this only stop glass from shattering. A better option is to make a storm shutter out of plywood (prop) or if you are really concerned, invest storm proof windows before the next big hurricane that have laminated glass (prop) in them which is like a car windshield.

Reinforce Garage Doors: More homes blow-in than blow-down because garage doors fail. Reinforce doors by inserting a 2 x 4 inside the tracks and across the back of the door.

For more on "The Money Pit" and Tom Kraeutler, visit moneypit.com.