Take an inventory of personal items

Taking inventory will help ensure that you have purchased enough insurance to replace your possessions. It can also speed the claims process, substantiate losses for income tax purposes, and is helpful should you need to apply for disaster aid. Take it with you if you evacuate.

Protect your home

Hurricane-force winds can turn landscaping materials into missiles that can break windows and doors. Much of the property damage associated with hurricanes occurs after the windstorm when rain enters structures through broken windows, doors, and openings in the roof.

• Replace gravel or rock landscaping materials with shredded bark, which is lighter and will not cause as much harm.
• Cut weak branches and trees that could fall on your house and keep shrubbery trimmed.
• Install storm shutters to protect your windows from breakage. Alternately, fit plywood panels to your windows, which can be nailed to window frames when a storm approaches.
• Ensure exterior doors are hurricane-proof and have at least three hinges and a deadbolt lock that is at least one inch long.
• Sliding glass doors should be made of tempered glass and, during a storm, covered with shutters or plywood. These doors are more vulnerable to wind damage than most other doors.
• Replace old garage doors and tracks with a door approved for wind pressure and impact protection.
• Seal outside wall openings such as vents, outdoor electrical outlets, garden hose bibs, and locations where cables or pipes go through the wall. Use a high-quality urethane-based caulk to prevent water penetration.
• If you live in a mobile home, make sure you know how to secure it against high winds and review your mobile home insurance policy.
• If you have a boat on a trailer, know how to anchor the trailer to the ground or house—and review your boat insurance policy.