How to Prepare Your Roof for Hurricane Season

In South Florida and along the East Coast, we’re getting ready for hurricane season. As a homeowner, it’s important to not only stock your home with essentials but also assess and prepare your home for a hurricane – including your roof.

When is hurricane season?

The hurricane season for Florida and the rest of the nations runs from June 1 to November 30.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that 96% of major category hurricane days happen from August to October.

How do I get my roof ready for hurricane season?

Review your homeowner’s insurance.

It’s always important to understand your home insurance and the coverage you have to make sure you’re properly covered. Review your deductible so you understand what your financial responsibility is if you experience damage during a hurricane. Also, check to see if you have flood insurance since most homeowner insurance policies don’t have hurricane-related flood coverage included. 

Make sure to safely secure all your important documents for your home – insurance, warranties, etc. – in something waterproof. If flooding or water leaks do happen, these documents will be protected from damage.  

And we recommend taking a video or pictures of the inside and outside of your home. By having images of your home, you create an inventory of your belongings should you need to make a claim. You also document the current condition of your house before any storm damage. Try taking images from a distance and close-up of your mailbox, windows, rooms, walls, and roof.

Schedule a roof inspection.

Ideally, you should have annual inspections of your roof. But if you haven’t had one in a while, now is the time to do it before the start of hurricane season or before the first storm hits.  

By having a roof inspection done before the first storm or hurricane, you can establish any damage to your roof wasn’t a pre-existing condition. This will help when you file an insurance claim to have the damage repaired.

Also consider scheduling a roof inspection after a named storm with 70 mph winds or more. This can help identify any issues you may have suffered during the storm, like a shingle seal breaking and allowing water intrusion. 

And if your roof comes through the first named storm okay, a roof inspection will document the condition of your roof should you experience any damage during the next storm. 

Repair any pre-existing roof issues.

You want to check for any loose shingles or tiles, replace any missing shingles or tiles, and check for water leaks. Any of these pre-existing conditions can impact your insurance claim. Plus, a loose tile or shingle can become a flying object during a storm and cause further damage to your home.

A professional roofer can help identify any issues and/or damage to your roof and offer options to repair those issues.

Secure or remove any potential hazards.

Flying objects cause a lot of damage to homes during storms, so it’s important to minimize anything that can cause potential damage.

Have all trees around your home trimmed to avoid any branches rubbing against your roof or home. Also, remove any loose or dead shrubs from your property. Clean off your roof and gutters of all debris and leaves. You want any stormwater to flow freely and prevent water from backing up into your home or roof.

Plan for how you’ll secure all outside equipment during a hurricane. This includes lawn furniture, trampolines, lawn equipment and tools, garbage cans, and garden items. Securing these objects can help minimize any damage to your home or your neighbor’s home.

Expert tip: Have several tarps on hand before the start of hurricane season! Tarps are great to help cover up any damaged areas on your roof or other parts of your home. But don’t wait until the last minute – tarps often sell out after a hurricane.

If you have skylights on your roof, cover those with a wood or metal cap to protect the skylight from cracking, shattering, or blowing off your home.

By preparing your roof and home for hurricane season, you can save yourself a lot of future issues!

Check out our monthly Instagram Live, Ask Your Roofolgist Episode 8: Hurricane Season, where we answer questions submitted by our viewers and dive deeper into preparing your roof for a hurricane.

Send M3 Roofing a message or call the office – (305) 265-5000 – to set up a roof inspection with one of our roofologists to prepare your roof for the next Miami storm or hurricane. We service homes throughout Miami-Dade County and Broward County.