Storms and natural disasters deliver billions of dollars worth of damage every year. You might know how to protect yourself from some of the bigger natural disasters, but did you know that hail storms cause extensive damage too? In this article, we will talk about how to prepare for a hail storm so you can keep your home and car protected.
What Are Hail Storms?
Before we talk about how to prepare for a hail storm, you need to know what a hail storm is. Hail storms can be dangerous due to their high winds and huge balls of ice. What exactly is a hail storm, and what type of damage can it cause? You know how regular rain storms are created, right? Water evaporates off of the surface of rivers, plants, creeks, ponds, the ocean, and other water sources. Water droplets in the air begin to come together and form clouds. The clouds eventually get heavy enough that the water starts to come back down in the form of rain.
Hail storms are formed when the water droplets get carried up into higher, colder air. Since the air is colder as the water gets higher, the water droplets freeze. Once there are enough frozen water drops, they come down in the form of hail.
To some people, hailstones can look pretty cool, but it can be dangerous without taking the necessary precautions. Hailstones come in many sizes, ranging from little tiny pellets all the way to the size of a softball. The bigger hailstones can break windows, cause tree branches to fall, and seriously injure someone.
How to Protect Your Car From a Hail Storm
One of the ways you can prepare for a hail storm is by taking measures to ensure the protection and safety of your car. Here are some of the things you can do to minimize the amount of damage hail can cause to your vehicle.
Put Your Car in a Garage or Covered Area
If you have a garage, putting your car in there is the best option to keep your car protected from the storm. Although a garage is the most practical solution, what happens if you don’t have a garage to keep your car in? Don’t worry, there are other solutions to keep your car safe and protected. If you live close to a parking garage or another sheltered area, you can drive your car there to keep it out of the storm.
That’s all great, but what if you live in a rural area that doesn’t have access to that type of thing? With new inventions or using things around the house, you can still protect your vehicle from the weather. You can buy a cover made specifically to keep your car protected. If you don’t have the money or the time to order or buy something, you can also use blankets or mats to wrap around your car. By using mats, blankets, or a car cover, you soften the fall of the hail, making it less likely to cause any severe damage.
Take a Look at your Auto Policy
Insurance covers a variety of things, but will it cover damage from hail storms? It depends. Most insurance companies will cover hail storms as long as you have comprehensive coverage. Comprehensive coverage covers damage from non-collision sources such as storms, fires, and vandalism. Even if you have comprehensive coverage, you still have to check your policy to ensure it covers hail storms. As a popular saying goes, “it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.” The same goes for having the right insurance coverage.
Make Sure you have Plenty of Time to Prepare
With today’s technology, we can find out about big storms ahead of time. With that technology, you have plenty of time to prepare for the hail storm before it arrives. As soon as you hear about a hail storm, start preparations so that you aren’t outside once it starts. It is dangerous to be outside in a hail storm because the hailstones can hurt you.
How to Protect your Home from a Hail Storm
Along with potential damage to your car, hail storms can cause a lot of damage to your home if you are not well prepared. Below, you will find steps you can take to prepare your home for an upcoming hail storm.
Cover Windows
You don’t want to have glass everywhere if hail breaks your windows. Make sure that you have blinds and curtains on all your windows, especially the ones facing the storm. Curtains and blinds might not protect your windows from breaking, but they will prevent the glass from spreading everywhere. It would be very disappointing if you got cut by glass due to not being prepared.
Inspect the Roof
To ensure your roof is in the best shape possible to survive the storm, it is a good idea to inspect your roof. Your roof is one of the most important things to prepare for an upcoming hail storm. You want to make sure that there are no cracks, holes, or loose shingles. It is important to get any issues fixed before the storm approaches.
On top of inspecting your roof before the storm, you want to inspect it for damage after the storm passes. If a storm damages anything on your roof, your insurance might be able to pay for repairs.
Patio Furniture
If you have a patio, a hail storm can cause a lot of damage to the items on it, including your furniture. To prevent damaging your furniture, move it to a safe, covered area away from the incoming storm. You can cover it with tarps and blankets to minimize the damage of the hailstones. You can also move the furniture and other patio items inside the house or garage for maximum protection.
Trim Trees and Bushes
One of the things many people don’t think about is the trees and bushes surrounding their homes. If the branches aren’t maintained, they can be a big hazard, especially during a storm. They can fall on your vehicle or house and cause several thousand dollars worth of damage. This is on top of whatever other damage you might have from the hail storm. Make sure to check all surrounding trees and trim the branches that are at risk of falling. If you don’t feel like you can trim them yourself, you can hire a professional to do it for you.
Check Your Insurance Policy
Most home insurance policies do not cover hail storms, but they do offer hail storm coverage as an added policy. It would be a bad idea to assume you are covered, and then find out that you do not have hail storm coverage. This is one of the reasons you need to know how to prepare for a hail storm. Make sure to check with your insurance company about the coverage you need for hail storms.
Secure and Anchor Heavy Furniture
Another thing most people don’t think about is their furniture. Some types of furniture can be quite heavy and cause a lot of damage and injury if they fall down. The last thing you need is any heavy furniture falling on top of someone and killing or injuring them.
When preparing for a hail storm, take a look around and secure all heavy furniture that is not attached. Heavy furniture includes bookcases, shelves, dressers, and cabinets that are not attached to the wall. Securing your furniture can help save your home from more damage, and keep you and the people around you protected.
