Preparing for High Winds Starts at the Openings

Wind almost never takes a house all at once. It finds one weak point and works it. A door that flexes in its frame. A window cracked by a piece of gravel. A garage panel that bows. One shingle edge that has lost its seal. Preparing for high winds is mostly about closing those gaps before the forecast makes you think about them.

The reason the sequence matters is pressure. Once wind gets inside a building, it pushes outward on the walls and upward on the roof deck at the same time the storm is pushing down and across from outside. That is how a house ends up looking like it burst rather than blew over. Keep the envelope closed and the loads stay manageable.

The Short Version

• Close every interior door during a wind event, along with the exterior ones. It slows pressure build-up and keeps a breach contained to one room.
• Plywood is effective and cheap, but only if it is measured, cut, pre-drilled and labeled before a storm is named.
• Taping an X on a window does nothing for strength and nothing for shattering.
• Roof shape, fastener choice and edge detail decide how a roof behaves above 100 mph.
• Trees, trampolines, grills and empty trash cans are the projectiles that break the windows.
• Have the roof looked at once a year by someone who inspects roofs for a living.

Doors

Exterior doors take the first hit, and most standard doors can be made noticeably tougher in an afternoon. Replace short hinge screws with long ones that reach past the jamb into the wall framing. Check that the threshold seals the bottom and is anchored into the floor. Add a deadbolt with a bolt that throws a full inch. French doors need flush bolts that drop at least an inch into the floor.

Areas designated as Wind-Borne Debris Regions and High-Velocity Hurricane Zones have building codes requiring impact-resistant doors on new construction. Those doors use stronger cores, laminated glass and heavier anchoring, and many carriers offer a premium credit for them. Ask your agent first, because the credit varies by state.

For plywood covers, use sheets at least half an inch thick, cut to overlap the frame, and fasten with heavy-duty screws or expansion bolts. Pre-drill the holes and write the location on each sheet in marker. Plywood sells out fast once a storm has a name.

Windows

Look around the yard and count the objects that become ammunition at 90 mph. Branches, gravel, patio furniture, a grill lid, a child’s scooter. A window is usually the weakest link in the envelope, and once one cracks, wind keeps working the crack until the pane fails and the interior is exposed.

Laminated impact glass is thicker and bonded to an interior film, so a struck pane holds together in the frame instead of spraying the room. It also cuts outside noise, blocks most ultraviolet light, and slows down anyone trying to break in. Less expensive options work too. Hurricane film applied directly to the glass helps a pane hold together, though on old or weak frames the whole unit can still come out. Roll-up and accordion shutters are permanent, deploy in minutes, and are the practical choice for condominium owners who cannot store plywood.

The Roof

A roof is a system, not a surface. Covering, underlayment, moisture barrier, flashing, fasteners, decking, eaves, soffits and framing all have to hold together. Age works against every part of it. Shingles stiffen, adhesive strips give up, and edges start to lift. Once the covering peels, wind and water are inside the attic within minutes.

Inspect It Once a Year

Walk the property and look for missing or partial shingles, cracked or buckled tabs, rust on flashing, split caulk, worn rubber boots at pipe penetrations, damaged chimney caps, scrape marks from branches, and moss. Pay extra attention to the perimeter, where lifted material gives wind its first grip. Keep gutters clear and limbs trimmed back off the roof plane.

Plenty of this is visible from the ground with binoculars. Plenty is not. An accredited NRCIA member performs a LeakFREE® Check across five zones, interior, attic, exterior, perimeter and rooftop, and puts the findings in a written LeakFREE® Roof Inspection Report. That report tells you where the roof stands before a storm season rather than after one.

Design, Materials and Fasteners

Some of this is decided at construction. A low-profile roof sheds wind better than a tall one. A hip roof outperforms a gable. Fewer penetrations and shorter overhangs mean less to catch. Nails hold where staples pull. Plywood decking beats particle board.

If you are replacing a roof anyway, the upgrades are cheap relative to the job. Ask for a shingle with a higher wind rating and ask for six nails per shingle instead of four. Standing-seam metal has fewer seams and locks together, which is why it holds up well in wind. Clay, slate and concrete tile also perform, though the weight may require framing work first. Hurricane straps and truss bracing tie the roof structure to the load-bearing walls, and that work belongs to a licensed contractor who knows your local code.

The Garage Door

The garage door is the largest moving part of the house and, on many homes, the largest single opening. It has to resist sustained pressure and survive whatever the wind throws at it. Thin aluminum and aging wood do neither.

Start with a look. With the door closed, you should see almost no daylight around the panels. Rollers should sit firmly in the track with little play, and the door should lock manually into both sides. Storm-rated replacement doors use layered construction, usually with at least one steel skin, plus heavier hardware and tracks. If replacement is not in the budget, aftermarket vertical bracing posts anchored into the floor and ceiling, or bolt-on hurricane panels, add real resistance. Both have to be installed by hand before the storm and removed after, and neither typically qualifies for an insurance credit.

Siding, Trees and Loose Objects

Siding fails when wind gets behind it. Inspect for cracks, soft spots and sections that have pulled away from window frames, dryer vents, hose bibs, gas entries and cable penetrations. Reseal what has opened. Replace what has gone soft. The International Building Code rates standard vinyl siding to 110 mph up to 30 feet of height, which covers most one and two story homes, and higher ratings come from thicker material combined with correct nailing. Nails go in the center of the slot, left slightly loose so the panel can move with temperature.

Outside, treat every unsecured object as a projectile. Furniture, umbrellas, potted plants, brush piles, the trampoline. Store what fits, anchor what does not, and fill empty trash cans with water. Sheds and outbuildings need ground anchors or over-the-top strapping, or their contents become ammunition too. Trees deserve annual attention: thin the interior canopy so air passes through, cut branches that touch or overhang the house, and remove aging trees taller than their distance from the wall. Use a bonded and insured service, and confirm whether stump and debris removal are included.

Shelter, Evacuation and the Safe Room

In a tornado, the plan is an interior room on the lowest floor, away from glass. A basement, an interior bathroom or a walk-in closet. Bring a flashlight, a battery weather radio, water and blankets. A tub adds cover.

Hurricanes give days rather than minutes. The National Hurricane Center runs the Atlantic season from June 1 through November 30 and the eastern Pacific season from May 15 through November 30. Learn your evacuation route now. If you are told to go, go, and leave at least a day ahead so you have fuel and lodging options. Before you leave, put up the shutters, secure the yard, arrange for pets, and tell someone where you are headed.

Get the Roof Checked Before the Season

Wind exposes whatever was already worn. NRCIA sets the inspection standard, trains and accredits members through the RoofGUARD™ and ForensicGUARD™ programs, and maintains the member directory. Members perform the inspections and issue the reports.

Find an accredited NRCIA inspector near you and schedule a roof inspection before the next wind season.

LeakFREE®, Forensic ROOF®, Mr. RoofCheck®, InspectionPLUS®, Today’s Inspection… Tomorrow’s Protection®, and Got Leaks?® are registered trademarks of Field Gate FLP, used by permission. RoofGUARD™, ForensicGUARD™, DisasterGUARD™, E3GUARD™, and Think Like a Raindrop™ are trademarks of Field Gate FLP.