If you have lived along the Connecticut coastline for the last 10-15 years, hurricanes and tropical storms are no stranger to you. Despite how peaceful and pleasant the Long Island sound looks on a calm and normal day, this small body of water has created tremendous flooding along the coastline. Even if you’re not directly on the coast, hurricanes and tropical storms are still scary as the high winds often cause damage to homes, trees, and buildings.
Avoiding a storm entirely is not possible. There’s just no fighting Mother Nature. However, if you’re proactive, you can help your property and your family stay safe during a storm.
It’s far too common for a tree to be completely uprooted during a storm, or for heavy branches to wreck a house, car or deck. Fortunately, as a homeowner, you can manage this proactively to minimize your chances of damage. Here’s how:
- First and foremost, it’s important to maintain your trees. Far too many people neglect to have their trees trimmed, and this could lead to branches growing directly over your roof, or one side of the tree holds too much weight. If neglected, this presents a higher risk of damage during a storm. But if properly maintained, you will not only save money as you’re doing the work proactively, but you will also save yourself from a headache and could even save a life or property!
- Plant trees in responsible places. If you’re building a new home, or plan on planting trees around your property, think about how that tree will look once matured. It may seem like no big deal to plant the tree near your home now, but 3-5 years from now that small tree could have fully developed, and now it’s too close to your home for comfort. Not only do trees present risks of falling on your home during a storm, but if the tree is too close to your home it can cause damage to your foundation.
- Remove dead trees immediately. Dead trees are weak and can more easily break or blow over during a storm. If you suspect you have a dead tree on your property, call a professional tree service company immediately. A professional arborist will be able to determine if the tree is dead and if the tree should be removed. Not only do dead trees present a higher risk of falling or causing damage, but they also attract insects!
- Even if you do all the above steps and feel as though all your trees are healthy and shouldn’t fall during a storm, you may still want to use extra precaution. If you plan on staying home throughout the storm and sleeping through it, we recommend sleeping on a lower level in your home. Simply put, we’ve seen it all, and no one wants to wake up to a tree crashing through their bedroom in the middle of the night.
In the event you are concerned about any trees in your yard, or need professional help cleaning up after a storm, give us a call today. We service Fairfield and New Haven county, and would be more than happy to help you! We provide 24/7 service throughout emergency situations, but much rather assist our customers proactively!
