Hurricane-Season Water Prep: Protecting Your Home Before the Peak

Seal the ways water gets in

• Re-caulk and weatherstrip around doors and windows, the most common entry points for wind-driven rain.
• Have loose or damaged roof flashing and shingles repaired before the season peaks — small roof gaps become big leaks in a storm.
• Check that door thresholds and garage-door seals are intact.
• Know where water has entered before (there is always a first weak point) and reinforce it.

Give water a fast way out

• Clean gutters and downspouts and extend downspouts to carry water well away from the foundation.
• Clear yard and street drains near your property so heavy rain does not pool against the house.
• Grade soil so it slopes away from the foundation, not toward it.
• If you have a sump pump, test it now and consider a battery backup — power often fails exactly when you need the pump most.

Protect what matters if water does get in

• Move irreplaceable documents, electronics, and valuables off the floor and out of basements and ground-level rooms.
• Keep important papers in a waterproof container, and photograph your belongings now for any future claim.
• Have sandbags or flood barriers on hand if you are in a surge or flood-prone area — they sell out once a storm is named.
• Know how to shut off your home's electricity and water in case you need to.

Understand your flood coverage — before you need it

This is the step that catches people off guard after the storm. Standard homeowners insurance covers many kinds of sudden water damage but typically excludes flooding from rising surface water and storm surge, which require separate flood insurance. Most flood policies also have a waiting period before they take effect, so buying one as a storm approaches will not help. Review your coverage at the start of the season, not the end.