Storm Damage in Nashville from High Winds

3/8/2017 (Permalink)

SERVPRO Offers Tips to Help Prevent Wind Damage Caused by Storms

Torrential rains, snow, and high winds have been a larger than usual problem for Tennessee and much of the nation this winter. With the increased number of storms, come the growing number of homes adversely affected by them.

Storm damage in Nashville has been exceptional this winter and now tornado season is upon us. Even worse than simple wind and rain, twisters blow water and debris in every possible direction. It gets under roofs and inside homes faster than a regular storm and is capable of creating hundreds, even thousands of dollars in damage in just a few hours. SERVPRO has decades of experience in dealing with many types of storms, but we have also discovered that a few hours of preventive maintenance is worth a week of restoration and repair.

There are two parts of a home especially vulnerable to storm damage, exterior seals and soffits. Fortunately, they are also easily augmented with a minimum of cost and effort.

Exterior seals secure the weak points of a home from the effects of a wind storm or tornado. These points are the openings to the interior of your home through which electric cables, water pipes, and other conduits enter. If they are not properly sealed, the effect is the same as punching a hole in the side of your home and inserting a funnel. It simply takes a bit longer for the damage to drywall, wood framing and other structural property to occur. A silicon-based caulk seals these openings, regardless if the exterior is wood, stone, metal or brick.

Soffits are the underside to many construction types. They include arches supported by columns, sides of chimneys, projecting cornices or the exterior overhangs of the eaves on your home. Soffits not properly secured shift in high winds and allow water to come in underneath or beside them. They can also be ripped off a home by a tornado. Securing them is straightforward and accomplished with a polyurethane sealant and several handfuls of stainless steel screws. If you wish to accomplish this yourself, be sure to use the correct length. If too short, they do not secure the soffit to the larger structure and may cause additional damage as the wind rips them out.

A weekend of work and a few dollars can prevent thousands of dollars in damage to your home. If you are worried that it may not be enough or if you have already had damage from a previous storm, SERVPRO of Madison / Goodlettsville is here to help. Call us today at (615) 868-5324 for an initial inspection or to schedule repairs.