Hurricane Proof Your Garage Door – To Keep Your Home and Family Safe

In many homes, garage doors have been considered as a shield in protecting your belongings and your home from the harmful elements and intruders. With that said, keeping a sturdy garage door is necessary. 

However, if you live in an area prone to hurricane or high-wind, a standard garage door might not be able to protect you, your family and your home. So, when choosing a garage door, you must consider the potential threats of hurricane storm damage to your home. 

Reinforcing your garage door does more than just protecting the garage alone. It also helps in protecting your entire home from storm and high winds. 

How Can Hurricane Impact Your Garage Door

Your garage door is the most susceptible opening of your home to damage by high winds unless you have installed a tested-hurricane proof garage door. 

Garage doors, due to their sizes, are highly vulnerable to damages from high winds. According to FEMA, during a hurricane, a loss of a garage door can become a breach point that sends winds to the entire home and could cause blown out of the house’s roof and supporting walls due to the uncontrolled build-up of internal pressure. 

Moreover, high-winds can lift even heavy objects such as furniture and trees, crashing them into the sides or corners of your home and causing your doors to buckle. These objects might not damage the structure of your home, but the water that can intrude during the hurricane can cause severe water damage to your home. 

Consider the tips below to prevent structural and content damage.

Garage Door Should Meet The Wind-Load Requirements For Your Geographic Region.

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew left Florida with tremendous catastrophic damage to many homes. The total number of fatalities was 65 and the damage cost a total of 27.3 billion (1992 USD). That was a huge amount of money.

 Due to its aftermath, the state Building Commission has provided stricter building codes that are used to require all garage doors to be reinforced so it can withstand the higher wind load requirements. Every region is different. Your local building code department can provide you the most current code information and your garage door technician will go on-site to perform an inspection to check your existing garage door.

You can determine your wind-code requirement through; 

• Your area’s minimum wind speed. Your garage door must meet or exceed the minimum wind speed to make sure it is safe.
• Exposure to different obstructions.
• Your home’s structural type. (Is it a one-story home or two?)

Reinforce Your Garage Door

Reinforced garage doors can withstand severe pressure and high-winds of a hurricane. Luckily, there are two ways in reinforcing your garage door — add on and storm-ready.

Add-on reinforcement allows you to install posts at the back of the door (floor and ceiling) that helps in securing your garage door in case the storm hits your home. You can easily remove the posts after the storm passed. 

The latter one, storm-ready reinforced garage doors require no set-up because reinforcement is already built on the structure of the door. This type of garage door is helpful for the homeowner who owns rental properties or vacation homes. The door assures the owner that it is safe and free from any harmful elements. 

Choose A Door That Has Heavy-Duty Materials 

There are plenty of garage doors that are built with heavy-duty materials. They perform better especially in areas that are prone to hurricanes. They can provide supreme strength that can surpass high-winds during a hurricane, keeping the in shape and place. 

Secure Your Windows

Your windows can be another source of a breach in your garage. Removing the windows or replacing them with a hurricane-proof quality can prevent you from having a disastrous hurricane scenario.

If you choose to keep your current windows, replace the panes with hurricane-proof glass and install exterior shutters. You can use shutters to keep the windows closed and locked and prevent debris to crash from there. If you are using windows made of glass, use the quality, wind-resistant glass.

Install Drainage Near your Garage

Together with windstorm is an extreme amount of water. Water, when intrudes into your garage, can cause severe damage not only to its contents but also to the entire structure of your home. Water damage repairs can be costly and can cause inconvenience.

You should install a trench drain in front of your garage and on either one side (to direct water away from home) to prevent floodwater from getting into your garage. Installing flood vents can also be a good solution from preventing water to sit in your garage. Flood vents allow water to drain out before it rises and causes damage.

Hurricanes are no easy thing. They can create catastrophic damage if your home is not properly protected. Reinforcing your garage door to be hurricane-proof can protect your home and your family from any danger high-winds can bring.

Be hurricane ready. Don’t wait for a hurricane warning to be issued before you take into consideration of reinforcing your garage door. To get more information on a variety of hurricane-rated garage doors or impact-resistant windows, or you need help in reinforcing your current garage door; call your local garage door manufacturer today.