As hurricane season opens, people in South Louisiana have a checklist of things they get done to make sure they are prepared for the possibility of a storm. Most of these things involve making sure the inside of the house is protected, but your outdoor space should not be neglected. If you have made an investment in making the most of your outdoor living, you want to protect that investment. That is why preparing your Baton Rouge yard for hurricane season is important.
While most of the prep work will happen when a named storm is headed in your direction, there are a few things you can do at the beginning of hurricane season that will go a long way towards minimizing potential damage. First, let’s address the yard itself. Take a look around and determine if any tree limbs or branches look like they are too weak to withstand hurricane strength winds (75mph or above). If so, you want to have these limbs removed. You also want to trim back any trees or foliage that may fall directly on your patio, patio furniture, or outdoor kitchen.
The second thing you want to do at the beginning of the hurricane season is make sure everything has a place. Once a named storm is headed in your direction, you are on the clock to “batten down the hatches.” While we usually have a plenty of notice when a storm is approaching, you don’t want to spend that time cleaning out your shed or store room in an effort to “make room” for the things in your yard. Rather, it is best to have a place for everything when hurricane season starts. What needs to be put away? Basically, anything that isn’t nailed or bolted down. Through our custom installations, we can make sure that your fire pit, patio table, or any piece of your outdoor kitchen can be as “permanent” as you want it to be. However, you will need a place to put your chairs, bar stools, chaise lounges, or anything else that you regularly move around. You will want to pay particular attention to patio umbrellas. Even when they are closed, they have a tendency to catch some wind and turn into projectiles.
You may also want to shop for supplies to protect your outdoor space before there is a storm pointed in your direction. Once you are in the path of a storm, there is almost always an increased demand for things like generators, gas, bottled water, and lumber. While most people are buying lumber to board up their windows, we also recommend stocking up to protect anything that you plan to leave out in the elements. The two biggest targets are glass and granite. If your patio table is made of glass, you can cover it with a piece of plywood and either tie it down, or otherwise fasten it to the table. The same is true of your outdoor kitchen countertops. Though granite isn’t as fragile as a glass table top, a falling branch can still some serious, and expensive damage. While this doesn’t guarantee nothing will break, it goes a long way towards minimizing the risk.
Once you are in the path of a named storm, there is a completely different checklist of preparedness tips, but taking care of these items at the beginning of the season will free up a lot of that limited time, and leave you with more peace of mind in an otherwise stressful time. Of course, if you need any help along the way, we are here to help.
