Common Storm Damages | SERVPRO® of Sioux Falls

8/18/2022 (Permalink)

When you suffer storm-related damage to your home or business, make SERVPRO of Sioux Falls your first call.

A severe storm can be a real headache for anyone, but as a homeowner, you have the extra worry of wondering if your home will receive damages. Most recently built homes can withstand a high level of weather-related trauma, but sometimes storm damage just can’t be avoided.

While threats will change with the seasons, severe thunderstorms, hail, snow showers or freezing rain can all cause damage to your property, even hurting the structure of your house.

Your risk level when it comes to storm damages will change according to different factors, including the kind of storm moving through, the way your home is built and even what you have done with your yard. Sometimes, though, whether your home is damaged in a storm just comes down to luck.

While our warmer months tend to be fairly mild in Sioux Falls, we know that our cold winters can come with heavy snowfalls, freezing rains and frozen rivers. And when all of that begins to melt, we have flooding to contend with as well.

Since we also cannot rule out the occasional thunderstorm, we need to be particularly prepared in order to keep ourselves safe. The more we can learn about the most common kind of storm damage, the more we can do to mitigate our risks and save ourselves that headache.

Wind

Wind damages are a frequent occurrence in a lot of different storms in every season when gusts beat buildings at high speeds. Tornadoes and hurricanes come with these kinds of winds, but even a regular thunderstorm can have gusts of up to 100 mph and cause a lot of damage.

When winds get up to this kind of strength and speed, they can easily throw loose items into homes or vehicles. To protect yourself and your property when a storm is predicted to have high winds, seek shelter in a room of your home where you can steer clear from windows and walls. Debris moving at this rate can easily pierce walls and break windows.

You can take action before a storm moves in that can help prevent damages on your property. Get rid of large limbs and rocks.

Secure your outdoor furniture and flower pots so they don’t budge when the wind gets strong. The more debris and loose items you can anchor or get rid of, the less damages high winds can do.

Water

Water creates damage all around the nation and is one of the more common hazards of weather-related disasters. Even a short-lived storm can dump enormous amounts of rain and leave the ground completely saturated. This can lead to leaks through the seals on your window and doors.

If enough rain pools up outside your house, it can begin to soak through your floors and leave the foundation of your home wet, which can result in structural damages.

Just as you can take steps to protect your property from wind damages, you can also take action to minimize the damages that water can do. Your landscaping around your home is often the first line of defense, and it can be used to force water away. You should consider installing a rain garden, which is highly effective at absorbing water before it becomes a problem.

You should also clean your gutters to ensure water is flowing well. If gutters become clogged, water can leak over the sides and puddle on the roof, which can mean a leak that drips onto every level of your house.

Impact

Another form of storm damage that is actually quite common and can happen in any storm is called “impact damage.” Impact damage occurs when an object hits another object, or makes impact, as a result of wind or saturated soils. Downed trees are one of the common sources of impact damage.

To protect your home from impact damages, keep trees well-trimmed and remove any dead greenery. Take out trees that are not doing well or Mother Nature may try to do it for you.

In 2021 alone, weather-related disasters created an excess of $145 billion in damages. When you protect your property, you can save yourself money and rest easier knowing your home is safe.

If you do end up with damages as a result of a weather event, call SERVPRO of Sioux Falls. We have years of experience and industry leading equipment to get your restoration started ²⁴⁄₇. No matter what you may face, we can handle it and get you back home and back to life faster.

When you suffer storm-related damage to your home or business, it’s important that you know who to call! Contact us today to get your storm damage restoration started faster.