Hurricanes have been one of the most devastating storms in the world’s history. Dating back to Christopher Columbus’s report of the first known hurricane in 1495, these storms have torn down cities and towns wherever they have crossed. These tropical cyclones are characterized by high winds, large thunderstorms and torrential rains. One hurricane can produce more than 2 trillion gallons of water, and the highest wind speed recorded was 200 miles per hour. Many people compare this water-born storm to land-born tornadoes, but hurricanes are actually about 2,000 times wider than tornadoes. Their devastation can also be extremely costly. Fifty percent of the most expensive hurricanes in the U.S. have happened since 1990, one being Hurricane Sandy, which hit last year, and Hurricane Katrina, which was the most costly at more than $80 billion.

If you live an area where there are hurricanes, you should know how to prepare your home for a hurricane. Many stores offer a wide range of shutters that can help you with storm protection. People often buy different kinds of storm shutters to stave off the wind and prevent window breakage. Steel and aluminum storm shutters are the most common kinds, but you can also look into plywood to save money. You can also choose from a variety of styles like accordion storm shutters, or even roll up storm shutters. Similarly, you can have motorized ones that fold away when you are not using them. All of these will work, but you have to make sure that they are high velocity hurricane shutters because you never know how fast the winds are going to be.

You can also look online for other tips on how to prepare your home for a hurricane. Many websites will have ways of saving your house from further damage, such as keeping your trees and shrubs trimmed in case they tip over, installing a dead bolt lock and three hinges on your front door to keep it shut, and confirming with a contractor that your roof is resistant to high winds. To keep your family as safe as possible in case of another hurricane, installing storm shutters would be a good start. From there, consult hurricane preparedness guides to secure the rest of your house. Great references here.