How to Prepare Your Shed For a Hurricane

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, then it’s important to know how to prepare your shed for the bad weather these storms produce. If you’re like most people, you have valuable items, tools and other equipment in your shed that you want to keep protected. After all, that is the whole point of having a storage shed in the first place.

Hurricanes are powerful storms with wind speeds starting as high as seventy-four miles per hour and they can go way over two hundred miles per hour depending on how strong the storm is. They can cause severe damage to homes and backyard buildings that can end up costing lots of money. Fortunately, there are a few things that you can do to be prepared and possibly reduce the amount of damage your property sustains.

The following steps can help you prepare your outdoor shed for a hurricane:

Step One

The safety of your family should always be first so make sure you have arrangements made for your family and pets to go somewhere safe before the bad weather sets in. Take the time to get your home secure and then you’re ready to prepare your outdoor storage shed for the rough weather ahead.

Step Two

Most storage buildings are not anchored to the ground. If yours is not, make the building as secure as possible. The high wind that accompanies a hurricane can easily pick up any small building and move it around to a different location. One way of securing your shed to the ground involves driving stakes deeply into the ground. Next, attach heavy ropes or cables to both the stakes and the building.

Step Three

Secure the windows and doors. Many backyard storage sheds have small windows. If yours does, then you’ll need to cover it with a piece of plywood that is at least half of an inch thick or thicker. You can place a piece of plywood over the door as well to keep it from being blown open.

Using these tips do not guarantee that your backyard shed won’t be damaged or even destroyed but it does reduce your risk. How much damage occurs depends on the severity of the hurricane and how close it comes to your property.