How Can I Protect My Home During Hurricane Season?

It’s National Hurricane Preparedness Week, which means it’s time to start thinking about products that can help protect your home and keep your family safe. Whether you're looking for a permanent solution for weather that comes without notice or prefer an option that is both easy and convenient to pull out and store when not in use, Wayne Dalton has many options to choose from to meet your needs.

Start With Shutters

According to the U.S. National Weather Service⁺, one of the first— and most important —steps to take is to secure your home with permanent storm shutters like Fabric-ShieldⓇ Pull-Down Shutters, known to offer some of the best protection for windows.

Before and after showing the Fabric-Shield Pull-Down Shutters.

In regions where extreme weather may come without warning, permanent storm shutters offer the easiest, most accessible protection available on the market. Wayne Dalton’s Fabric-Shield Pull-Down Shutters feature polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated woven fabric panels that are available in custom sizes to fit the window and door openings of any home and are translucent to allow diffused natural light inside. When not in use, the shutters roll up into a compact, low profile canister above each window and doorway.

Fabric-Shield Storm Panels, picture courtesy of USA Today

If permanent storm shutters are not needed or desired year-round, Wayne Dalton offers Fabric-Shield Storm Panels that can be installed manually when weather threats are imminent. Once the Fabric-Shield window and door opening fasteners are installed by a Wayne Dalton dealer, the custom panels can quickly be secured in place with little notice and removed when extreme weather is not a threat. For easy storing when not in use, the panels can be stored rolled up, laid flat or hung vertically.

Fabric-Shield Storm Panels can be a highly effective alternative to steel or aluminum hurricane panels for many homes in hurricane-force wind and rain, and are tested in accordance with the American Society for Testing Materials’ (ASTM) E-1886, E-1996 and E-330.

Carriage House Steel Model 6600

Wind-Rated Garage Doors

As many coastal homeowners know first-hand, a home can be breached during a hurricane or severe storm if wind forces cause the garage door to buckle out of its tracks. The air pressure that is let into the home can cause catastrophic structural damage.

For the highest grade protection against high-wind events, Wayne Dalton’s offers wind load-rated reinforcement options on many of its most popular garage doors. The wind load-rated door options comply with various approval agencies and building codes, including Miami-Dade County, Florida Building Code (FBC) and the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI).

Homeowners can choose from Classic Steel Models 8000, 8100, 8124, 8024, 8500, 8300, 9100 and 9605, Carriage House Steel Models 6600, 9405, 9510 and 9700, as well as Designer Fiberglass Model 9800 garage doors. Model 8700 Specialty Vinyl and Carriage House Wood Models 7400 and 7100 are also available with wind load-rated reinforcement options.

For more information on which wind load-rated reinforced garage door and Fabric-Shield product are recommended for your home, contact your local Wayne Dalton dealer.

⁺Resource: National Weather Service