How You Can Identify the Safest Places Inside Your Home During Hurricane Season on the Forgotten Coast of Florida
If you are enjoying a nice day in your Forgotten Coast of Florida home and a hurricane touches down, your first instinct may be to panic. Should you vacate your house? Where you opt to ride out the storm can be a matter between life and death, according to many hurricane experts in Florida. Unless your area has not been evacuated, many places within your home are safe to ride out the storm.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the top five places to be inside your Forgotten Coast of Florida home during a hurricane.
1. The Basement
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one of the safest places that you can be during a hurricane is the interior part of your basement, if your home has one. If you can clear out a spot under the stairs in your basement, this is going to be likely one of the safest options available to you and your family within your home. However, most Florida homes don't have basements, so what can you do?
2. Room Without Windows
If your home does not feature a basement space, or your basement is inaccessible, the next safest spot in your home is going to be an interior room without windows on the lowest floor of your house. Interior hallways and closets are the best choices for their lack of windows, which can explode or blown in when a hurricane touches down. It is important to put as many walls between yourself and the exterior of your home as possible, making bathrooms another great choice.
3. Avoid Upper Floors of the House
When a hurricane is actively touching down in your area, it is important that you and your family avoid at all costs the upper floors of a two-story home, even if the room doesn't have any windows. Wind and debris from a hurricane can cause damage, increasing with the height of the storm, meaning that the upper levels of your house are bound to sustain more damage than any other part.
4. Avoid Spaces Beneath Heavy Furnishings
If you are looking to take shelter in your house somewhere safe, you must avoid spaces beneath heavy furnishings, such as a refrigerator or a piano. If the structure of your home is compromised by the force of a hurricane, heavier furnishings can fall through the floor as it gives way to the storm.
5. Seek Shelter Beneath a Sturdy Piece of Furniture
If the storm comes on too fast for you to make it to the basement or an interior room, your next best option is going to be to take shelter beneath a sturdy piece of furniture. You can opt to use some sort of cushioning, like a blanket, mattress, sleeping bag, cushion, or pillow, to protect your neck and head should the furniture you hide beneath get knocked over on you or break while you are beneath it.
Bottom Line
If you have a family of young children with you that you are taking into a shelter space, make sure that you bring along with you a flashlight should you lose power in your house, snacks and water, and books or toys to help pass the time until it is deemed once again safe to leave your home. From basements to interior rooms without windows, and avoiding hiding on upper floors and beneath heavy furnishings, these tips can help you in a pinch during hurricane season in Florida, something every seasoned homeowner should know. Trust the real estate professionals at Coastal Realty Group to guide you in finding and settling down in the home of your dreams on the Forgotten Coast of Florida today.
