Preparation Is Key

As of June 1st, hurricane season is officially here. Is your roof prepared?

Are all of your flashings properly sealed?
Are your drains and gutters free of debris? Do they quickly remove water from the roofing system?
Are there any voids, open seams or penetrations that will allow water under the membrane?
Is every piece of rooftop equipment properly secured to the roof?
Are the perimeters of your roof properly fastened for wind uplift?

They may seem like unimportant questions, but hurricane (or even tropical storm) force winds, can cause major damage if your roofing system is not properly prepared.

Is Your Roof Ready For Storm Season?

Your roof is often the only line of defense against Mother Nature’s fury. At this point, do you know the conditions that exist on your roofs? Not just your anticipated maintenance expenses and such, but which pitch pockets have issues or if there are voids or punctures in the membrane? Are the drainage ports properly sealed?

If you are not sure, give us a call now. As a RAMCON client, we will send an inspection crew at no expense to inspect your roof and determine how the roof is performing and if there are any areas that are likely to allow for direct water intrusion.

We’ll bring the existing assembly, age, conditions and concerns to your attention so you can make an educated decision towards how you wish to address the problems. There’s no sales pitch and no gimmicks, just a chance for us to help our clients and bring peace of mind.

To schedule your inspection for this week, please call (813) 663-9667 and ask to schedule a roof inspection.  We’ll handle the rest and you’ll have all the resources you need.

Staying Sharp This Storm Season

“It’s been several years since the last bad hurricane, so you can get complacent,” says Rodger Osborne, director of facilities for the Martin County School district, one of the areas hit hardest by Frances, and then Jeanne three weeks later in 2004. “This taught us to inspect all roof installations more closely. It’s something we just can’t take for granted.”

A roof is rarely noticed unless there is a problem, but nothing brings it to the forefront of people’s minds like a storm that damages it or blows it off altogether. Sometimes, damage caused by hurricanes is unavoidable, as when flying debris punctures the roof. More often, though, roof damage can be prevented.

The first and most important part of preparedness, and an important lesson from the 2004 hurricane season, is that a preventive roof maintenance program is critical. While the new, more stringent roof codes are well-and-good for new facilities or new roof installations, facilities with older roofs are certainly at much greater risk for more extensive hurricane damage.

Considering the unpredictability of hurricane paths, facility executives may have only a few days to prepare. If facility executives keep up a rigorous preventive maintenance routine, the roof has a better chance of weathering the storm without facility staff having to scramble to make last minute preparations or repairs. Of course, even if the roof has been kept up, some disaster mitigation preparations are still in order.

Experts recommend having an experienced, knowledgeable, contractor do a complete inspection of the roof prior to the storm to pick up any loose items, such as screws, nuts or loose pieces of metal flashing, and taking down other objects that could be dislodged, such as satellite dishes or antennas. This could also be extremely beneficial after a storm, should there be damage and insurance claims, and documentation become necessary.

To have your roof thoroughly inspected, simply call one of our Customer Service Representatives today at 877-726-2661

Busy 2013 Hurricane Season Predicted by Meteorologists

The 2013 Atlantic hurricane season is likely to be more active than usual, with 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes, according to the annual spring forecast of Colorado State University meteorologists. That compares with a 1981-2010 average of 12 named storms, 6.5 hurricanes and two major hurricanes each year.

We always remind our clients that it only takes one hurricane making landfall to make it an active season for them, and they need to prepare the same for every season, regardless of how much activity is predicted.

The forecast was released on last Wednesday. On Thursday, the National Hurricane Center announced that “Sandy” has been retired from the six-year list of names used for tropical storms and hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin because of the damage and death caused by the 2012 storm in Jamaica, Cuba and the United States. Sandy is the 77th name to be retired since storms began to be named in 1950, and will be replaced with “Sara,” beginning in 2018.

How did they come up with these predictions? Well, forecasters compare meteorological and water temperature conditions in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the conditions that occurred each year between 1981 and 2010 to come up with their predictions. This year, they say, the above-average forecast is being triggered by unusually warmer temperatures in the tropical Atlantic during the past few months and the low chance of an El Nino event occurring this summer and fall. El Nino is a warmer-than-average surface water pattern in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean that has been shown to increase wind shear in the Atlantic that obstructs the formation of hurricanes, and correlates to fewer hurricanes. La Nina, which is colder than average water temperatures, tends to reduce shear in the Atlantic, increasing the number of hurricanes. This year’s neutral Pacific water temperature conditions, when combined with other factors, points to a more active season.

The second key factor is warmer than normal sea surface temperatures from January through March in the tropical region of the Atlantic Ocean, where hurricanes form. The forecast said past years with similar warmer winter to spring sea surface temperatures have seen weaker trade winds and westerly high-level shearing winds, lower than normal sea level pressures and above-normal sea surface temperatures in the tropical Atlantic during the following August to October period.

The weaker trade winds make it easier for patches of thunderstorms to gather as tropical waves move across the Atlantic, while the slower upper level winds allow the storm clouds to grow taller. Lower than normal sea level pressures, again, allow thunderstorms to be created more quickly, while the higher temperature surface water provides the heat source for those clouds. As the thunderstorms grow, there’s a greater chance they’ll form tropical depressions, storms and hurricanes. The forecasters predict a 96 percent chance of a hurricane hitting somewhere along the U.S. coast, compared to a long-term average of 84 percent, and an 80 percent chance of a hurricane hitting somewhere along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, compared to the long-term average of 60 percent.

For more information on how to protect your roofing system, please visit www.ramconroofing.com/stormproof.htm

Preparation is Key!

As of June 1st, hurricane season is officially here. Is your roof prepared?

• Are all of your flashings properly sealed?
• Are your drains and gutters free of debris? Do they quickly remove water from the roofing system?
• Are there any voids, open seams or penetrations that will allow water under the membrane?
• Is every piece of rooftop equipment properly secured to the roof?
• Are the perimeters of your roof properly fastened for wind uplift?

They may seem like unimportant questions, but hurricane (or even tropical storm) force winds, can cause major damage if your roofing system is not properly prepared. If you are unsure about the answers to any of these questions, give us a call at 877-726-2661, or email info@RamconRoofing.com, and we will perform a comprehensive roof inspection, and provide you with a complete roofing system analysis report! The more you know, the better you can prepare.

Another Busy One? Initial 2011 Hurricane Season Prediction Is Out

It’s time to start looking ahead to the 2011 season, which starts tomorrow! The famed storm prognosticators at the National Hurricane Center issued their crystal-ball look at the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season, and they’re again calling for an above-active one.

That forecast comes in the wake of their 2010 estimates, which correctly projected – although ultimately underestimated – a busy hurricane season.

Researchers are predicting that we’ll have 17 named storms next year, nine of which will strengthen into hurricanes. The 50-year average is 9.6 named storms and six hurricanes. The National Hurricane Center is also projecting that there will be a 73 percent chance of a major hurricane making landfall along the Gulf Coast. The annual average is 52 percent.

The basis for the above-average projection is extended-range statistical predictions that utilize nearly six decades of past data. While El Nino conditions are unlikely next year, the researchers said sea-surface temperatures in the far North Atlantic remain at record warm levels. La Nina conditions in the equatorial Pacific are generally conducive of an active hurricane season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

During the 2010 hurricane season there were a total of 19 named storms, tying 1887 and 1995 for third highest on record.

The Hurricane Center team projected there to be 15 named storms before the season began in June 2010. Of those 19 storms, 12 strengthened into hurricanes. That ties 1969 for the second highest on record. Five of those became major hurricanes, reaching Category 3 or higher. But the Hurricane Center said two major factors kept most of the storms from threatening the U.S. mainland. First, the jet stream that roasted and dried out much of the eastern U.S. acted as a natural barrier to keep many storms out at sea. Then because so many of the storms formed in the eastern Atlantic close to Africa, they began curving northward before they even reached the Caribbean. Simply put, here in Florida, we were lucky.

Regardless of the predictions, let’s not forget Hurricane Andrew, which caused devastating damage in South Florida. Andrew was actually part of a rather mild Hurricane Season, but proves that just one storm can make it seem active for us. Take the proper precautions and get RAMCON out to your facilities for a pre-storm inspection. As a RAMCON client, it’s free and will help identify problem areas and keep you safe from Mother Nature’s wrath.