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

Have You Become Complacent?

Since the destructive 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, only 4 hurricanes have made a U.S. landfall, all doing so in the western half of the Gulf of Mexico, most notably, September 2008’s Hurricane Ike.

Furthermore, since Hurricane Ike’s destructive rampage, the U.S. has had only a few hurricane “close-calls” the past 2 seasons.

Complacency makes you less attentive, less aware, less able to react when a serious situation presents itself.

As the U.S. faces a potential tropical threat later this week from Hurricane Irene, a major concern among meteorologists is “hurricane preparedness complacency”.

Do you know what the condition of your roof is? Will it be able to withstand hurricane or tropical force winds? Are the drains functioning properly to effectively and quickly remove the water to avoid ponding water?

It is not necessary to be in the direct path of a hurricane to feel and experience the effects of it. Don’t ever assume you are safe. It is always better to be prepared, rather than left picking up the pieces.

For more information on preparation, visit: http://www.ramconroofing.com/hurricane.htm. Or call RAMCON at 1-877-726-2661 to speak to a roofing expert today!