We all remember the aftermath of hurricanes Michael and Dorian. These two tropical storms were extremely powerful and got the highest classification, namely Category 5, of SSHWS (Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale). It means that wind speed was over 157 miles per hour. Both of them caused enormous damage to the Caribbean counties and the East Coast of the United States of America.
Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes because of evacuation. And it is natural that after a disaster they wanted to go back and check out how bad things are. This desire is understandable and even obvious, but unfortunately, not all people know all of the dangers that might await them in such a hurricane-damaged house and how to protect themselves.
Safety Tips for Going Back to Hurricane-Damaged House
First of all, you need to admit that if the government advice to evacuate, it means that situation is dangerous for your health and even life. So the best thing you can do is taking care of yourself, members of your family, neighbors, and others. And taking care means helping to go out from the dangerous area at a safe distance.
This is why the first tip from this list is to wait until the government will announce official instructions. Go back home only when the area is safe again.
The list of other tips can be found below:
- As CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends, do not try to enter your house at night, no matter how deep is your desire to check it out, because it is too dangerous. Wait until daylight that helps you to see and avoid any danger.
- As Ready.gov recommends, before entering the house perform an inspection of your yard and house’s exterior. Be careful and watch out for standing water because it can contain debris and harmful contaminators, as well as be electrically charged. In case you notice downed power lines or damaged underground, call the utility company immediately.
- Wear personal protective clothing to be prepared for potential dangers. Such clothing contains a hard hat that can protect you from injuries caused by falling debris, protective glasses to save the eyes, heavy-duty waterproof gloves, electrical hazard boots, etc.
- Once enter the house check for gas leaks. In case you notice a gas odor in the house, do not do anything that can cause a spark, go out of the house, and call the utility company as soon as possible.
- Also, check all of your appliances and do not turn the appliance on if noticed that it is wet or broken because it may cause electric shock or even fire.
- Let professional restoration technicians assess the level of damage and perform all of the necessary works to make your residential property livable and safe for you and your family again.
In case your property got damaged because of a hurricane or any other type of water or fire damage, call Signature Water and Fire Restoration, and our team will help you to resolve any kind of such issues and bring you and your family back to your house as soon as possible. Here is our 24/7 phone number: 1-224-515-0100.