Tropical Storm Preparation for your House

Suggested Hurricane & Tropical Storm Preparation Steps for your Galveston House

Some suggested steps to prepare your house when a tropical storm approaches. The goal is to mitigate the risk of damage from things you can control.

If you cannot perform these steps yourself, call Tracy Calvert for local assitance with your Galveston house or rental property.

• Keep your home well maintained and in good condition. Periodically have it checked for problems. Pay particular attention to rusty or loose nails, screws, and other fasteners.
• Follow evacuation orders and timetables from local government authorities.
• Have the U.S. Postal Service hold your mail for a period of time.
• If you are evacuating the island, consider discarding all frozen and perishable food in your refrigerators so that they do not become ruined from an extended power outage.
• Turn off natural gas or propane at all valves available.
• Turn off your water
  • Turn off supply valve at the city water meter
  • Close any supply valves that lead into your house (typically in your garage)
  • Also close valves available that lead from inside to the outside of your house (e.g. outdoor shower, hose bibs, irrigation system, etc)
  • Remove and stow garden hoses.
  • Install anti-siphon valves on any hose bibs near ground level.
• Close all doors and windows.
  • Close storm shutters if you have them.
  • If you do not have shutters, you might install plywood boards over your windows.
    • If you have any cracked window panes, run tape across them and install boards or metal barrier to prevent wind intrusion through the opening.
  • Pay particular attention to protecting small, decorative windows as these are often made with weaker glass.
• Bring any outdoor furniture inside the house or else off of the island.
• If your house has an elevator, be sure to leave the elevator car stopped on a floor well above ground level, then lock it so the car will not move.
• Anything on ground level which you wish to retain after the storm should be brought up to the first floor inside the house. Even elevated shelves on the ground floor often get damaged and fail during a hurricane.
• Take photos and/or video of every room in your home as well as the garage and exterior as documentation for a potential insurance claim. Such documentation can also help guide any reconstruction projects you need later.

Links for More Information

• City of Galveston Hurricane Preparedness
• Hurricane Damage to Residential Structures: Risk and Mitigation by Ayscue et al (1996)
• Storm Repairs
• Tips on Maintaining Beach Houses on Texas Gulf Coast
• Get Started with Tracy Calvert home maintenance