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Hurricane Aftermath: Checking Your Home’s Structural Safety

Hurricane Milton slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast on October 9th, 2024, making landfall as a powerful Category 3 storm with wind speeds of 120 mph, just two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall in the state as a Category 4 storm. The fresh destruction from Helene prompted one of the largest evacuation efforts ahead of Milton, which saved a lot of lives, but still left a questionable wake of wreckage to homes and businesses.

As residents return home, they are often the first person on the scene that will be responsible for inspecting initial damages before insurance inspectors or anyone else is involved. Upon returning, it’s important that residents are aware of what to look out for and how to conduct a thorough inspection of their home for structural safety.


Returning Home After a Hurricane

It’s critical that residents only attempt to return home after local authorities have advised that it is safe to do so. Leave any children with relatives or friends during inspections and until the property is deemed safe for them to enter.

If you see a color-coded sign on your home, or you see that it has been blocked off by colored tape, do not remove it or attempt to enter until you get more information. Building inspectors will do this to damaged areas to notify others of unsafe areas.

Check Your Home’s Structural Elements:

  • Look for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, cracks in the foundation, missing support beams.
  • If the door is jammed, it may be providing support to the rest of your home. DO NOT FORCE IT OPEN.
  • Sniff for gas and listen for hissing noises. If you detect anything, leave immediately and call the fire department.
  • If you have a propane tank system, turn off all valves until the supplier has inspected it.
  • Beware of animals that may have entered your home such as rodents, snakes, spiders, or insects. In heavily flooded areas, where alligators are native, be mindful of their presence as well.
  • Be cautious of damaged walls, furniture, or stairs that may be unstable. Avoid holding, pushing or leaning against them.
  • Sagging ceilings are very heavy and dangerous. If you need to knock it down for repair, use extreme caution. Suit up with eye protection, a hard hat and make sure to stand far away with a long stick. Poke holes on the outside of the bulge to let it drain out slowly. Piercing the middle could cause the ceiling to collapse.
  • Do not walk on sagging floor. Small sagging sections can be bridged by thick plywood panels or strong boards that extend at least 8-12 inches beyond the sagging area.
  • Open windows and doors to dry out and ventilate your home.
  • If the power is out, use a flashlight. Do not use open flames, such as candles or lighters to inspect damage.
  • Make temporary repairs such as covering holes, bracing walls, and removing debris.

I Found Damage, Now What?

If critical damage was found to the structural elements of your home, such as the ones mentioned above, it’s vital that a house inspection is performed by a professional.

Take photos and videos of the damage and save all receipts for repair supplies, contractors, temporary housing, etc. It’s typically never a short process in getting these things taken care of, but you want to be as organized and thorough as possible in the event that you need to show proof for insurance claims later.


Supporting Sources

O’Kruk, A., Stiles, M., Rigdon, R., Merrill, C., Warnes, S., & Choi, A. (2024, October 11). Maps and charts: Visualizing Milton’s historic impact across Florida. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/10/weather/map-charts-milton-hurricane-dg/index.html

American Red Cross. Checking Your Home: Structural Elements. Checking Your Home’s Structure | Disaster Recovery | Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org/get-help.html

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