Weather Imagery

Sometimes you will see homeowners tape their windows with masking or duct tape in preparation for a hurricane. The fact is, tape will do nothing to help preserve your windows, protect your home, or prevent them from shattering. It’s simply a waste of effort and time that could of been spent doing better things preparing for the hurricane’s arrival.

Unlike older windows made of plate glass, modern day windows (or at least as of the last 20 years) are much safer with respect to shattering. Windows today are made with safety glass. The most common type of safety glass is where the glass is coated in clear acrylic or plastic that will hold the pieces together should the window get struck with an object. The glass in effect shatters and remains trapped between the plastic coatings. In addition, the glass breaks into small round pieces that do no have any sharp edges. So applying tape to this type of window does not decrease the chance of sharp fragments being produced nor will increase the strength of the window.

Older homes that still have some of their original windows could be made of plate-glass. These types of windows have no plastic coating and when they break they do create large and very sharp fragments. However, applying tape to these windows will still not increase their strength nor will it reduce the number of fragments produced should the window break. The glass is simply too heavy and will easily break away from the tape.

Plywood, while better than tape, is cheap but only offers marginal protection. It will stop small airborne debris from damaging the windows, increase the likelihood the window will remain intact throughout the storm and help stop the wind and rain from entering your house. But against the fury of the wind, the plywood can act like a sail and must be very well secured.

There are some new products on the market that are also relatively inexpensive. Some of them include wire mesh gates that cover the window and film covers. Although they have been greatly improved upon, they too have their limitations and do not offer the best protection during a hurricane.

The best way to secure your windows during a hurricane is to install specifically designed hurricane shutters. There are many different types, colors, and styles to choose from. Some are motorized and roll down with the push of a button while others have to be manually put in place and removed. In either case, these shutters will provide the best protection against wind and debris generated by a hurricane. Unfortunately, this is by far the most expensive solution that not everyone can afford.

Ironically, by installing hurricane shutters, your homes value will appraise for more which means your property taxes could increase. So the state actually promotes a dis-incentive when you install hurricane shutters. Despite this, the damages that could occur as a result of not having the shutters could well exceed any increase in your property tax.

Other Hurricane Postings

• Riding Out a Hurricane
• Hurricane Intensity Scale