“Restoring Homes and Currently, Hurricane Dorian is in the Caribbean and slowly making its way towards Florida at 12 mph. Dorian is projected to be a Category 4 hurricane when it makes contact with Florida. Category 4 hurricanes consist of wind speeds ranging from 130-156 mph. The predicted path for Hurricane Dorian is for it to hit mainland Florida in West Palm Beach around 8:00 AM Tuesday September 3, 2019.
Category 4 hurricanes are massive storms that can do immense damage. These storms knock down trees, power poles, and even destruct some buildings. Areas affected by these storms may be dilapidated for days or weeks after the event. Few notable Category 4 hurricanes were Hurricane Maria which hit Puerto Rico in 2017 and Hurricane Harvey, also in 2017. Hurricane Maria led to thousands of deaths, blacked out the island for months, and ultimately led to $90 billion in damage. Hurricane Harvey caused almost 90 deaths, 135,000 homes and almost a million cars were either damaged or destroyed, and led to $125 billion in damage.
There are many steps to what property owners can do in order to properly prepare for Hurricane Dorian. The first step is to not evacuate unless officials either recommend or require it. Evacuating without being told to can be dangerous because it can lead to accidents or getting stuck in traffic on roads that are flooding. The second step is to prepare the home for heavy rainfall. When doing this, homeowners need to secure rain gutters and clear the drains. Also, property owners should be ready to switch their power off in case of downed power lines. The third step is to clear the yard before the storm hits. This is essential because property owners should not want anything that they own getting swept up by water of blown away by the winds. The fourth step for homeowners is to not tape anything on their windows. Taping windows could lead to a larger glass break into larger shards of glass due to high wind speeds. Instead of this, property owners should board their windows with plywood. These are the four essential keys for property owners in keeping their home intact or having their home torn apart.
Jarvis will have additional crews in the area responding from their four offices in Florida and additional personnel will be arriving from Michigan and other satellite offices to help with the cleanup and restoration efforts.