How to Secure Outdoor Furniture Before Hurricanes

When it comes to your family, home, and vehicle, you take precautions and are prepared to face nearly anything coming your way. Hurricane season, however, is all too real and takes considerable preparation of its own.

As much as you love hanging out on your deck or patio, it’s important to address the matter of securing your outdoor furniture, which is not only valuable in its own rights but can also do serious damage if left to its own devices in a violent hurricane.

If a heavy-duty storm leaves you with significant losses, don’t wait to consult with an experienced homeowners insurance claim attorney today.

Keep Patio Furniture From Blowing Away

If you have time to plan, the best course of action when it comes to securing outdoor furniture in a hurricane is to stack the furniture neatly ahead of time. Either secure it against an outside wall or bring it inside your home or garage.

It is important, however, to have a backup plan for those instances when doing so isn’t possible. A sound backup plan involves securing your furniture to your deck or patio.

Weighting Your Furniture

The first order of business is identifying which pieces of outdoor furniture are most likely to be affected by high winds. If you have some pieces that are not heavy enough to withstand the winds you experience in your area, weighting them is an option. Keep all the following in mind:

• Sandbags are an affordable and straightforward choice.
• Sofa fasteners can help you keep your sectional pieces strapped together.
• Deck tie-down anchors can be professionally installed and are one of the most secure ways to go.
• Clear museum gel allows you to secure your furniture directly to your deck or patio.
• You can keep stacked furniture together with bungee cords, which can make moving them to a secure location an easier task.

Protecting Your Patio Screen

If your patio is screened in, it’s also important to consider how to keep the screen protected. When it comes to your screen, the best defense is a good offense, which translates to picking up all the smaller items that can be weaponized by gale force winds and securing them.

Take a look around and gather all the following prior to the storm’s landing:

• Potted plants
• Decorative outdoor items
• Children’s toys
• Bikes

Keeping unsecured items to a minimum can help to streamline the process when storms are expected. And if you don’t already have hurricane screens, it’s an excellent time to consider this option. These screens are built to withstand considerably more force than those that are not hurricane grade. Further, many are retractable, which allows you to secure them in place as needed.

Tips for Hurricane-Proofing Outdoor Furniture

With a bit of pre-planning, you will be far better prepared to weather the storm season in Louisiana. If the matter of how to secure furniture in a hurricane is on your mind, some general tips to consider include:

• Invest in heavier furniture pieces, such as those made of solid wood, wrought iron, steel, or cast aluminum.
• Plant a windbreak of trees or thick bushes and plants in strategic areas, which can serve as a landscape design element, provide shade, buffer high winds, and increase privacy.
• Anchor any umbrellas, which are especially vulnerable to high winds, with weighted bases.
• Stack your portable chairs and lounge sets.
• Have a storage plan for moving your outdoor furniture inside during those periods when hurricane-strength winds are predicted.

An Experienced Homeowners Insurance Claim Attorney in Louisiana Can Help

If your home or possessions have been damaged by the high winds and rain that hurricanes bring, accurately assessing and addressing your losses can be exceptionally challenging, but the dedicated homeowner’s insurance claim attorneys at Insurance Claim HQ have the experience and insight to help.

Your home and outdoor living space are important to your family, and we take your concerns as seriously as you do. To learn more about what we can do to help, please don’t wait to reach out and contact us for more information today.

The content provided here is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject.