Backyard cleared before hurricane winds turned patio furniture into projectiles :: WRAL.com

By Monica Laliberte, WRAL Executive Producer / Mainstream Reporter

In the hours you have before the rain and winds arrive, homeowners can take steps to limit the damage Hurricane Florence could cause.

Check the trees in your garden. Prune away any dead branches that are weak enough to break when the wind picks up.

Clear storm sewer debris and quickly check your gutters. All the clogs there will fall back on your property, creating flooding.

If you have an irrigation system or sprinklers, turn it off so you don’t risk being flooded if a water line breaks.

Put your trash in the garage so that it does not fly away.

Shoot anything from your yard that can become a projectile and shatter a window or worse. This includes patio furniture and grills, but also smaller items like decorations, planters, hanging baskets, bird feeders, and wind chimes.

Remember to store or secure the swings and basketball hoops. If it can collapse and be stored, store it before the storm hits.

If you are short on space, wedge objects behind hedges or anywhere where they will be protected from the wind. Place large potted plants on their side. Gather the jars against each other to secure them.

Inside the garage, it’s a good idea to move pesticides, cleaning chemicals, and fuels as high off the ground as possible. If the garage is flooded, you don’t want it to contaminate the water.