Homes May Need Maintenance After Recent Storms, Power Outages

With the recent storms that hit the Northern Ohio area, thousands of homeowners were dealing with fallen trees, downed power lines and power outages.

However, homeowners are also finding that the high winds that accompanied the recent storms caused a lot of damage to their homes that needs to be repaired.

Now that the storm has passed and most areas have power again, homeowners should look around their home for areas that are damaged and need repair.  Once homeowners have done an inventory of any damage, they should contact their insurance claims adjuster to determine the next steps needed to process a damage claim.  However, there may be some areas that need immediate repair to ensure further damage doesn’t occur:

-Loose Roof Shingles and Roof Leaks – The strong winds can loosen roof shingles or even blow them off the roof, and leaving those areas exposed can result in roof leaks. 

–Gutters and Downspouts- Today’s lightweight gutters are easily dislodged from the home’s fascia boards, and the wind can even blow off the downspouts.  Gutters that aren’t functioning properly can cause water to seep into a home’s foundation which can lead to wet basements or first-floor leaks in homes built on a slab.

-Broken Window/Storm Panes – The strong winds and flying debris can result in cracked or broken windows and storm panes.  It is best to board up broken windows to eliminate potential for flying glass until a window repair company can arrive to fix the glass.

-Loose Siding and Shutters –Whether you have wood or vinyl siding or shutters on your home, the strong winds can dislodged them.  Missing siding can result in leaks and a swinging shutter may cause further damage to your home if it blows off.

In addition to fixing areas that were damaged, it is also important for homeowners to document the home’s damage and the steps taken to repair it along with before and after photos so they can show this documentation to their insurance company for any storm-damage claims.

Whether you want to repair things yourself or hire a competent company like HandyPro to do it for you, it is best to get things repaired promptly before the next storm or blizzard hits our area.  

Cindy Griebeler is the owner of HandyPro-Northern Ohio and provides both home maintenance and senior home modifications for the Western Cleveland-area suburbs including the communities of Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village, Columbia Station, Lakewood, Olmsted Falls, North Ridgeville, Rocky River, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake and Westlake.