Storm Damage: How to Clean up Your Yard and Home

When a storm hits in the form of a hurricane, tornado or a heavy downpour, the effects can be devastating. Storms leave behind a mess of power outages, broken trees, shattered glass and blown up roofs. Fortunately, every storm passes, and life has to go back to normal. Here are 4 Steps you should take to clean up the yard and the house after storm damage. Inspect the Damage After a storm has passed and things have quieted down, it’s a good idea to get out and see the extent of the damage. Take pictures of everything including the trees, fence and the house for insurance and other purposes. At this point, you should be very careful as there are dangerous pieces in the yard that can harm you. If it’s possible, try to pick up dangerous things like broken glass from the yard so they can’t hurt other people. Check the Trees Trees and shrubs are the primary victims of strong winds and rainfall. If there are a few broken branches that you can be able to cut, go ahead and put them down. However, if there is a fallen tree or the extent of the damage is too significant, call a tree specialist to deal with the tree. In a case where a tree or its branches have fallen on a power line, call the utility company because that is their department. Some companies, like GDE Tree Services, know how important mulching and trimming trees are when taking care of your yard. Mulching is an essential part of taking care of your yard. Clean Up A storm can bring a lot of mud, debris and foreign objects from far away to your home. There will also be a lot of leaves in the yard and the gutters. If the rain was too heavy, chances are some water went into the house or at least the garage. Start by raking and picking up all the debris and leaves in your yard and straightening up those flowers and use a brush to clean the gutters so that any standing water can move. If there is any water damage in the house, get a professional to clean and dry your carpeting, furniture and deodorize the house to prevent mold and mildew. Repairs Most storms will blow up a few roof shingles, break a window or destroy your patio and gutters. After everything has been cleaned, call someone to repair everything that has been damaged so life can go back to normal. A storm is not something that people can avoid or prevent. However, with enough preparation and a mitigation plan to deal with the aftermath of the storm, everything can be restored to its former glory.