What to do in Your Yard Before and After Hurricanes, Storms, and Tornadoes

What to do in Your Yard Before and After Hurricanes, Storms, and Tornadoes

 

We all love year-round sunshine and a warm climate. But as we all know that nature is unpredictable and we’ve already heard about hurricanes, storms, and tornadoes hitting areas where they were never predicted. So, we can say that these types of natural disasters can take place any time of the year and when you have a garden, it makes sense that you keep it ready for such massive weather conditions as well as know what to do after the hit. This is something we are going to discuss in this detailed blog.

Preparing your garden for Hurricanes, Storms, and Tornadoes in advance

As we already mentioned that these types of natural disasters are really hard to predict, which is why it is suggested that you keep the garden ready to bear any kind of such incident in advance through a proper maintenance routine, which ensures saving a lot of your time and minimizing the damage when a storm hits. Following are some steps to take to help your garden survive:

Pick the right plants or trees – Choosing a plant or tree for your garden is a very important process, which most people ignore and choose just anyone they like. It is suggested that you pick on the ones that have a reputation for withstanding hurricanes, especially if you are living at a place where hurricanes are normal. You should plan in clusters to allow the root systems to intertwine. This way, you can ensure that the plants remain anchored to the ground.

Prune on time – No matter how busy you are, garden care and maintenance should be never skipped and pruning is a very important part of it. So, when you notice that you have dead, diseased, or low-hanging branches on your garden trees, make sure to inform your garden maintenance agency about the same so they can come prepared to perform pruning. Make sure to prioritize branches that have the potential to damage homes or vehicles.

Purge rotten plants – Have you started to notice that some plants, trees, or shrubs in your garden have started to look pale? Chances are that their roots are rotting. Since the treatment may take time, it is always suggested to remove such trees or plants as soon as possible to avoid any potential damage as weak roots can be the reason for great damage during a storm.

Plan everything – During routine garden maintenance, you must ask the professionals to check if drainage structures are clear and working well. You should also check the water valves, power switches, and gas supply so that you can access them quickly in an emergency.

Protect – We all have some kinds of hazardous chemicals like pesticides as well as some tools that can create huge damage to your property and your loved ones during the situation of natural disaster. It is recommended that you store hazardous chemicals on a shelf high above the ground in a shed and the tools or garden equipment should be stored in a safe place. This will minimize the risk.

Garden care after Hurricanes, Storms, and Tornadoes

In case of natural disasters like hurricanes, storms, and tornadoes, almost every garden and property is likely to get damaged, no matter how well you prepare in advance. However, using the preparation methods for such events can help minimize the damage. So, once your property is hit by a hurricane or any other natural disaster, here are some ways you can ensure faster recovery:

Clean up damaged trees or shrubs - As we all know that hurricanes are very tough to handle as they come with high winds and heavy rain, which can make huge damage to your trees, plants, and shrubs. After the hit, it is very important that you go out and check for the damaged trees or shrubs and start removing them one by one. In case the damage is massive, it is important to wear some protective gear to avoid any kind of accident while doing the clean-up. You can start with cleaning up the debris that might have blown around shrubs and then proceed to the next step.

Take photographs of the damage - If you have taken home insurance and it includes compensation for natural disasters, then you must take photographs of the property even before you start the cleaning process. This ensures that you will have evidence of the damage and the insurance company cannot refuse the claim. If possible, call the insurance company and ask their agents to do the initial analysis so that you can avoid any kind of hassle as they may say that you have not followed the protocol.

Clear Leaves - After a natural disaster, the worst thing you are going to notice across your garden area is the leaves that may be spread all over the property. You might also have a building and yard covered in leaves and twigs. So, you should start removing them from your garden to check for further damage to the property due to natural disasters.

Call professionals for clean-up - One of the best decisions you can make to get rid of any kind of hassle after a natural disaster is to call a professional agency that can help you with the clean-up task. The best part about calling a professional agency is that you will not have to do anything and they’ll handle all the major removal work like taking down trees or branches, which can be a scary job that can cause terrible injury if not done right. They also have the right type of equipment and safety gear that can be used to avoid any kind of further damage to your property that can happen during the clean-up process.

Recycle - Once you are done with the cleaning process after a natural disaster, you can make a good choice by recycling the garden waste. Of course, a storm or any other natural disaster isn’t pleasant, but it can open up new areas in the garden. This means you can create compost from the waste for a renewal of beauty as the garden recovers. It can also serve as a new chance to take your garden to the next level, which can be an exciting experience.

Final words

No matter what place you are living across the region and how good plants or shrubs you have in the garden, it is very important that you take every possible step to make the garden ready for any kind of natural disaster so that you can minimize the damage. Anything that can easily catch the wind should be moved or properly tied down and always keep the contact details of the local garden maintenance provider on the fast dial so you can call them for routine work whenever you want. If you love your garden and would like to protect it from any kind of damage during a natural disaster, proper care and preparation are the keys.