Summertime means sunshine, longer days — and storm season. Humidity and warm air are often the cause of storms, which can leave your home damaged or without power.
Consider these tips to keep your family and home safe.
Have a safety plan.
Most importantly, know where to go when a storm hits. Identify a safe area, such as a basement or storm shelter, that will keep you and your family safe from the storm.
Trim trees.
Loose tree limbs can dislodge and damage your house, car and other property. Regularly trim your trees so stray branches don’t cause damage. Our forestry team can answer your questions about a tree close to or by your property’s power lines and equipment.
Identify loose objects.
Storms often bring intense gusts of wind that can easily sweep loose objects like lawn furniture or umbrellas across a yard. Before a storm, identify potentially hazardous objects, and place them inside.
Maintain your roof.
Extreme wind and typical wear and tear can cause dings and dents in shingles, which can allow leaks during a storm. At the beginning of storm season, check your roof for loose or missing shingles that may lead to water damage.
Stay connected.
When major storms damage power lines, our crews work hard to get your power flowing again. We’ll always keep you informed and offer multiple ways for you to stay in the know. Be sure to download the AEP Ohio app to report outages and monitor on restoration times.
I would like to protect my house from a storm, and that is why I’ve decided to start looking for impact windows that could be installed in it. Thank you for sharing here as well the importance of identifying a safe area where we can all hide. I also agree with you that the branches must be trimmed too.
How do I sign up for alerts?
Hi Jenni. You can sign up for text notifications at AEPOhio.com/Alerts.