Hurricane Season – Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

By Blogs | June 13, 2022

While storms can occur anytime in Hawaii, hurricane season officially started on the 1st of June.

And with it comes the risk of gale-force winds and heavy rainfall that could potentially damage your property or, worse, destroy it!

Unfortunately, hurricanes are some of the most powerful storms on Earth.

So, if your investment property is impacted by a hurricane, not only will you have to fork out thousands of dollars, if not more, to repair the damage, but the property might not be habitable for weeks or months, incurring a loss of income for you.

The good news is that while you can’t control natural disasters, you can prepare for them and perhaps avoid or at least minimize costly damage.

What Damage Can A Hurricane Cause To Your Property?

Winds

Hurricane-force winds can reach between 74 and up to 157 miles per hour and severely damage or even destroy a building or a house. If a category 3, 4, or 5 hurricane hits Hawaii, you can expect power and water outages and major damage to your roof and walls.

Storm Surges

Storm surges can reach up to 20 feet and span hundreds of miles along the coastline. Accompanied by large battering waves, they represent the greatest threat to property owners whose home is located along the coast.

Heavy Rainfall and Flooding

Tropical storms or hurricanes often produce torrential rain because warmer air can hold more moisture. And as the moisture evaporates, it condenses into heavy rain that can not only affect the coastal areas but also span many miles inland. Heavy rainfall can cause flooding for days, impacting your basement, ground floor, and first floor and, in some cases, inflicting structural damage.

Hurricane Preparedness Checklist

Whether your investment property is currently empty or you have tenants, we’ve put together a checklist to allow you to prepare in the event of a hurricane. This will help protect them and your financial assets.

Packing Emergency Supplies

The Hawaii Emergency Agency recommends packing for 14 days worth of supplies to allow you to survive in case of complete isolation.

Some of the most important supplies you should include in your emergency survival kit include:

A first aid kit
Non-perishable food
Water
Medications
Personal hygiene items
A torch
Key documents
Safety gloves
Tarps
Matches
Blankets
A phone charger
Spare batteries
A battery-operated radio
Whistles

You can find most of these items at your neighborhood hardware store like City Mill or Home Depot.

Signing Up For Early Warning Apps

Some counties provide inhabitants with free early warning through their apps.

Some of the Hawaiian early warning weather apps you can download include:

Note that the National Weather Service also provides real-time updates about severe weather and threat warnings.

Strengthening Your Property

Because you live in a hurricane-prone region, maintaining your home regularly is a no-brainer.

So, make sure to tend to any damage that could have happened due to weather or other incidents in the past, and keep an eye on new damage. The more diligent you are with fixing issues as they arise, the more likely your house will be able to sustain future hurricane-force winds and severe flooding. And if you don’t have the time to regularly inspect your property and liaise with maintenance professionals to tend to repairs, we’d recommend using the services of a Honolulu property management agency.

Here are a few steps you can take to strengthen your property and protect your investment:

Trim dead or weak tree branches. These are likely to become severely damaging threats in gale-force winds.
Secure outdoor furniture and kids’ toys in a garage, shed, or inside the home to limit the amount of flying debris around the property.
Install hurricane straps if your home doesn’t have any. Hurricane straps can be effective in preventing your roof from blowing off.
Invest in hurricane shutters or buy aluminum or steel shutters that can be placed on the windows if a hurricane occurs.
Move vehicles to a secure location.

Reviewing Your Current Insurance Policy

Sometimes, the best preparation efforts can’t hold against nature’s powerful forces.

That’s why insurance is so important.

If you borrowed money to purchase your investment property, hurricane insurance was likely required to obtain the loan. This type of insurance typically covers wind-related damage to your property. Flooding, however, is rarely included, so you’ll need additional insurance to be protected from flooding risks.

Now, your home might not be located in a flood zone, and your lender might not have required flooding insurance. But as mentioned before, hurricanes often produce heavy rainfall meaning water could rush into your home and significantly damage its structure and destroy your home contents.

So, carefully read through your current policy and consider whether you need additional coverage based on the location of your home.

Working With A Honolulu Property Management Agency

An experienced Honolulu property manager can help you prepare for a severe upcoming storm or a hurricane.

Your property manager will work closely with you and provide a checklist of key steps you need to take to protect yourself, your tenants, and your investment. They’ll craft a tailored plan based on your home’s construction materials and equipment. But that’s not all. A Honolulu property manager will also share an evacuation plan, shelter details, and emergency numbers so you know exactly what to do and where to go if you need to evacuate.

Lastly, as mentioned before, one of the main ways you can protect your property as a landlord is to maintain it regularly. And that’s exactly the area of expertise of property managers.

At Agency Rentals, we take our clients’ safety seriously and are committed to helping them protect their assets during hurricane season. Our team of highly-qualified Honolulu property managers is trained to help prevent property damage. They have strong relationships with local maintenance contractors that can help strengthen your home and ensure its storm-ready.

So, whether you need help renting your property or would like to know more about how we can help you in hurricane preparedness, don’t hesitate to get in touch.