Do you want to rescue your new home from harm in a hurricane? Then you need to get the house ready for tough winds by reinforcing specific exterior areas against wind and debris damage. Most of the available options should be done before a hurricane warning is even given, so start planning now. The places where wind can come into your house are the key areas to attend to for home hurricane reinforcement, say experts.

There are several main areas you should focus on. Your roof is a good place to start. In the case of a gabled roof, you need to make sure gable end walls are reinforced by adding truss bracing. Get in touch with the local housing or building office for your city for more information on securing roof structures. Another thing to consider is your roofs shingles. It could be that shingles on your roof are not fastened strongly enough against hurricanes. You can use fast drying cement glue to strengthen the bond with your roof.

The next thing to tend to is your glass. All windows and glass doors should be covered completely when a hurricane is due. Impact-resistance hurricane shutters can be installed for this, and theyre ideal for defending windows and doors, also for protecting your home from debris. Optionally you can install windows made of plastic bonded to glass. These are being included in many new homes but can be retrofitted as well.

One more feature to think about in preparation for a hurricane are doors. Solid wood or hollow metal doors will probably be fine through the storm, but other doors need reinforcement. Visit a local tool shop and get some head and foot bolts on inactive sides of double-entry doors for strengthening. If your door is equipped with a dead bolt system and hinges are tight and secure it will be more likely to survive.

For advice on other ways to weatherproof your home against a hurricane, ask the staff at the local home improvement stores. They can educate you on what you will need and the best way to go about doing it. After all, theyve probably been down this road many times before.

Just dont wait until the last minute to go buy what you need for these tasks, the stores will probably already be sold out. Have it all out of the way well before the next hurricane season appears.