Nashville is no stranger to severe weather year round, and the spring and summer feature some of the messiest months. Protecting your property from storm damage is undoubtedly one of your priorities, but what are the best practices for preparing and cleaning up after the fact?
Nashville Climate
Tennesseans are well-versed in all varieties of bad weather. We aren’t spared winter storms or summer lightning and hail. Nashville has even seen its fair share of tornadoes and extreme wind, and even those of us who were out of direct danger saw property damage, power outages, and flooding. April showers bring May flowers, but they can also cause rivers to swell and trees to fall. Between the wind, lightning, excessive rainfall, and damaging hail, our properties are at risk from a variety of damage. Every Nashville resident has probably wondered: How can you protect your home from storm damage?
Preventing Storm Damage
Since spring and summer severe weather can do several different things all at once, it’s important to be prepared on multiple fronts. If you’re asking how do I prepare my house for a storm season, we can help. Working with trained landscapers and arborists is the single best way to prevent storms from damaging your property, whether it’s your home, landscaping, or cars. Think about what the average severe thunderstorm brings with it: torrential rain, heavy winds, lightning, and hail. Tackle each of these concerns separately but head-on.
Rainfall
While rain doesn’t seem like the biggest concern at the moment, as lightning flashes and the winds whip past, that doesn’t mean rain can’t ruin your day. Flash flooding is a common issue in low-lying areas during storm season in Nashville, and preventing water damage relies heavily on your landscaping. Ensuring that your yard drains properly is critical for preventing flooding that can damage your yard and even your home. Poorly graded lawns can act as rivers during a flood, guiding water toward your home and causing flooding in the basement or the first floor. Standing water from storms also acts as a breeding ground for mosquitoes and kills yards, causing problems for weeks after the severe weather.
Preventing water damage during Nashville storm season is about proper planning and understanding how water behaves on a landscape. Since we can’t control the weather, we have to focus on diverting as much water as possible away from the home while also avoiding erosion and water damage. There are plenty of ways a landscaper can help to do this, and the solution often starts at the home. Ensuring your home’s gutters are properly cleaned and draining is critical for keeping your home dry. Gutter cleaning should be done at least once a year, and regular maintenance on downspouts and drainage systems will help get that water away from your home’s foundation. Planting grasses and shrubs with strong, deep roots helps to keep your yard’s soil in place despite flooding. Grading the topsoil of your yard away from the home is also important. This allows the water to flow away from the home, keeping soil level to prevent pooling and standing water.
Wind
We have seen tornadoes and extremely severe windstorms in the past several years each summer in Nashville, making our job as arborists all the more important. Fallen trees and limbs during summer storms can cause thousands of dollars in damage to a home in a single storm. Preventative measures should be taken each year to remove dead or dying trees and prune limbs that may pose threats. An arborist can determine which trees on your property are most at risk for falling and safely remove them before they can be toppled by wind. Tree work is incredibly dangerous and should be left to the professionals. At The Parke Company, we have decades of experience in tree work. We are fully insured and safely and effectively remove trees and at-risk branches and limbs with precision.
Hail and Lightning
Preventing hail and lightning damage is a bit trickier than ensuring trees are properly pruned and the yard is free of flood dangers. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done! Fortunately, while hail is destructive to our windows and cars, it doesn’t usually kill trees or plants. Some low-lying vegetation can be damaged and may die from severe hail, but many can withstand and overcome damage. Having trees with sturdy and large canopies can help protect property beneath them by absorbing the force of hail, though wind can make it less predictable. Preventing lightning strikes seems impossible, right? Lightning simply strikes where it will, often being attracted to the tallest object. In many cases on landscaping, the tallest targets are trees. Fortunately, there actually are ways to install lightning rods on landscaping trees in order to prevent them from being damaged. These should only be installed by professionals, and they are not always worth the investment. While lightning strikes do often damage or kill trees, your trees do manage to protect your home and property from it by acting as lightning rods themselves. If you’re fortunate, lightning won’t be a major concern to your landscaping, but the threat always exists. Remain indoors and away from windows and tall objects during thunderstorms.
Cleaning Up
Once things subside and you’ve been able to assess the Nashville storm damage your property sustained, you’re going to need a hand cleaning things up. Landscaping companies like The Parke Company have a lot of experience in helping homeowners with tree removal and property repair. No matter how prepared you are, things can always go wrong. Your safety is the main priority, so removing damaged tree limbs and assessing tree health is the first course of action following a severe storm. Cleanup isn’t fun, and it can be disheartening to see your landscaping suffer damage, but it’s important to act fast. While trees don’t generally survive lightning strikes, damaged limbs don’t have to be death sentences. If a damaged tree is not pruned, it could become susceptible to pests and illnesses that could kill it, so proper pruning is key. Finding an arborist you can depend on is critical for your landscaping, and The Parke Company is ready to help at a moment’s notice.
If you need more information or help preparing for Nashville storm season, don’t delay. Give the experts at The Parke Company a call today for a free consultation and estimate on crucial storm damage prevention services.