The Sun-Sentinel predicts 2018 will be another “doozy” of a hurricane season, following the brutal 2017 parade of hurricanes. Get your Fort Lauderdale commercial property ready so you can minimize storm damage by partnering soon with your trustworthy roofer. Here are three suggestions to be ready when the hard winds blow.
Pressure
A leading cause of storm damage to commercial roofs comes from differences in air pressure. When hurricane-force winds blow across the top of the roof, the air pressure drops quickly. Greater air pressure inside the building literally pushes the roof up and off. Any small weakness that allows those 150-mph winds to get underneath hastens the destructive storm damage. The cure for this? Thorough inspections by a qualified roofer. A good commercial roofer will check:
- Mechanical fasteners
- Terminating strips at roof edges
- Roof deck
- Hurricane straps and clips as required by code
- Seams
- Flashing
- Drains
Preventing catastrophic storm damage requires thorough, detailed inspection and maintenance.
Missiles
Airborne debris in a hurricane can move like missiles, gouging roof membrane and hurling ballast. To minimize this kind of storm damage, have your facilities crew remove anything from the roof and surrounding ground property that is not, literally, fastened down. After mild storms, inspect and clean the roof of branches, loose material, and trash.
If you suspect wear and tear on mechanical fasteners, HVAC curbs, signs or radio masts, contact your roofer and other trades to ensure strong, solid fastening between these add-ons and your roof deck.
Storm Prep
You can realistically do nothing to stop a hurricane, but you can stop storm damage from closing your business. Typical storm preparation in the Fort Lauderdale area means thorough maintenance and spot repair. You can call your local, professional roofer to do the maintenance and repairs, and then they’ll already have a good grasp of the situation when they come out to answer your emergency repair call.
When you contact us at PSI Roofing, you connect to a dependable, local commercial roofer passionate about protecting our customers’ roofs from storm damage and other issues. We have endured many hurricanes, and every time, we come back stronger, with proven reliability.
