Preparing for Hurrican Season

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Hi Fellow Woodlake Neighbors,  

Since there are no current alerts for hurricanes striking Bonita Springs, I will not burden you with the typical laundry list of hurricane preparedness items.  However, if you’re going to be away from your Woodlake home for an extended period of time during coming months, either because you are a seasonal resident or because you are planning a trip, it’s time to give some thought to what to know before you go.  

With memories of our last hurricane, Hurricane Irma, beginning to fade, it is more important than ever not only to prepare for the next hurricane but to also prepare for the frequent power outages that result from lightning storms.   The reality is that even if severe weather systems pass us by, wacky things can happen at your lovely Woodlake home while you’re not there.  

Hurricanes are not the only potential threat.  Several years ago, the path of a tornado ran through the eastern (near Country Club Drive) section of Woodlake, tearing down the pool cages of several homes, causing roof damage and uprooting trees.  

WHO WILL WATCH YOU HOME WHEN YOU’RE GONE?  I’ll never forget the story told by one of our neighbors who returned to their Woodlake home after an extended European trip.  When they entered through their front door, they noticed a green-gray haze covered the walls.  You guessed it -- MOLD.  Their air conditioning system was not functioning and mold thrived in the resulting heat and humidity.   

I highly recommend that you schedule your A/C maintenance before you leave as this is a very critical part of making sure that your home is well prepped and protected for the hot, humid summer months.    Make sure that they change your air filter and flush the drain lines!   A clogged drain line is a common issue.  When a drain line gets clogged, the drain pan fills and stops the AC from running.   And worse yet, if your pan's shutoff switch is faulty and doesn’t shut off, the AC continues to run with water from the drain pan overflowing and flooding your ceiling.  

Another of our neighbors returned home and found that the shut off valve on their clothes washing machine malfunctioned and caused a significant flooding condition.  The water damage included their carpeting and lower portion of wallboard and wood flooring – all of which needed to be replaced.  

Our neighbors are wonderful, but asking them to “watch” your home from the outside doesn’t suffice unless they go through the inside of your home every week or two.  And what happens when they too are away?   Perhaps a licensed and insured home watch service is the answer.  If so, make sure that they provide you with a written report each week of the result of their inspections to verify that they are doing the job that you are paying them for.   

BE INSURANCE READY  --  JUST IN CASE  If you have not already done so, familiarize yourself with the contents of your Homeowners Insurance Policy.  This is a good time of year to do this because you have time to modify your coverage and better protect yourself.  It's too late after you experience storm damage.  

I suggest that you familiarize yourself with the special deductibles that apply only to wind storms, hurricanes and water damage, as well as other storm related exclusions.   Many of our Woodlake neighbors had a rude awakening after Hurricane Irma when they found that the deductible far exceeded the cost of replacing their damaged roofs and downed screen cages.  Is the coverage for the structure and contents of your home adequate?   Are your losses covered for their depreciated value, or does your coverage provide for full replacement value?   There is a HUGE monetary difference between the two, especially during the current inflationary period!   Determine whether your policy covers your expenses incurred during a mandatory evacuation, temporary housing, etc.  

In the event your home is substantially damaged by a storm or a devastating fire, or if a theft occurs, you will likely make a claim to your insurance company.  An invaluable aid to making your claim will be photos/videos of your possessions which will attest to their existence and aid in determining their value.   Using your cell phone or digital camera, take detailed photos/videos of the entire interior, exterior and contents of your home.  Open closets, cabinets and drawers and record the contents with the photos/videos.   You can make copies of the photos or download the photos/videos on a disk (at Walgreens, CVS or a photo store) which can be stored in your bank safety deposit box or some other safe location, or you can forward the photos to yourself in an email, or store them in your computer or on the cloud.    You can even have someone else make the recordings while you play Vanna White with your belongings.  For example, “here’s the rare antique table my grandmother gave me” or “we paid $5,000 for this painting.  

OTHER RANDOM – BUT IMPORTANT – THINGS TO DO NOW  

Make sure that the Community Association is informed of who to notify in the event there is a problem with your home and you are not reachable.  

The rainy season will soon be starting, and rains cause the water table to rise and soften the ground.  Because most trees (including Oaks and Palms) in this area are relatively shallow rooted, it is the force of the wind on the leaves and branches that causes them to collapse during hurricanes.   So reduce their wind resistance by having your trees trimmed and thinned out now.   And don’t worry, they will grow back by the late fall.   It is far more prudent to spend the money now to thin out your landscaping than to spend a far larger sum later to have downed trees removed and replaced.  

South-west Florida is the lightning capital of the nation.  There are more lightning strikes in this region during summer months than any other location in the country.  Several years ago, lightning struck a house located at 3803 Woodlake Drive and the house caught fire when the wooden structure in the attic area ignited.  The fire spread rapidly and the house and all of the contents were completely destroyed. The only thing left standing was some of the outer masonry walls.    

But the most common concern with lightning strikes is that it also causes "power surges."  Lightning strikes on power transformers or on electric lines send a tidal wave of voltage through the electric wires, past your home's main breaker panel, and into your house causing damage to everything powered by electricity -- air conditioning systems, kitchen appliances, TV's, computers, etc.  Many homeowners believe that adequate surge protection begins and ends with plugging their computer into a power strip. Unfortunately, that's more to it than just that -- much more.  If you haven’t already done so, have an electrician (one time charge approximating $300) or Florida Power and Light ($10.95 monthly charge) install a whole house surge protection unit.   The FP&L surge protector also comes with a $5,000 warranty per appliance. Electrician installed units may also carry insurance protection.  Due to frequent power outages during the summer thunderstorms and possible hurricanes, do not leave items in your refrigerator or freezer.  As many of us may have experienced after past power outages, items in your refrigerator/freezer putrefy, cause a horrible odor and stain the floor.  Combined with the cost of cleaning the mess, the loss of your food, and in several cases the need to replace a ruined refrigerator/freezer just isn’t worth leaving the food in your fridge/freezer.  

Give consideration to the Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday for Florida residents who need to replenish hurricane related supplies.  Tax-free days are usually offered from June 1 to June 7.  This may not amount to much if you are purchasing small items, such as batteries or lanterns, but the savings could be substantial if you are considering a generator.  

Even if Woodlake is only your part-time home, you’re still part of our family.   Carefully evaluate these need to know before you go items, and you’ll have a leg up should a hurricane or power outage affect our area.   In the meanwhile, I'd like to wish you all a healthy, enjoyable and hurricane, tornado, flood, lightning, power surge, and corona virus free summer.

Best regards,

Vito Sorrano

3972 Woodlake Drive