Each year, residents of tropical areas face the threat of hurricanes and tropical storms. These storms are capable of creating extremely high winds, large hail, and torrential rains. Flooding is always a major concern. Floods ruin property, destroy houses, and can demolish natural areas that are important for the sustainability of resident wildlife.
The high winds associated with tropical storm Danielle 2010 threatened to move large objects, people, and animals right off the ground. This is extremely dangerous, and residents should always take cover in this type of situation. But high winds also threaten building structures. Strong winds can pick up entire homes, rip large parts off of business buildings, and destroy forests.
Roofs are often damaged by the high winds of tropical storms and hurricanes. Roof damage allows rain water to enter the building, ruining nearly everything inside. What isn’t destroyed by the winds or simply by getting wet is often lost to mold and mildew that quickly grows on things once the storm has passed.
Garage doors are also often threatened by high winds from tropical storms and hurricanes. Homeowners and home builders in tropical regions should be very careful about what type of garage door they have installed. Light aluminum doors are unlikely to withstand the high winds of storms like tropical storm Danielle 2010.
Instead, heavy steel garage doors or custom wood garage doors are likely better options. The additional weight of these types of doors helps keep them from being blown in by the winds. Steel and custom wood garage doors are also better able to withstand being battered by other objects that are thrown around by the winds.
But the weight of the garage door is not the only consideration when determining whether or not a garage door is likely to withstand tropical storms and hurricanes. The way in which they are installed is vital. Mounting hardware must be very strong, and special care should be taken to ensure that the hardware is mounted well to the supporting home structure. In some situations, special screws or other mounting hardware may be necessary.
Most reputable garage door services can answer questions regarding the ability of the garage doors they sell to withstand high winds and other weather disturbances. Tropical regions that are threatened by tropical storm Danielle 2010 are not the only areas where garage doors should have special mounting systems or strengths. In America’s tornado alley, garage doors are often ripped off homes during tornadoes. They then become dangerous weapons, whipping through the air, taking out anything they come in contact with. For homes in areas that are threatened by high winds, the garage door service performing the installation should be prepared to guarantee their products to withstand certain wind levels.
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