Norfolk, Virginia is named for the harbor of the same name at the mouth of Chesapeake Bay. It has a humid subtropical climate with mild winters and summer temperatures are hot with high humidity. Hurricanes and tropical storms brush or hit Norfolk on average of about every 3 years. And Norfolk has a long history of hurricane strikes – In September 1667, the Chesapeake Bay rose 12 feet, and an October 1749 hurricane raised the bay 15 feet, washing up a one and a quarter mile long sand spit, which later became Willoughby Spit, after another hurricane washed up even more sand.
And it’s not just the bay and the beaches that are vulnerable to hurricanes – Norfolk homes are in need of hurricane protection as well. Most damage done by hurricanes is done by the wind and rain that come with hurricanes, and increasing your home’s security with storm shutters is the most affordable way to avoid the damage hurricane season can bring with it. Use permanent hurricane shutters on windows and doors, as this is much safer and very much more effective than taping the glass or covering with plywood, which does not prevent breakage. Hurricane shutters protect your home against a variety of storm dangers, especially high winds and driving rain. Debris thrown at high impact during storms can also break windows and allow the rain and wind to enter your home, and hurricane shutters keep this from happening.
Hurricane shutters also act as protection against the tornadoes that come with hurricanes and tropical storms, often in the front right quadrant. Tornadoes are also often in the outer rain bands, well away from the center of the hurricane, so even if the hurricane doesn’t hit directly, your home can still sustain damage and needs protection. In 2008, three tornadoes spawned by a hurricane touched down simultaneously in Norfolk, caused massive damage and injured more than 200 people. Tornadoes can occur for days after landfall when the remnants of the storm causes low pressure circulation. Tornadoes often blow out windows and glass doors in homes, and hurricane shutters can protect you from this disaster.
Protect the investment you have made on your Norfolk home, and install hurricane shutters. Hurricane shutters keep your home and your family safe from harm during a storm. Even afterward, when you think that the danger is already past, hurricane shutters will increase your safety and defend you against the bad weather that hurricane season brings with it.
