Preparing Your Home for Storm Season by the Sea

Why the Coast Faces a Harder Storm Season

Living beside the sea is a privilege, but it comes with a bargain attached. Salt-laden air, wind-driven rain and the sheer exposure of a coastal plot mean that autumn and winter gales hit harder here than they do twenty miles inland. A gust that ruffles hedges in a sheltered town can peel felt from a shed roof on the seafront, and a spring tide combined with low pressure can push water up through gullies faster than most of us expect.

The good news is that almost everything you can do to prepare is straightforward, inexpensive and best done on a calm, bright afternoon rather than in the middle of a weather warning. Think of it as battening down the hatches in slow motion: a few hours now saves days of clearing up later.

Secure Everything the Wind Can Lift

The single most common cause of storm damage to coastal homes is not the roof — it is the garden. Trampolines, parasols, garden chairs, planters, bins and even heavy rotary washing lines become projectiles once gusts pass forty miles per hour.

• Store or anchor garden furniture: stack lightweight chairs and tables in a shed or garage. If you have nowhere to put them, lay them flat and weight them down with paving slabs.
• Take down parasols and sails: a closed parasol still acts as a sail. Remove it from the base entirely and store it indoors.
• Weight the wheelie bins: bring them in on collection day, and on storm days wedge them against a wall or chain them to a sturdy post. A bin lid travelling at speed will break a window.
• Check fences and gates: loose posts and flapping gates rattle themselves apart. New bolts and a little extra postcrete in autumn prevent a full rebuild in January.
• Move hanging baskets and bird feeders to a sheltered wall, and bring pots inside where you can.

Check Drainage Before the Rain Arrives

Water, not wind, does the lasting damage to coastal homes. Clear drainage gives every downpour somewhere to go, so spend an hour on the outside of the property before the first named storm of the season.

• Clear gutters and downpipes of leaves, moss and gull feathers. Blocked guttering sends water down the wall and into the brickwork.
• Lift drain covers and scoop out silt, sand and debris. Coastal gullies fill with wind-blown sand surprisingly quickly.
• Check gullies and soakaways away from the house are running freely, and clear any channel or ditch along your boundary.
• Test your flood defences: if you keep sandbags, flood boards or a door seal, fit them once now so you know they work in the dark.
• Look at ground levels: a gentle fall away from the building is ideal. If paving slopes towards the door, a shallow channel or a temporary barrier will help.

Air bricks and vents near ground level deserve a check too — they keep the floors beneath your home dry, so make sure they are clear of soil and vegetation.

Protect Windows, Doors and Outbuildings

Sea-facing windows take the brunt, and the salt that coats them after a storm is corrosive as well as unsightly. Wash frames and hinges down with fresh water afterwards, then apply a little silicone spray or light oil to moving parts to keep them working smoothly.

Before a gale, close and latch every window properly, and lock external doors rather than leaving them on the latch — pressure changes can pull a door open. If you have a conservatory or porch, check that glazing panels are secure. In the garden, check the roof of sheds, garages and greenhouses: a couple of stainless-steel screws or a strap over a felt roof costs very little compared with replacing everything inside. Stack anything stored in outbuildings off the floor on pallets or shelves, in case water gets in.

Store Emergency Supplies Well in Advance

Coastal power cuts are common when overhead lines come down, and they often last longer than people expect. Keep a kit together in one place that everyone in the household knows about.

• Light and power: torches, spare batteries, a battery or wind-up radio and a fully charged power bank.
• Water and food: at least three litres of drinking water per person per day for three days, plus non-perishable food that needs no cooking.
• Warmth: blankets, sleeping bags and warm, waterproof layers, including wellies kept somewhere they will not float away.
• Health: a first aid kit and a week's supply of any prescription medicines.
• Paperwork: insurance details and important documents in a sealed waterproof wallet or bag.

Charge phones and laptops when a warning is issued, keep the car topped up with fuel, and have a little cash handy in case card machines are down. It is also worth knowing where your gas, electricity and water stopcocks are, and how to switch them off.

Make a Simple Storm Plan

Write down who does what when a warning arrives: who brings in the furniture, who checks on the neighbour living alone, who gathers the torches. Agree a meeting point and a way to contact each other if the mobile network goes down. If you live in a flood-prone spot, keep an eye on tide times as well as the forecast, and move your car to higher ground early rather than waiting for the water to arrive.

Finally, coastal communities look after one another. A knock on the door for an older neighbour before a storm, and another once it has passed, is often the most valuable preparation of all. Do the small jobs now, keep the kettle within reach, and let the gales do their worst while you stay warm, dry and quietly confident.