Would storm shutters really help in a full force hurricane? What about a 50 mile an hour wind with hail stones? It’s hard to imagine the intensity of severe weather, until the day when it suddenly strikes. With everyone in the area running for shelter, stocking up on can goods, drinking water, and buying plywood for boarding up their windows, the stores sell out all of their stock fast. One of the smartest ways to survive in a severe weather emergency is to be ready ahead of time.

While you may intend on preparing ahead of time for dangerous weather, it is easy to get distracted by your immediate, daily needs and demands from work, school, and family. However, even with our modern weather prediction technology, a few days may not be enough to be able to have all the protection that you need. It takes hours to nail up plywood and boards over your windows, which after the storm, takes more hours to remove. However, storm shutters are only a one time installation that is easy for most people to put on all the windows.

Cost is another important issue to think about with storm preparation. The price of plywood goes way up and gets even higher as strong storms move closer. One panel of plywood can go from around two dollars to ten or even twenty dollars for each. Once you purchase and install storm shutters, the storm emergency situation won’t have as much of a devastating effect on your finances.

Storm shutters come in several designs, with many options. For example, you might want an accordion shutter style. This type of attaches to your window or patio area and expands vertically to the other side. These shutters self seal with their blades shaped to fit snugly into each other, helping to form a firm shield. Accordion shutters help to keep out hurricane force winds, heavy rain, hail stones, and all kinds of swirling debris.

Many people enjoy rolling shutters as well. The most common rolling shutters are made of vinyl or aluminum. Their manufacturers are happy to tint them in almost any color to match your home, and stain them with a high quality paint that resists chipping or fading. Rolling shutters also help block out UV rays, heat and cold temperatures. Accordion shutters can be locked with a key, which also helps to protect your home from intruders.

If you would like storm shutters that you can remove conveniently as well as easy to put up, then storm shutter panels would be more your style. These light weight aluminum shutters, can be hurricane certified and are water resistant. The colors of storm shutter panels can be made to match virtually any other home color and are able to resist corrosion and fading from direct sunlight. Once you decide to remove them, they stack neatly, with about nine panels taking less than inches of space.

Whatever type of storm shutter you select, you will be making a smart choice to enhance your home’s beauty and market value, as well as using your storm shutters to safeguard your family at home.