Storm Education

Prepare Your Home

• Bring in lawn furniture or other outdoor items not tied down that could become airborne.
• Repair or replace broken or damaged fences.
• Inspect the roof for loose tiles, shingles or debris. Secure roof tarps.
• Windows and doors should be secured with storm shutters or by boarding up windows with 5/8-inch plywood. Inspect existing shutters to ensure they are in good working order. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
• Trailer boats should be removed from the water and securely stored at least 48 hours before a hurricane is expected to make landfall. Moor the boat in a previously identified safe area.
• Remove tents, blow up pools and any other miscellaneous items stored outdoors that can become projectiles.

Construction Sites

• In the event of a tropical storm warning or hurricane watch, contractors are obligated to secure their work sites. Potentially hazardous objects including roll-off containers must be covered, fastened down or removed.
• Secure all loose materials (roof tiles, canisters, porta-potties, etc.)
• At the time of a declared hazardous weather condition, all sites shall be secured and the following conditions adhered to:
  1. Dumpster(s) shall be removed from the site or secured in a way to prevent debris from becoming a nuisance to the surrounding community.
  2. All material shall be secured inside any structure or removed from the site.
  3. No material shall be delivered to the site if a weather warning of any kind has been declared.
  4. All roofing material that has not been installed shall be removed from the roof and secured as detailed above.
  5. All fence screening shall be dropped and any fence sections whose poles are not securely installed into the ground shall be removed from the property or secured on the property.
• Any violations shall be subject to civil penalty of $500. Additionally, no final inspection shall be granted until such time as all code violations have been abated.

Waste Disposal

• Secure your trash and recycling carts in a garage, utility shed or covered patio.
• Bulk trash route suspensions will be announced within 48-hours of a storm making landfall.
• Trash placed out for pick-up after services have been suspended should be removed from curbside.

Tree and Lawn Preparation

• Do not begin any tree pruning or cleanup activities, or place trash on the curb, during a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning.
• Prune trees during the tree species’ dormant season or during early spring.
• Landscapers and residents should not blow grass clippings onto sidewalks, streets and storm drains, which can lead to street flooding. Instead, grass clippings should be bagged or blown back onto the lawn where they can serve as natural mulch.
• Bulk trash piles should not exceed 8 cubic yards. (12 ft. (length) X 6 ft. (width) X 3 ft. (height). Only one pile per property can be placed out for your designated pick-up day.

Windows and Doors

• Once a storm threat is announced, windows and doors should be secured with storm shutters or by boarding windows with plywood. Inspect existing shutters to ensure they are in good working order. Tape does not prevent windows from breaking.
• Shutters and plywood must begin to be removed 72 hours after the storm subsides, per City code.