During a hurricane, small objects on the ground like tree branches can be picked up by the wind and turned into high-speed projectiles, and they can easily break windows. A broken window allows wind-blown rain to enter your home, and the winds entering through the window create an uplift force on your home's roof, making it more likely to blow off during the storm. If you live in an area that's prone to hurricanes, boarding up your windows before a hurricane comes or installing permanent hurricane shutters will help protect your home.

Having permanent hurricane shutters installed is more convenient than boarding up your windows with plywood or corrugated steel since you can simply roll down the shutters when a storm is coming instead of manually attaching panels to your home's exterior. You'll be able to fully protect your windows much quicker. While convenience and ease-of-use are the main benefits of having permanent hurricane shutters installed, they also provide additional security to your home when compared to boarding your windows by yourself. Read on to learn how they help keep your home safe from both hurricane-force winds and burglary.

Permanent Shutters Are Durable and Lockable

The period shortly after a hurricane rolls through an area is an ideal time for burglars. Some homeowners will have evacuated, leaving their homes vacant, and emergency services will be busy with other calls such as cars trapped in floodwater. The power may be out in many areas, rendering some security systems like cameras useless. As a result, it's a prime opportunity for home burglaries.

Permanent hurricane shutters do a much better job of keeping your home secure during this time because they can be locked and are more difficult to remove. Locking the shutters using a key means that you're the only one who will be able to roll them back up, and they're fixed securely to your home's exterior.

Boarding up your windows with plywood or any other form of storm paneling is much less secure in comparison. Storm panels are designed to be easily removable once the storm has passed. A burglar with a cordless drill can easily unscrew the panels from your home's exterior, giving them access to the window underneath them. Permanent hurricane shutters are meant to always remain fixed in place, so they're much harder for a burglar to remove.

Motorized Shutters Can Be Controlled Remotely

If a hurricane turns suddenly or moves quickly, you may be away from home during the time it's forecasted to hit. Some modern hurricane shutters are motorized and have wireless connectivity, which means that you're able to roll them down using your smartphone, even when you're away from home.

When you rely on boarding up your home in order to protect it from hurricanes and a hurricane hits while you're away, you won't have any form of protection from either the storm or burglars. Since wireless hurricane shutters can be deployed while you're away, they're a more reliable way of keeping your home secure.

Overall, permanent hurricane shutters are more convenient than boarding up your home and help make it more secure from theft. If you're still relying on boarding up your windows to keep it safe from hurricanes, contact a hurricane shutter installation company in your area and tell them the dimensions of your windows.