Northern Virginia Thunderstorm Warning
Spring showers aren’t quite over yet for residents located in Northern Virginia — tonight you can expect a severe thunderstorm watch lasting until at least 9:00pm marked with heavy rains, winds reaching up to 60 mph, power outages, and even possible instances of hail the size of a ping pong ball. In addition to these dangerous weather conditions, there is a possibility for flooding throughout the area due to the excessive rainfall in recent days saturating the ground.
While your instinct during these storms is just to wait them out until the rain and noise finally ceases, you should take precautionary steps to protect the condition of your home and keep your family prepared to ensure their safety in the event of harsh storms, flooding, power outages and hail.
Ways to Stay Safe During Thunderstorms
With the impending storm expecting to hit Northern Virginia early this evening, homeowners have time to quickly and easily perform some simple tasks to protect their homes against damage and prevent any safety hazards. Before hunkering down tonight, ensure you’re safe by taking these preventative steps:
- Unplug Electronics: Power surges caused by lightening can severely damage several electronics throughout your home including televisions, computers, and monitors. These surges could cause sparks that could create a fire.
- Bring Outdoor Items Inside: To prevent property damages, relocate any outdoor furniture or other items indoor to avoid water damages or to keep them from blowing away.
- Stay Inside: Don’t try maneuvering outside during the storm and if you’re not home during extreme weather conditions, then stay inside your hard-topped car and avoid touching anything metal. Keep in mind, that the rubber tires on your car won’t protect you from lightning strike.
- Close Windows: Make sure any windows on your home are securely shut and locked and close any window treatments. This will protect your home from gusty winds and moisture intrusion as well as keep out any broken glass.
- Keep Doors Securely Closed: Keeping doors closed will also keep out unwanted elements and protect your home from water damages.
If you’re caught away from home when the storm hits your community later this evening, try to take shelter in a nearby building, pull over in instances of heavy rain, avoid touching metal objects, stay away from trees, hilltops, open fields, beaches, or boats, and only use cell phones that aren’t plugged into an electrical outlet.
In the event of hail in your area, keep in mind these dangerous pieces of ice can fall at 50 to 100 mph — causing serious damages and posing health risks. During hail events, stay away from windows and skylights to avoid damage from broken glass and make sure your car is safely parked in a garage or other covered area.
Trust 911 Restoration of Northern Virginia For Storm Restoration
Hopefully after these brutal storms your home will be as sturdy as ever, but if it experienced any damages, then call 911 Restoration of Northern Virginia to help you with the restoration efforts. Our certified technicians are available for emergency storm repairs including water and disaster restoration 24-hours per day, 7 days a week. We’ll quickly respond to your call within an hour to minimize water damages and prevent hazardous mold growth.
To schedule services or learn more about our water damage restoration efforts, call us today at 571-367-0646.
