Straight-Line Wind Damage

Wind can cause not only discomfort but also damage to your property. This is especially true for the regions and states where winds happen quite often. Ordinary people believe that tornadoes are the worst damage and danger, but do you know how dangerous a normal straight-line wind can be?

What Is Straight-Line Wind and Is It Harmful to Your Home?

Straight-line winds are often confused with tornadoes. But the difference lies in the very name of these natural phenomena. While a tornado is usually created by rotating air masses, a straight-line wind blows strictly in a certain direction. At the same time, it differs from the usual winds that accompany the arrival of cyclones or anticyclones. Straight-line wind usually occurs as a consequence of a storm. During a storm, dry and cool air is formed in its epicenter. It differs from the air outside the storm's epicenter, as it is heavier and denser. Therefore, upon reaching the peak, the air mass in the epicenter begins to drop sharply down to the earth's surface. Due to this, strong and destructive gusts of wind arise.

The main thing that distinguishes a straight-line wind from a normal wind is its speed. Wind gusts reach the speed over 50 miles per hour and can approach the 100 mph mark. This speed is not typical of a normal wind.

Due to the high speed of the straight-line wind, it causes no less damage than a tornado. It can carry objects, throw them in the direction of its movement, break trees and overturn vehicles.

What Damage Could Be Caused by Straight-Line Winds?

When it comes to straight-line wind damage to your home, it can be of varying magnitude. In the simplest case, this wind can cut wires and damage electrical wiring. As a result, your electronics, household appliances, equipment may burn out or get deteriorated. Often, the damage caused by a straight-line wind affects the adjacent territory. Broken trees in the garden, collapsed hedges or damaged outbuildings are not at all uncommon when this natural phenomenon happens.

Regarding the house itself, there are also many locations that can be affected by the straight-line wind.

• Windows and doors. They can be knocked out or broken if they have been incorrectly installed or are of considerable age. Also, windows are often damaged by the stuff which is carried by the straight-line wind.
• Roof. Most often gusts of such a wind damage tiles, slate sheets or planks, which, in its turn, leads to damage to the roof. In addition, taking into account that the straight-line wind is a companion of the storm, the roof is often flooded with water and moisture gets inside the house.
• Walls. Any side of the house can be damaged due to the straight-line wind.
• Pipelines and utilities. If they have been laid above the ground, gusts of wind can damage them as well.
• Chimney pipes and antennas. This type of wind can also damage the things placed on the rooftop.

As you can see, the damage caused by a straight-line wind is no less significant than the one happening because of a tornado.

How to Determine if Your House Has Been Damaged by a Straight-Line Wind?

Of course, if a straight-line wind is significant, you will definitely understand that namely it must be blamed for the destruction of your house. But, what if the damage isn't that great? First of all, as soon as the storm finishes, identify any breakdowns and damage that have occurred. It might be cracked glass in the windows or broken doors, damaged roof tiles, scratches and cracks in the facade, damaged utilities, etc.

It will be necessary to determine what exactly has caused the damage, and not only to eliminate it, but also to draw up an application to the insurance company. When filling out the documents, it is especially important to indicate the cause of the damage. At this stage, if you are not sure whether the damage has arisen from the straight-line wind or due to the storm and rain, it is better to turn to professional experts. First of all, these are servicemen who can inspect your home, draw up a list of all the cases of damage and make a decision on their causes. Also, a wind damage public adjuster can cope with the task of independent examination. If you hire such a specialist, you won't go wrong. He/she will not only accurately determine the type of damage, its reasons and the amount of compensation, but will also ensure that the money is paid to you as quickly as possible.

5 Tips to Cope with Straight-Line Wind Damage

So, we've come to the most important question. How to cope with straight-line wind damage? We have several tips in this respect.

1. First of all, this type of damage can be minimized in advance. To do this, when a storm approaches, it is better to remove all loose objects from the yard. Garden furniture, equipment, fallen branches and weeds can turn into powerful weapons in the gusts of straight-line wind. Thus, if you hide them in a shed or garage, the risk that some of these items will break some glass or damage the tiles becomes lower.
2. Keep all the most important things at hand. If the media have notified that a storm with a straight-line wind is approaching, it is better to stock up on food, medicines, and everything you need in advance. The fact is that gusts of wind often lead to breaks of power lines, falling trees, and, as a result, blocking of roads and communication lines.
3. After the elements have finished raging, inspect the house. If there is some damage, call your insurance adjuster for an inspection. You can also call a public adjuster at the same time. He/she will help to draw up documents for the insurance company correctly. Do not touch anything until the public adjuster and insurance adjuster have finished their inspection.
4. Some damage caused by a straight-line wind can be repaired by yourself. For example, re-paint the facade, remove fallen branches and wind-blown debris from the roof and yard. But, it is better to turn to professional repairmen in order to eliminate damaged wiring, roof, replace glass in windows, install new windows and doors.
5. If strait-line winds happen in your area very often, it is worth considering additional insurance. The standard homeowners policy covers wind damage. But, insurance companies may refuse to cover damage to the fence, outbuildings, garden or lawn. Therefore, it is better to purchase an additional policy if you are worried about their integrity.

Straight-line wind can be a real disaster. Fortunately, it is usually short-lived. Thus, it is enough to survive the bad weather, check what damage has been caused, and contact the insurance company to compensate for the costs of recovering from the storm and straight-line wind.