Westhampton is a city on Long Island, New York. It’s a coastal area, and is well known for its fine beaches. It’s a humid subtropical climate, and because of its location, is prone to hurricanes and tropical storms during the hurricane season. Most people think that because the area has not been hit by storms in recent years, they are safe and do not have to prepare, but this is far from the truth.
The total cost of the last major hurricane to hit directly on Westhampton, in terms of lives lost or disrupted, homes destroyed or damaged, and economic impact was staggering. To summarize the total damage incurred on Long Island, New York:
Total estimated damage from the Hurricane:
700 deaths, 708 injured
4,500 homes, cottages, farms destroyed; 15,000 damaged
26,000 vehicles destroyed
20,000 miles of downed electrical power and telephone lines
1,700 livestock dead, and approximately 750,000 chickens killed
$2,610,000 fishing boats, equipment, docks, and shore plants damaged or destroyed
Crops destroyed had an estimated cost of $2 million
More than 50 lives were lost on Long Island that day – 29 of them in Westhampton. The total cost of the storm for Long Island was estimated to be $6.2 million, in that year’s prices. Total cost of the storm throughout the northeast would place the 1938 Hurricane in the top ten of costliest storms of all time
Westhampton was impacted the most of all the Long Island communities. And it will be hit hard when the next major storm has a direct strike on the island, as well. If you have a Westhampton home, you are being advised to prepare your home for the storm, and one of the best protections during a storm is to install hurricane shutters.
Hurricane shutters:
Are missile impact tested to withstand the debris thrown at high speed during the storm.
Are tested to withstand high winds, up to and over 150 miles per hour.
Protect you against the pressure changes that occur during the storm. When your windows or doors are broken, the sudden pressure changes can do terrible damage. Hurricane shutters keep you safe from sudden pressure changes.
Protect you from tornadoes that come with hurricanes and tropical storms. Shutters are one of the best protection against these devastating storm remnants.
Can be closed in a matter of minutes when a storm is coming. Permanent hurricane shutters can be closed all around your home in a matter of minutes, closing off your home and making sure that you’re as safe as possible.

Long Island is an island in southeast New York, just east of Manhattan. Just like other coastal areas of the northeast United States, it has a humid subtropical climate, with warm, humid summers and cool wet winters. It’s an island, and as such, is vulnerable to hurricanes.

According to the United States Landfalling Hurricane Probability Project, there is a 28% probability that Region 10 (which includes NY City and Long Island) will be hit with a tropical storm or hurricane in 2011. The normal probability is 15%. And they forecast that the chances are 99% that this same region will be hit in the next ten years by a major, devastating hurricane.

The state of New York wants to make sure that Long Island and its homes are hurricane ready. One of the major obstacles to overcome is public complacency. Only a third of current New York State coastal residents have ever experienced a major hurricane, and the last time a major hurricane hit, the Long Island area was mostly undeveloped. The next time a major hurricane hits, it will be impacting a highly developed and populated region. That means devastating effects, major damage, and cause heavy loss of life. Remember when Katrina hit New Orleans? Many people stayed in the city, even though urged to leave, and hurricane preparation was lackadaisical at best. The costs for damages of a major hurricane hitting the Long Island area is forecast to be almost 100 billion dollars. You could buy small countries for less than what it will cost to repair homes and property when a major hurricane hits Long Island.

Most people away from the coast believe that they are far enough inland to be safe from hurricanes. However, most of these inland residents don’t realize that they are in just as much danger as those who live right on the cost, and that their daily lives will be severely impacted for weeks or months

One of the best things that you can do to protect your home is to add hurricane shutters. Hurricane shutters covering the entrances and egresses of your home provides great protection from wind damage, prevents window breakage that can allow the rain inside and cause great pressure changes that destroy your home, and protects you from missile-impacts from debris thrown at high speed by the storm. Hurricane shutters are wind-rated and impact missile tested, and are much more effective than any type of temporary shutter you install when a storm is on the way. Also, temporary shutters are often not approved by your insurance company, depending on the type, and can void your coverage in case of damage.

Don’t believe because that Long Island hasn’t been hit by a hurricane in years that you are safe. This lessens your safety, in fact, and improves the odds, year by year, of a major hurricane hitting the area. It will happen, so protect your home and family today by adding hurricane shutters now to your home.

Asbury Park is a city in New Jersey, right on the Jersey shore. It is famous for its beaches, and regularly hits the ‘best beach’ list in the yearly top beaches contest. It’s a seaside community, with all that entails – great places to visit in the summertime, great seafood, tourism, and the threat of hurricanes.

Tropical Storms like David, Bertha, and Floyd have all recently impacted the Asbury Park area, with Floyd causing the most damage, in particular because of the heavy rains that started major flooding in many New Jersey towns. The Asbury Park area has been devastated more than once by hurricanes. One of the most powerful and destructive was a 1938 hurricane that nearly destroyed the area. It was a Category Four Hurricane that swept up through Delaware Bay into Cape May and followed a track along what is now the Garden State Parkway.

The storm was huge and strong, and caused high winds of more than 100 mph as far away as Philadelphia. If such a forceful storm with these far-reaching effects would hit today, it would strike a much more populous and developed area, and it would lay waste to it all. A recent insurance damage estimate of a major hurricane making landfall in the area of Asbury Park, New Jersey would cost approximately $56 billion dollars. That’s billions of dollars, not millions. Contrast that to Hurricane Andrew, a major storm, which caused $27 billion dollars in damage to South Florida and Louisiana.
If you live in the Asbury Park area, you would be prudent to prepare your home for storms. One of the best things that you can do for your home is to install storm shutters. Hurricane shutters should cover all glass windows, glass doors, and doors with partial glass, such as French doors. The major damage that is caused to homes during hurricanes is through entrances and egresses that are vulnerable to breakage. And once the storm enters your home, it causes great damage. It can precipitate pressure changes that can rip your home literally to shreds. Your roof could be ripped off, your walls could be torn off, with dangerous debris thrown at high speed like missiles.
The Atlantic is currently going through a very prolonged period of high activity, and it’s not a matter of if a major hurricane will hit Asbury Park, but when. In a recent meeting with emergency management officials, local and county leaders, the NOAA spokesman warned that a hurricane will happen in New Jersey.
Give yourself peace of mind, and install hurricane shutters on your Asbury Park home today. Protect your home and your family, and make sure that you are safe from the storms that are coming.

Sea Bright, New Jersey is located right on the Jersey shore, and is the easternmost city in the state. The city has multiple beaches, and has a humid, subtropical climate. It’s historically been very threatened by hurricanes, and still is, in fact.

New Jersey offers a Hurricane Preparedness Guide to its citizens for this very reason, and recommends installing storm shutters over all exposed windows and other glass surfaces as one of the easiest and most effective ways to protect your home. They recommend that you cover all windows, French doors, sliding glass doors and skylights with hurricane shutters. They also tell their citizens that no matter what the odds are of a hurricane hitting directly in your area are, you should be ready for the storm, and hurricane shutters on your home are part of being prepared.

Meteorologists also recently warned N.J. residents that a very active hurricane season is ahead of us from the Atlantic Ocean. The season could be one of the most active on record, says the NOAA, and urges everyone to be well prepared. The South Atlantic is now in a pattern of high storm activity that has existed since 1995. Warm Atlantic Ocean water is a key factor in hurricane development and the first four months of 2010 posted the warmest ocean temperatures on record. The pattern looks to be continuing in 2011 as well, and the year is forecast to be just as hurricane active.

If you live in the Sea Bright area, you would be well advised to retrofit or install hurricane shutters on your home. Even the state of New Jersey agrees that it is the best way to protect your home, and that hurricane shutters should be part of your hurricane-preparedness plan. There is a very active hurricane season on the way, and it is forecast to be the same for the next several years. There’s no better way to prepare for this than to add storm shutters to your home today.

And not only do hurricane shutters protect your home during a storm, they add to the value of your home as well. Homes resold in the Red Bank area with hurricane shutters typically recouped more than eighty percent of the cost of installing the shutters. They save you money in other ways, as well. Many insurance companies will lower your premiums when you add storm shutters to your home, adding another reason to install them. Hurricane shutters protect your home and save you money, so install them on your home today.

Atlantic City is a city in New Jersey and a resort city. It’s well known for the gambling, shopping and fine dining that it provides its visitors. It’s a beach town, right on the coast, and Atlantic City, New Jersey has seen hurricanes and the remnants of several once-powerful hurricanes, some resulting in heavy damage. Historically, the area has seen many tropical storms and hurricane damage, and numerous hurricanes that remained offshore have each drowned numbers of swimmers.

A strong Category 2 or weak Category 3 hurricane sunk or beached many ships near Atlantic City when it hit there, causing heavy damage near the shore. The most severe hurricane historically was the 1944 Great Atlantic Hurricane. Though it didn’t make landfall, its strong winds and tide surge on the coastline destroyed hundreds of homes.

Hurricane Gloria paralleled the New Jersey coastline just offshore as a Category 2 hurricane. The hurricane forced 95,000 citizens to evacuate, while eleven casinos in Atlantic City closed down, resulting in a loss of $7 million in revenue. That’s not counting the damage done to homes and businesses, merely what the casinos lost.

If you live in Atlantic City, having hurricane shutters added to your home is a smart idea. The professional installation of hurricane rated Rolling shutters, Bahama shutters, Colonial shutters, or Accordion shutters for homes and businesses is the best thing that you can do to protect your home. Hurricanes can cause devastating damage, and permanent shutters are a barrier against the storm.

Hurricane shutters:

Protect you and your home against high winds – Hurricane shutters are wind-rated, and can withstand high winds. They are tested for this, and are much more safe than temporary shutters nailed up when a storm is on the way.

Keep dangerous and abrupt pressure changes from damaging your home – When your home is breached or a window is broken, the abrupt pressure changes inside your home can actually tear a hole in your roof or rip entire walls off. Temporary shutters can come off easily, but permanent shutters protect you and keep those pressure changes from destroying your home.

Keep debris thrown at high speeds from tearing through windows and doors – Hurricane shutters are missile impact tested, and can be counted on to keep out wind, rain, and anything thrown by the storm. Even a Category 1 hurricane can have gusts well over 100 miles per hour, and when objects are thrown at this speed at unprotected windows and doors, not only does it tear a hole in your structure, it can injure people inside the home.

Hurricane shutters are essential for protecting homes in areas that are vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. Atlantic City definitely falls into this category, and smart homeowners will add hurricane shutters to their homes today.