Brunswick Georgia is a port city, located right on the Gulf of Mexico. The city has the lowest elevation in Georgia; it’s only 10 feet above sea level. It has a long history of hurricane damage; one of the past most damaging never even made landfall; Brunswick was flooded in 1893 when a Category 3 hurricane (the Sea Islands Hurricane) rolled along the coast of Georgia before eventually hitting South Carolina. Five years later, a Category 4 hurricane hit just south of Brunswick in October of 1898, which caused a 16 foot storm surge in the city, killing 179 people.
The city experiences hurricane or near-hurricane conditions several times per year because of Brunswick’s location. Storms pass through Florida from the Gulf of Mexico and enter Georgia, and they also pass to the north or south in the Atlantic and hit the area.
If you live in Brunswick, it’s not if, but when will a hurricane strike your home or business. The best thing that you can do for your home if you live in this area is to install hurricane shutters. Be prepared; hurricane shutters protect your home from the storm in more than one way, and they are an economical, smart way to lessen damage done by storms.
Some homeowners put up plywood when a storm is on the way, but this is a bad idea. Plywood doesn’t meet safety requirements, and is hard to install, heavy, and must be put up when a hurricane is coming and taken down when it is over. Also, plywood doesn’t provide you with adequate impact protection, and if not bolted correctly, may fly off during a storm. And even if they are bolted correctly, plywood over your doors and windows is still dangerous, since they prevent safe exit from windows in an emergency. Since 1998 almost a dozen homeowners have died when they were trapped in fires and couldn’t get out of their homes.
Permanent hurricane shutters are safer, and provide you with a lot more protection for your home or business:
Tested for missile impact resistance
Proven to withstand hurricane force winds
May provide you with a discount on your insurance policy
Protect you against the pressure changes that occur during storms and can rip off roofs and walls
Stay up year-round, so there is no frantic installation when a storm is on the way
Provide easy entrance and egress during a storm, in case you need to get in or out fast
Hurricane shutters are the best protection for your Brunswick, Georgia home. Your best protection from the storm is to be prepared, and having permanent hurricane shutters up increases your chances of surviving a storm safely.
