Don’t let the sunny, mild May weather fool you! While you are busy opening the pool and planning summer barbecues, a major meteorological shift is right around the corner: Hurricane season officially begins on June 1st.
When most people think of hurricanes, they picture the Florida coast or the Gulf of Mexico. But the reality is that tropical storms in New England are a consistent, annual threat to homeowners, bringing devastating winds, torrential rain, and multi-day power outages.
At Brook Field Service, we want to make sure your home is ready before the weather turns. Here is your essential homeowner’s guide to preparing for the incoming storm season.
The Real Threat: Tracking Tropical Storms in New England
If you look at a historical map showing the likelihood of a direct hurricane hit, northern New England might seem relatively safe compared to the southern coast. Direct, Category 4 landfalls in our area are rare.
However, that map doesn’t tell the whole story. The true danger lies in the remnants of these massive weather systems.
As hurricanes travel up the Eastern Seaboard, they downgrade into tropical storms or severe depressions. When these remnants collide with the New England terrain, they dump massive amounts of water and bring sustained, heavy winds. Because our region is heavily wooded with an aging, above-ground utility grid, the remnants of tropical storms in New England frequently cause more localized damage and power outages than a typical winter blizzard.
Essential Prep: 3 Steps to Secure Your Home
To protect your property from incoming severe weather, you need to be proactive. Waiting until a storm is in the forecast is too late.
1. Secure Your Property from Wind Damage The heavy winds that accompany tropical storms in New England can turn everyday backyard items into dangerous projectiles. Long before a storm hits, make sure you have a plan to quickly secure patio furniture, umbrellas, and grills. Additionally, schedule a landscaping assessment to trim dead branches or leaning trees that threaten your roof or nearby power lines.
2. Prepare for Torrential Rain and Flooding Tropical depressions can drop inches of rain in a matter of hours. Clear your gutters and downspouts to ensure water flows away from your foundation. Most importantly, test your sump pump. If a storm knocks out the local power grid, a working sump pump is useless without a reliable backup power source, leaving your finished basement vulnerable to catastrophic flooding.
3. Build a Dedicated Storm Kit When the power grid fails, you need to be ready to sustain your family. Ensure you have a stocked emergency kit that includes flashlights, fresh batteries, a first-aid kit, battery-powered fans for the summer heat, and non-perishable food.
The Ultimate Defense: Automatic Standby Power
The single most devastating consequence of tropical storms in New England is the loss of electricity. Losing power means losing your A/C during a humid heatwave, watching hundreds of dollars of groceries spoil in a warm fridge, and leaving your basement completely unprotected from rising groundwater.
The best way to prepare your home for hurricane season is to remove the utility grid from the equation entirely with a permanent Kohler standby generator.
A standby generator monitors your home’s power 24/7. When a tropical storm knocks out the neighborhood grid, your generator turns on automatically within seconds—running on your home’s existing natural gas or propane supply. You don’t have to wrestle with gas cans, and you don’t even have to be home to turn it on.
Secure Your Peace of Mind with Brook Field Service
Hurricane season begins June 1st. Is your home ready?
Don’t wait for the first named storm of the season to realize you need backup power. Brook Field Service is your local expert for generator installation and maintenance. Right now, we are offering $0 Down, 0% Interest financing to make securing your home easier and more affordable than ever.
Already have an old generator that you don’t trust to survive the season? Ask us about our $1,000 Kohler Trade-Up Rebate!
