Hurricane Matthew Wrecks Havoc in Florida and Reminds Us That It’s Good to Be Prepared

Residents of the Houston area were likely watching recent news reports as Hurricane Matthew impacted Florida’s east coast with 115 mph winds, more than 10 inches of rain and a storm surge of 12 feet. Gratefully, most of the area’s residents had evacuated before the western side of the category 3 hurricane contacted the coast, but over 600,000 homes were left without power as a result. While Texas has been spared this time around, more than 70 tropical or sub-tropical storms have hit our coastline since 1980 alone. Installing a standby generator will not only keep your lights on during a power outage but can keep all the electrical components within your home up and running for any period of time required.

Benefits of a Standby Generator During a Storm

A standby generator provides numerous benefits to your home, including the following:

• Automatically switches on whenever the system detects a power outage. Because standby generators are wired directly into your electrical system and are powered by propane or natural gas, you never have to worry about manually setting up a portable generator or filling a gas tank.
• Sized to run all the electrical devices within your home or business. Standby generators are intended to keep your home running in its normal state. You’ll continue to have water, heat, air conditioning, refrigeration and more in any weather condition.
• Offers a degree of flood protection. Generators can continuously run a sump pump which can keep water from entering your basement. In some cases, these pumps can make the difference between extreme flood damage and a house that is left untouched.

How Can I Protect My Home if I Have to Evacuate?

Even if you have to evacuate your home in preparation for the arrival of a hurricane, a standby generator can keep your refrigerated food supply fresh, your sump pump running and security systems and lights operational. Many home and business owners who do not live close to the shoreline are not required to evacuate but will be directly faced with the large amounts of rain and intense winds that come with tropical storms. With a standby generator on hand, you can relax, knowing that your power supply will remain uninterrupted no matter what’s coming down from the sky.

Safeguard Your Home Before the Next Storm

Considering Houston’s long history of tropical storms which have impacted the area, installing a standby generator makes sense and is an excellent investment. Even late in the year, the Texas coastline is far from safe from tropical weather; the month of October alone has seen 13 recorded storms, and two have come as late as November. If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of a standby generator for your home or business, give us a call at A & A GenPro today.