Storm Season: A Home Checklist for Pottawatomie County

Living in central Oklahoma means spring storms are a scheduled event, not a surprise. The homes that come through them well are rarely the newest ones — they're the ones where somebody spent a weekend in March on the boring maintenance.

Start with water, not wind

More storm damage claims come from water finding a way in than from wind tearing something off. Clean the gutters, make sure downspouts discharge several feet from the foundation, and check that the ground slopes away from the house. Standing water against a slab is a slow, expensive problem.

Walk the roofline from the ground

You don't need to climb up. From the yard with binoculars or a phone camera, look for lifted or missing shingles, granules collecting at the downspout outlets, damaged flashing around chimneys and vents, and any sag in the roof plane. Note it now so you have a baseline if hail comes through later.

Secure everything that can become a projectile

Trampolines, patio furniture, grills, empty planters, and loose fence panels all move in a 60-mile-an-hour gust. A quick pass through the yard before a watch turns into a warning takes ten minutes and prevents broken windows and siding damage.

Trim what overhangs the house

Limbs above a roof or over a driveway are the ones that cause real damage. Take them back before the storms rather than after, and clear dead wood out of trees near the power drop while it's still easy to reach.

Protect the HVAC and the electrical

Make sure the outdoor condenser is level and secured to its pad, keep debris cleared away from it, and consider a whole-home surge protector. Lightning-induced surges quietly kill compressors, control boards, and appliances every spring.

Have a plan for the power going out

Know where the water shutoff and the breaker panel are, keep flashlights and batteries somewhere you can find them in the dark, and keep phones charged when a storm is forecast. If you have a generator, run it before the season, not during the outage.

What to inspect after a storm passes

Once it's safe, walk the property: fence posts and gates, deck boards and railings, window screens and seals, siding dents, and any new water stains on ceilings or around windows. Photograph anything you find with the date, and get small repairs handled before the next round of weather makes them larger.

We handle fence and deck repair, siding, interior water damage, and HVAC service across the Shawnee area. If a storm leaves you with a list, send us photos and we'll tell you what needs attention first.