Fencing In Hurricane Alley? You Can Do It!

Wood fences are sturdy, but as changing hurricane seasons and more increasingly regular after effects such as slow-release flooding covers much of the hurricane-prone United States, you may want to put a bit more thought into the kinds of wood used, the types of paints and even how fencing is installed. For budget, longevity, and even recovery, here are a few fence choice considerations for hurricane alley.

Fence Thickness And Deep Anchoring Techniques

Hurricanes push, pull, and twist many things out of the ground, but shorter fences have a few advantages over the trees and power poles wrecked by gale force winds. 

The shorter an object is, the less surface area exposed to heavy winds. The force needed to push an object isn't the power of the entire storm, but by how much pressure is applied to the object. You can use square inches or centimeters squared for the measurement, but the smaller the exposed surface area, the more force needed.

If you're not interested in short, knee-high decorative fencing, you'll want to increase the strength of your fencing for the given height. Fencing contractors can give you information on what kind of thickness and depth is necessary, which both contribute to strength in a hurricane.

The thickness increases the strength of the fence material only. It affects how well a fence board can resist bending and snapping due to hurricane winds, and makes the object a heavier, more dense object that can't be easily pushed when anchored.

Anchoring is what adds the most strength. Thickness will prevent a well-anchored device from snapping above the ground, but keeping the fence a few feet underground to make wind pressure movement less of an issue. There may be some slight movement by a few inches or centimeters, but the point is to not have a shallow hole for the fence that can be uprooted with enough disturbance from the wind.

Wood Treatment And Rain Staining

Treated wood to stay pristine in all weather conditions is nothing new, but you'll need to consider debris. If your fence isn't completely damaged by hurricane-tossed projectiles crashing into the boards, you may still need to do some continuous painting.

One moderate issue is dirt, sand, and other small debris that basically becomes sandblaster fodder. Particulates picked up by the storm can strip the paint and weather treatment from your fence, and can even strip away wood whether the fence is treated or not.

After every storm, be sure to wipe down, check the treatment quality, and repaint the fencing. If fencing repair isn't your thing, or if you'd like something new after hurricane damage, contact a plywood fence professional to get something temporary or even more permanent, luxurious wood types with advanced treatment.