At Creative Shades, commercial-grade shade cloths are designed to withstand a maximum wind load of 90mph or more if the specification requires. In most cases, if shade sails have been maintained correctly and the winds are below 90 mph your commercial grade shade sails should withstand heavy wind and rain. However, in the event of a strong hurricane where winds can reach over 100 mph like Hurricane Irma, it’s important that you take precautions to mitigate damage to your commercial shade sails. Unfortunately, Florida is more prone to hurricanes than any other U.S. state and the damage caused can be devastating.
Florida Hurricane Season
According to the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center, “The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th, and the Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15th to November 30th. ”
Most Floridians understand the importance of being prepared for Hurricane season as far as food and supplies are concerned but as a business owner or manager, its important to understand and prepare for the impact a hurricane may have on your business.
Preparing your Shade Sails for a Hurricane
Of course, safety is the main concern and monitoring the progress of a storm is an important part of staying safe and knowing if and when you will need to evacuate.
Staying in the know will also let you know early on if any precautionary steps are necessary to protect your shade sails. In the event of a hurricane warning, we recommend to protect your investment, all canopy tops should be removed with hurricane warnings above 90mph.
For Storms below 90 mph winds, inspect your structure and make sure sails are still properly tensioned. A properly tensioned sail is tight and will have few to no wrinkles.
Removing Shade Sails and Fabric Awnings Before the Storm
As a precaution, remove the fabric for any Category 1 or above storm if you are certain the storm is coming your way. If you are comfortable you can remove the fabric yourself, however, in the case for some commercial properties, it may be necessary to hire a company for an emergency storm sail shade removal.
Tensions sails should also be removed before a category 1 storm.
• The warranty requires that the shade cloth be removed with any hurricane warnings posted by the NOAA in your area.
If you are able to remove the fabric, here are the steps:
- Loosen the turnbuckles and all cable clamps holding the tension on the sails
once the tension is off the cable then the sail will slide off the frames with no problem. - If you are having problems with the clamps or turnbuckles or running out of time then just cut the cable to save time ( the cable can be replaced ).
Repairing Damaged Commercial Shade Sails After a Storm
In the event, that you are unable to remove your shade sails, its possible a hurricane like Dorian may cause damage or even destroy your shade sail or structure. If your shade sails or structures are damaged after a hurricane, repairing them will likely be the least expensive way to get your shade sails back up.
We offer shade structure repairs and hurricane shade canopy repair services. If the structure or shade sail is unsalvageable, we can also make custom replacement shades made to order and offer replacement shades structures.