Suddenly, Parrish heard the sound of gushing water.

He immediately knew that one of his pipes had burst.

“In the span of about a week, it went from 50s to 60s to 0.”

The economic impact of the storm is estimated to have exceeded $130 billion, according toAccuWeather’s data.

Having recently completed a major renovation, Parrish knew where all the pipes were.

As destructive weather becomes more frequent and severe, a huge part of the damage is the cost.

Find out what you’re free to do to mitigate your financial losses below.

How to prepare for a winter storm

1.

In his case, Parrish used aSharkBiteproduct to seal up some of the unusable pipes.

These maneuvers likely saved Parrish thousands of dollars.

Orient yourself in your living space.

Buy flood insurance

Standard homeowners insurance covers losses from windstorms and fire, but notflood insurance.

As such, clean debris out of your drains, gutters and downspouts.

And install a sump pump, a gear that moves water from your basement out of your home.

A sump pump may not do the trick against a major surge.

The maximum coverage includes $250,000 for structures and $100,000 for personal property.

Fortify your roof

Roofs are “the first line of defense for wind storms,” according to Friedlander.

you’re free to make your roof more resilient by strapping it down.

A hurricane strap reinforces the connection between the roof and exterior of your home.

Ignition zones are places where something could, well, ignite, such as mulch or pine straw.

“You should put stones or other types of materials that don’t burn around your home.

Don’t use mulch or pine straw if you live in a fire zone,” Friedlander said.