We have been having some pretty heavy winds lately, here in Portland, so it might be wise to find out how to protect your home, and find out what you should look for if you’re worried about damage. 
4 Tips for Protecting Against Weather Damage
1. Keep your trees trimmed up. You don’t want tree limbs hitting your roof or your home in high winds – whether they are attached to the tree or dead wood that has come loose.
2. Get your gutters cleaned. Rain or ice can build up on your roof due to clogged gutters, leading to leaks as the water floods under your shingles.
3. Secure anything unanchored. If you have a tarp over a leaky part of your roof, an unsecured barbecue cover, or even a mulch pile, try to batten down the hatches before heavy weather comes. 
4. Get anything loose on your exterior fixed. Have your roof and siding in tip top condition before the coming storm.
3 Easy Ways to Check Your Home for Damage
It’s cold and windy or rainy outside and you probably don’t want to climb up to your roof or do a thorough inspection of your home. Here are three things you can do to help you get an idea if your home is damaged:
1. Do a quick visual sweep. You will still have to walk around your home, but just check for the obvious: gutters that are loose, siding that’s come off, a loose brick from the chimney, a random shingle in the yard. All of these are signs that you need to get your home repaired quickly – before the weather gets inside.
2. Check your attic for ventilation problems and for leaks. Hopefully you can catch these before they cause too much damage to the rest of the house.
3. Do a rapid clean up. Cleaning up your lawn or backyard can feel a lot like making your bed – you’ll be messing it up again later on in the day, so why bother? But rapidly walking through your grounds and cleaning up may reveal problems you couldn’t see. A large branch against your home may be hiding a broken basement window or a windblown tarp could be blocking an important vent.
Even though it’s cold and wet or blustery, take out some time to really see what’s going on around your house. Doing these steps could save you a lot of money in the long run.