If whilst you are having your roof replaced by a roofer, the weather forecast states that a cyclone is imminent, here are some precautions you should take.
Move all of the loose roof materials to a cyclone-proof part of your property
It is extremely important to gather up every loose roofing material that the roofer has not yet installed and to stow these items in an area of your property that is unlikely to be damaged by the approaching cyclonic winds (such as your basement, for example).
There are many reasons for this. Firstly, a cyclone could toss around these loose materials, and in doing so, cause them to be lost or irreparably damaged. Replacing these goods or having them professionally repaired after the weather improves and the roofer wants to resume the roof replacement work could make this project far more expensive than you expected it to be.
Secondly, leaving these materials outdoors in this type of weather would be highly irresponsible, as if they are lifted up by the winds, they could strike and hurt your neighbours if they are outside when this happens, or even land on the road in front of your home and cause those driving past your property to get into a road accident.
Ask your roofer to seal up any openings in the roof before they leave
The roofer will not, of course, be able to continue working on the roof until after the cyclone is over. However, before they leave, you must ask them to place a protective cover over the open sections of the roof and try to attach it to the edges of the roof in such a way that it is as secure as possible and will not, therefore, be blown off by the wind.
The reasons for this are as follows; firstly, the forcefulness of the cyclonic winds could cause the exposed, newly installed under layers of the roof (which are not designed to be exposed to extremely windy conditions) to be pulled off the roof and thrown around your garden (or your neighbour's property). If this happens, your roofer would then have to repair and reinstall these components of the roof, which could lead to the entire process taking several days longer than anticipated.
Secondly, if your loft area is exposed to these strong winds, any items housed in this area will probably be destroyed. Furthermore, the cyclone could actually damage the structural components of the loft itself, in which case you may have to hire a second tradesperson to perform structural repair work on this part of your home after the roofer is finished with their project.
