There are two important steps you should take to protect your property before a storm makes landfall.

First, call your insurance agent and review your coverage.

Make sure your policies cover recent improvements and any increase in value in this real estate market. You’ll also need a separate flood policy because home policies don’t cover that or storm-related water damage.

Second, fix what needs to be fixed.

Hurricanes will exploit any damage, especially the roof. If that fails, it’ll allow wind and water to enter and severely damage your home or business.

Here’s a checklist of what else you can do to protect your property.

IT’S HURRICANE SEASON: Get ready and stay informed at tampabay.com/hurricane

RISING THREAT: Tampa Bay will flood. Here’s how to get ready.

DOUBLE-CHECK: Checklists for building all kinds of hurricane kits

PHONE IT IN: Use your smartphone to protect your data, documents and photos

SELF-CARE: Protect your mental health during a hurricane

PART 1: The Tampa Bay Times partnered with the National Hurricane Center for a revealing look at future storms.

PART 2: Even weak hurricanes can cause huge storm surges. Experts say people don’t understand the risk.

PART 3: Tampa Bay has huge flood risk. What should we do about it?

INTERACTIVE MAP: Search your Tampa Bay neighborhood to see the hurricane flood risk

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