Although hurricanes are rare weather events in the New York City tri-state area, New York City's Office of Emergency Management reports that damages can be much greater due to the region's heavily populated coastal areas.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's emergency preparedness website, ready.gov, reports that property damage and hazards from hurricanes can come in many forms including lightning, tornadoes, flooding, storm surge and high winds. FEMA additionally states that flooding from a hurricane's heavy rains or storm surges is often the greatest threat to properties.

If a hurricane or hurricane-related weather events are imminent, follow these tips from both agencies to minimize damage to your home or property:

• Bring inside loose, lightweight objects, such as lawn furniture, garbage cans, garden tools and toys.
• Anchor objects that are unsafe to bring inside, such as gas grills or propane tanks. Turn off propane tanks.
• Cover all your home's windows with precut plywood or hurricane shutters to protect them from high winds.
• Place valuables and water-perishable keepsakes in waterproof containers or plastic bags.
• If instructed to do so, turn off utilities.
• To prepare for the event of a power outage, turn the refrigerator thermostat to its coldest setting and keep the doors closed as much as possible.
• Reinforce your garage doors; if wind enters a garage, it can cause dangerous and expensive structural damage.

For more information on hurricane preparedness, visit the New York City Office of Emergency Management's website, nyc.com/oem. If your home or property suffers water damage, use Angie's List to find a qualified water damage remediation contractor in your area.