Trees can mitigate hurricane damage, but proper planting and maintenance are crucial. Homeowners should inspect trees for signs of damage, disease, or weakness.

Have the needed pruning performed to hurricane-proof your trees before the next major storm arrives. In local surveys, gardeners that had the needed pruning performed suffered little if any damage.

While only a Category 1 storm, Sandy left behind $70.2 billion in damage, becoming the second costliest storm behind Hurricane Katrina, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).