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Wind Damage and Structural Safety

Straight-line winds, tornadoes and storms can damage farm buildings in minutes. Preparing in advance and inspecting carefully afterward protects people and animals.

How does wind damage farm buildings?

Wind pushes on walls, pulls on roofs and gets inside buildings through open doors and broken openings. Large doors on machine sheds and barns are especially vulnerable, because once wind gets inside, pressure can lift the roof or push out walls.

Flying debris adds to the harm. Loose sheet metal, trees and stored materials can become projectiles, and damaged buildings may remain unstable after the storm passes.

Older buildings and those built with minimal bracing tend to fare worse, and so do structures that have been modified or have lost parts of their frame to decay. Newer buildings are not immune, especially if connections were not installed as designed.

What can I do before storm season?

Maintenance is the first line of defense. Weak connections, rusted fasteners, loose roofing and worn door hardware are the usual starting points for failure.

Ask a qualified building professional to look at the connections between roof, walls and foundation. Do not guess how much wind a building can handle. Ratings and design details come from the builder, engineer or manufacturer.

Close and latch large doors before a storm when it is safe to do so, and ask a builder whether your doors can be strengthened. Do not stay in a building to hold a door shut during high wind.

• Check roofing and wall fasteners
• Service door tracks, latches and hinges
• Remove dead trees and limbs near buildings
• Secure or store loose items
• Walk the property for anything that could blow around

Where should people go during severe weather?

Do not shelter in a barn, shed or machine building during a tornado or severe storm. Farm buildings can fail suddenly, and open spans are not safe places to ride out high wind.

The National Weather Service and your local emergency management office explain what to do when a tornado or severe storm threatens. Learn your warning system, know where you will take shelter and plan for workers in fields and for children.

If you manage workers or hired help, include severe weather in orientation. Everyone should know the warning signals, where to go and who is responsible for accounting for people.

How do I enter a damaged building safely?

Treat every damaged building as unstable until a qualified person says otherwise. Look first from outside for leaning walls, hanging roofing, broken trusses and downed power lines.

Danger: never touch or approach downed lines, and assume they are live. Call the utility and 911. Do not enter a building that appears to be shifting, and do not go in to retrieve animals or equipment until it has been judged safe.

What about cleanup?

Cleanup after a storm injures many people, often through cuts, falls, chainsaw accidents and overexertion. Slow down, wear the protective equipment your tools call for and avoid working alone.

Remove debris in an order that does not undermine unsafe structures. Hanging branches and partially fallen buildings can move without warning, so ask trained professionals about anything leaning, tangled in power lines or under tension.

Cleanup is also a common time for electrocution, so keep away from anything touching or near a downed line, including fences, trees and puddles near them. Wait for the utility.

How should I handle repairs?

Temporary repairs should not become permanent ones by default. Tarps and braces are meant to protect against more damage, not to restore strength.

Before rebuilding, ask a licensed engineer or builder how to improve connections and bracing, and check with your county building department about permits. Your insurer may have steps that must be followed to document damage.

Who can help us plan?

Extension offices, emergency management agencies and the National Weather Service all offer preparedness help. Farm families can also practice a simple plan, including how to contact each other if phones are down.

Put important papers, medications and animal records in a place you can reach quickly. Rules for disaster assistance and permits vary, so contact the official agencies directly. Farmers.gov and USDA can point you to program information. Review your plan each spring, because buildings, workers and animals change from one season to the next, and a plan that fit last year may leave gaps this year. Write down what you learn after each storm and use it to improve your preparations before the next one arrives.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.