ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – As News 6 pinpoints the threat of severe weather across Central Florida, experts are sharing tips on what homeowners can do to keep their homes safe, especially for those who are still struggling after Hurricane Irma.
Chris Eads remembers the night Hurricane Irma knocked down a large tree onto his Orange County home.
"I heard something fall down and the house shuddered," Eads said.
Three months later, the huge tree is still there on his house.
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It caused damage to his roof. Eads tells News 6 he patched some spots. But he's not sure if the cold front moving in Friday night, bringing with it the risk for severe weather, high winds and heavy rain, could cause even more damage.
"Who knows? I don't know, I don't know," he said. "Hopefully not, but we'll find out."
People across Central Florida still have damage after Irma. There are piles of debris waiting to be picked up and many homes still have blue tarps on roofs.
Andrew Mosher with Collis Roofing tells News 6 many tarps are starting to deteriorate.
"They're starting to deteriorate from the ultraviolet light and as they get weaker, the threads in them start to come loose and they're starting to blow away," Mosher said.
Mosher is warning homeowners take precautions ahead of the storms.
"If the wind is able to get underneath the edges and inflate the tarp, it's going to come off if the winds start coming pretty high at all," he said.
Mosher suggests using sandbags to weigh tarps down, put a new tarp over a damaged tarp, or use roofing tar to temporarily patch any holes.
He adds homeowners should do what they can to keep the tarps on and keep water out.
"Be proactive. Try to do what you can to stabilize it before the winds get here," Mosher said.
News 6 also spoke to tree experts about the piles of debris still left behind the storm. Experts say if you can, safely remove any dead limbs from trees and secure any loose debris. That will prevent the heavy winds from picking them up and creating projectiles during the storms.
Central Florida will also see colder temperatures after the storms. Tree experts say as long as it doesn't dip into the 30s for a long period of time, plants should be fine. But if you want, they suggest moving them indoors or covering them with a cloth material, like sheets.