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Gutters do a big job—they protect your home from water damage and flooding. So this fall when you are getting everything winterized, don’t forget your gutters. To do their job, gutters and downspouts must be free of leaves and debris. If they aren’t, drain outlets will dam up and rainwater will fill the gutters, back up, overflow and eventually pull gutters loose from their mountings. The water that pools in troughs will rot wood gutters and rust sheet metal ones. Cleaning gutters is an easy way to save money and preserve your home’s value at the same time.
Gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year. If you have trees overhanging your roof, plan on cleaning them more often. But unless you’re sure of yourself on a ladder or can work safely from your home’s roof, consider paying a professional to do the work.
If you decide to clean the gutters yourself, make sure you have a sturdy ladder and place it on a level, solid base. Stepladders often work better than extension ladders. Follow all the safety directions for using a ladder and never stand on the top rungs. Working directly from the roof also is an option if your home’s roof isn’t too steeply pitched. Cleaning gutters is one job you want to do when the weather is dry and there is no wind. Even a slight breeze can cause problems when you’re working higher up. Wear shoes with non-slip soles and be sure to check the location of any nearby utility or telephone lines. Use work gloves to protect your hands from sharp metal parts or screws in the gutters, and be sure to wear safety glasses or goggles.
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The eastern end of North Carolina juts out from the East Coast of the United States into the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf Stream, making the state prone to Atlantic hurricanes, which tend to strike the state every three to four years. Running along the entire coast of North Carolina, serving as a buffer against the Atlantic, is a long chain of barrier islands (the Outer Banks), with constantly shifting sand dunes, from which project three famous capes—Hatteras, Lookout, and Fear. Between the islands and the shoreline stretch lagoons—Albemarle Sound and Pamlico Sound are the largest—that receive the Chowan, Roanoke, Tar, Neuse, and Cape Fear rivers. Wilmington, the chief port, is at the head of the Cape Fear estuary. The mainland bordering the sounds is low, flat tidewater country, often swampy, even beyond the Dismal Swamp in the north. In the upper coastal plain the land rises gradually from the tidewater, reaching 500 ft (152 m) at the fall line.
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