Disaster Preparedness: Preparing Your Home for Inclement Weather

Disaster Preparedness: Preparing Your Home for Inclement Weather

It’s spring, and that means it is storm season in many parts of the country. Do you have a plan for natural disasters or know how to prepare your home for a natural disaster? If not, keep reading. 

As a homeowner, you first want to ensure that you’re insured and covered in case of a natural disaster, flooding, etc. Your coverage will vary depending on your area, but it’s also beneficial to know what your homeowner’s policy will cover. Many insurances have limitations or may require you to purchase a separate policy, depending on the type of disaster. Severe thunderstorms, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hurricanes, and blizzards are possible all over the country— with some areas being susceptible to almost all of them. 

Preparing your house

As with any incident, it is best to prepare BEFORE it happens. Being proactive is vital when it comes to ensuring your home and, more importantly, you and your family, survive. 

Here are just a few things that are helpful to prep around your property, just in case: 

• Reinforce doors and windows: Wind-resistant doors and windows and storm-proof shutters are best. If you have the chance and can afford to have them installed, they might be well worth it, depending on your area, simply for the peace of mind. If you don’t have this luxury, you can board up windows and doors with plywood before a big storm is expected; this will be a temporary fix and should hopefully keep any loose debris from shattering windows or doors from flying off. 

• Secure outdoor furniture: Most items should be brought inside. Toys, umbrellas, yard tools, and even your grill should be brought into your garage or shed if at all possible. If you have a trampoline or other large furniture items that aren’t easily moved, you should tie these items down. 

• Secure heavy indoor furniture to the walls: If you’re in an earthquake-prone area, anchoring your large pieces of furniture to the walls is a must— even your refrigerator. Large items can easily fall and cause serious, if not fatal, injuries— especially to small children. 

• Use sandbags to divert water: Should you be in a hurricane area or one prone to flooding, sandbags can be extremely useful in diverting water away from your home. If you place them around doors or in flood-prone areas, you should be able to keep water out of your house and from seeping into your foundation during a heavy storm. To provide adequate protection, ensure your sandbags are stacked at least one foot high. 

• Stay on top of landscaping: Pruning your large trees and bushes is a priority for those of us susceptible to spring storms. Trees and large branches can cause major damage to your roof, siding, and more. Not only do you need to watch out for your own foliage, but that of your neighbors’ as well. Kindly ask them to keep up with their trimming as well. 

• Locate your water, gas, and electrical lines: Should you be forced to evacuate, your town or city may require you to turn off your water, gas, or electrical lines before evacuating the area. Having these things on can cause further damage and complications should a major disaster occur. You should be ready to receive such emergency instructions to prevent flooding, fire hazards, and more. Once located, you should learn how to shut them off safely, with which your local municipality should be able to help, or you can research online for video tutorials. 

Create an emergency plan

Not only should you know what to do around the house, but there should be an escape plan or emergency plan for your family as well, depending on the disasters in your area. 

When it comes to disaster preparedness, especially with creating a safety plan, having helpful applications on your phone, and teaching children what to do, the American Red Cross is a fantastic resource! “Be Red Cross Ready” and “Prepare with Pedro” classes are available in various locations. FEMA is also a great resource for finding template plans that you can adjust to meet your family’s needs. The website www.ready.gov even has downloadable checklists and instructions to assist you. 

Your disaster or emergency kit should contain a few things:

• • a “go” binder with your plan, emergency routes and evacuation routes 

  • other important documents such as your insurance policies and emergency numbers

  • non-perishable food items

  • bottled water

  • any and all medications

  • a weather radio, or any radio for emergency alerts (there are helpful applications for phones as well, but cell towers are easily knocked out during intense storms)

  • blanket and warm clothes

  • flashlights, candles, and extra batteries

*Note: these are all great things to have in your vehicle as well in case of an emergency.* If it is in your budget as well, and your area is prone to strong storms, no matter the season, buying a generator may prove to save your food, save you some money, and save your sanity in the case of a power outage lasting more than a few hours. 

This is not an exhaustive list, but rather a good start from which to work. Feel free to add and subtract from it as necessary to create a plan that works for your household. If we can be of any assistance or provide other resources for you, don’t hesitate to reach out!