5 Ways to Safeguard Your Home Before Disaster Strikes
Floods, tropical storms, hail, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfire and other disasters can strike anytime and cause serious damage to your home. For this reason, it is important to reinforce your home so as to safeguard your family from any disaster.
Here are 5 ways to ensure your family and home are ready.
1. Create a communication plan
When a disaster strikes, electricity and networks are the first to be affected. Therefore, you should create a family emergency communication plan that you can use to reach to each other. It can be either of the following.
· A contact list
Write down a list of contact information for everyone in the household including their school, home address, daycare, work phone number and place it in a central location in the house. Also, put a copy in everyone's wallet.
· An emergency meeting location
Select a safe meeting place in the event of a disaster. It can be in a windowless indoor room in case of a tornado or hurricane or outside the house in case of fire.
· An out of state contact
Have a contact person living outside the state where everyone can check in when a disaster strikes.
Tip
In the case of a disaster, send a text message instead of calling. This is because texts have a less bandwidth hence they are easily delivered on a congested network than calls.
2. Install a home security system
According to FBI reports, over 1.5 burglaries occur every year costing each affected homeowner about $2,350. As per the convicted burglars, they would stop breaking into a home if they found a security system.
Today, home security systems are more affordable and homeowners can even tailor their own according to their lifestyles.
It is best to choose a home security system that can synchronize with a mobile app so as to allow you to view any strange activity happening in your house remotely.
3. Install smoke and carbon dioxide detectors
Most fire deaths occur in homes without smoke detectors. Once a fire breaks out, it can become life threatening in seconds and engulf the entire home in minutes. In such a situation, beeps from the fire alarm can be a lifesaving.
Similarly, alarms that detect carbon dioxide provide greater safety to a home. Install them at strategic areas of your home such as outside each bedroom, at the stairway entrance, in the kitchen or any room with fuel burning appliances.
4. Create 72 hours kits
A 72 hours kit enables you to survive on your own without access to food, transportation or electricity for at least 72 hours when a disaster strikes.
It should include basics such as non-perishable food, water, a first aid kit, clothes, a flashlight, spare batteries, medication, personal documents, cash, a cell phone and charger.
Every family member should have their own kit and it should be checked after every six months to ensure all items are in good condition.
5. Purchase flood insurance
Flood is the leading disaster in most parts of the world. It can be caused by dam failures, heavy rains, sea tidal surges, sewer or even seasonal weather. This means even people living in safe areas can be affected.
Most people living in high-risk areas are required to purchase flood insurance but even if you live in low-risk area, flood insurance is a smart investment to protect your home.
You cannot rely on luck when it comes to the safety of your family and home. In order to stay safe, assess the ability of your home to handle disasters then take the above measures to safeguard it.