Unexpected disasters such as those caused by nature are unavoidable, and we are no strangers to them either. However, the damage they can cause is something to be concerned about. Living in certain states of the U.S, you could face wildfires, hurricanes, and the accompanying floods. So, you need to know the basics of how to protect yourself and safeguard your home.
We talked to the experts, and here are some tips we gathered from them.
Safeguard Against Climate Disasters
The first thing homeowners should have before all else to mitigate disaster costs is homeowners insurance. Get insurance that is relative to your property’s location and probable disasters. You can also take precautions to make your home safe against climate disasters.
For example, if your property is susceptible to earthquakes, a sufficient safeguard would be to bold your home to the foundation. If your home’s property is susceptible to flooding, I recommend installing black flow valves into your plumbing system to prevent sewage from flowing reversely into your home.
Leonard Ang, CEO of iPropertyManagement
Get Insured
To safeguard a home from unexpected disasters, I highly recommend obtaining the right insurance. This may include flood insurance for homes in flood plains and extensive fire insurance for areas where wildfires are likely to occur, including California or Texas. However, another way to safeguard homes is to have adequate protections.
There are protective windows and protective sidings that can preserve the home from inclement weather. There are many other ways for homeowners to protect their residences from disaster, including leaf clearing gutters to protect the roof from extensive weather damage.
Omer Reiner, a licensed Realtor & President of FL Cash Home Buyers, LLC.
Invest In Smart Gadgets
To safeguard your home from unexpected disasters all comes down to being prepared. A common disaster(and an important one) that every homeowner should prepare for is fire prevention.
Home fires are very costly if they happen, so I always suggest investing in smart gadgets that will help prevent such disasters like smoke alarms, sprinklers, and fire extinguishers, to name a few. But that shouldn’t be it; knowledge on different fire safety/prevention is much more important.
Make a plan, do some fire safety drills, ensure that your family knows how to leave the house immediately and they know where to go in case of fire. Doing this will make sure your family is ready and prepared when unexpected situations arise.
EW Bratcher, Owner B&W Fire Security Systems
Pack An Emergency Kit
Figure out the number of important items you would need if you had to evacuate your residence. Store these in an emergency kit, and know where they are in case of emergency. Know the emergency routes, don’t forget smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors, learn how to turn off your soon-to-be flooded or exploded natural gas lines (check on that with the gas company).
Develop a family communication plan ahead of time, so everyone knows what to do when disaster strikes—plan for pets too. Reconfigure your home, so all bathrooms are on one side, bedrooms on another – this allows for easy access during evacuation scenarios while not having inhabited spaces right next to each other. Store water supplies at various locations close by.
Ryan Fyfe, COO Workpuls Inc
Non-Combustible Boundary Around Your Home
When it comes to unexpected disasters like wildfire, there is no complete safety. But creating a boundary around your home with non-combustible materials that has a height of around 5-10 feet at least would increase the safeguard proximity of your home by any means.
More importantly, remove any sort of materials like wooden patio, mulch, outdoor furniture, and others that are combustible. These are termed fire-hazards materials. In 2017 alone, there were over 10,289 wildfires in the US, burning 2.1 million acres. The number of structured damage was above 4,636. So better for you to prepare your home for the wildfire.
Also, check your fire detectors more than often to ensure they function well. And keep gloves, thick-soled shoes around your household.
Seth Williams, Co-founder and Real Estate Broker Ledge & Young Real Estate
Stay Safe from Fire
Fire can cause a lot of damage to you and your house, but it does not take a lot of effort to safeguard your house against fire. To start with, keep multiple fire distinguishers in your house and keep them in places that are easily visible.
Also, consider installing smoke detectors on each of the floors. Consider the option of purchasing a fire escape ladder in case you have a two-story home. Lastly, come up with a fire escape plan and make your family members understand it properly.
Fortify Entrances To Protect Against Hurricanes and Tornadoes. To protect your home against the danger of hurricanes and tornadoes, you need some strong doors and windows. When buying windows, consider having a glass that contains an inner layer of polyvinyl butyral or PVB.
This kind of material keeps the window safe from breaking even if it shutters on the inside. When it is about the door, consider products that are manufactured with steel plates inside. These types of doors are highly resistant to hurricanes.
Ron Wysocarski, an FL Broker/CEO Wyse Home Team Realty
Take Inventory and Plan
Certain natural disasters, such as a hurricane, generally come with a notice. However, most are entirely unexpected, such as a fire, flood, tornado, or earthquake. Taking some precautions now can help homeowners and renters keep their properties and personal belongings safe.
Start by having insurance and creating a home inventory, emergency kit, and emergency plan. Also, understand what your home or renters insurance does and doesn’t cover. For instance, a typical policy doesn’t cover flood damage due to groundwater. Flooding is the nation’s most common and expensive disaster. Plus, they can happen anywhere and don’t need to be catastrophic to cause costly damage.
Flood insurance is a separate policy that homeowners, renters, and business owners can purchase. They typically have a 30-day waiting period, so you can’t wait until a storm approaches your property because it will be too late. In addition to having home insurance, owning a generator can be a lifesaver during a disaster that leaves you without power for an extended period. It can make sure your food is refrigerated, your cell phone is powered, and that you have access to disaster news updates.
Laura Adams, a home insurance expert with Clearsurance.com
Dennis has been a professional security consultant space based out of Chapel Hill for over 15 years. His experience runs the gamut between government and private organizations (specifically in the finance and insurance sector) with a specialty in consulting for executive and high-value protection surrounding Kidnap and Ransom mitigation.
