There are billions of dollars in losses each year that are because of natural disasters. Learning how to manage disaster is a must if you want to protect yourself from the unexpected.
Preparation makes a big difference in how well you’ll be able to recover after the disaster, and we are here to help you. Continue reading this article to learn the top disaster preparedness tips.
Table of Contents
1. Check Your Homeowner’s Insurance
If you don’t have insurance on your home, you’re playing with fire. Many things could take your home out, and having full coverage that will help you in case of floods, tornados, hurricanes, and anything else that makes sense for your areas is key.
When you don’t have homeowner’s insurance, you’ll have to come up with the money to fix any of your damages out of your pocket. Unless you have a good amount of savings, you won’t be able to take care of these at a moment’s notice.
Your homeowner’s insurance might not protect you against common natural disasters that happen in your area. If that is the case, you could look into special insurance that will cover you.
2. Protect Against EMPs
Have you watched TV shows where the bad guy builds an EMP, takes it into the city, and has their run of the city because no one can communicate? We’ve all seen that movie a few times, but bad guys aren’t the only source of EMPs.
The sun can cause EMPs when it flares, and that could knock out our electronics. While most of these flares aren’t severe enough to affect us negatively, it is possible, and this is why it is important to put plans in place for preparing for an EMP.
There are special bags you can put your cell phones or other communication devices in so you can get them in case your other devices are knocked out.
3. Install Sturdy Garage Doors
If your garage doors aren’t built to withstand the wind, this can be a serious problem for a number of reasons. One reason is that your garage door might fly off and severely hurt someone. Beyond that, if your garage door flies off, the wind can enter your home and allow the wind to blow your roof off.
When you live somewhere that has hurricanes, check to see that the garage door you have can withstand the highest winds. Ask how many MPH the garage door can withstand before making your purchase and having it installed.
4. Protect Against the Rain
When the wind is blowing like crazy, and it is raining, it is easy for the wind to blow rain in cracks and crevices you didn’t even know your house had. Caulking your windows and doors will help you protect against sideways rain and other elements that could cause problems with your home.
If you’re in an area that has a lot of wild wind and other problems, you can look into shutters that can protect your windows when the storms come to your area.
5. Bolt the House to the Foundation
If you live in an area where you deal with earthquakes, you can save yourself thousands of dollars by bolting your house to the foundation. Earthquakes can shake houses and detach them from their foundations, which means major time and resources to repair.
Don’t attempt to do this on your own. You want to use a professional to do this so you know that your house is securely attached to the foundation and can withstand tremors from these earthquakes.
6. Use Heat-Resistant Curtains
In areas where there are a lot of wildfires, it is important that you hang heat-resistant curtains. Hanging these curtains can keep severe heat from causing a fire in your house.
While there might be cases that high heat can be around your house and not cause a problem, the curtains are an extra layer of defense. There are plenty of heat-resistant curtains that look stylish, so you don’t have to compromise the look of your home to put your safety at the forefront.
If you live in an area with a lot of wildfires, there are likely some of these curtains at local stores, so it is easy to get your hands on them.
7. Clear Clogged Storm Drains
Do you know if your storm drains are clogged? While storm drains are supposed to protect from flooding, if those storm drains are flooded, they won’t be able to do their job.
If your area has a lot of hurricanes or other things that cause a lot of rain, you can help protect yourself by checking to see if the storm drains are kept clean. If no one is taking care of it properly, you may have to take matters into your own hands.
Your safety and the safety of your community depends on keeping these drains clear, and if it has to be a volunteer effort, many of your neighbors would likely be glad to help you tackle the task.
How to Manage Disaster and Keep Yourself Safe – Now You Know
Now you know how to manage disaster and keep yourself safe. There are plenty of things you can do to make dealing with disaster easier, and now you know some of the most important ones.
Do you want to learn more about how to be prepared for things that are beyond your control? Our site is full of helpful articles that will help you as you’re learning how to keep yourself safe and more.
Browse our site, find your favorite safety articles, drop a bookmark, and come back soon to read more.
