Floods, tornadoes, torrential rain, lightning, and hail are common events in many parts of the country during the spring and may result in widespread damage. Severe weather often strikes with little warning, so take measures now to protect yourself and your property.
Review your insurance coverage.
Make sure your homeowners and auto insurance coverage is sufficient. While standard homeowners insurance covers losses from fire, lightning, and hail, you may need to buy separate coverage for hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Flooding due to sump pump back up or failure is often not covered without an additional rider. Consult your insurer or insurance professional, who can help determine whether you have adequate coverage for the risks you face.
Create a financial emergency kit.
Collect financial records and documents that may help you recover more quickly after a disaster. This kit might contain a list of key contacts and copies of important documents, including identification cards, birth and marriage certificates, insurance policies, home inventories, wills, trusts and deeds. Make sure your kit is stored in a secure fireproof and waterproof container that is accessible and easy to carry. The Emergency Financial First Aid Kit, available online at ready.gov, offers a number of checklists and forms that may help you prepare your own kit, as well as tips to guide you through the process.
Protect your assets.
Take some commonsense precautions to safeguard your home, vehicles and other possessions against damage. For example, to prepare for a possible power outage, you might want to install an emergency generator and a sump pump with a battery backup if you have a basement or garage that is prone to flooding. Inspect your yard and make sure you have somewhere to store loose objects (e.g., grills and patio furniture) in a hurry, cut down overhanging tree limbs, and clean your gutters and down spouts. Check your home’s exterior, too, to make sure that your roof and siding are in good condition, and invest in storm windows, doors and shutters. In addition, make sure you know how to turn off your gas, electricity and water should an emergency arise. And if you have a garage, make sure your vehicles are parked inside when a storm is imminent. If disaster does strike, minimize damage by contacting your insurance agent immediately and getting a clean-up crew to work as soon as possible. For example, starting water clean-up from a flood immediately can prevent mold problems from spreading.
There are no ways to prevent natural disasters, but you can be as prepared as possible to deal with them.
