It’s always a great idea to prepare for the unexpected, and it’s much better to prepare for natural disasters when you live in areas prone to them. Natural disasters can cause water and structural damage and other destructible things in their path.You can protect your home from natural disasters such as; floods, earthquakes, wildfires, thunderstorms, and hurricanes through the life-saving tips discussed in this article.
1. Reinforce doors and windows
Hurricanes and tornadoes can pull doors from their frames, and loose debris from their impacts can break windows. Therefore, you need to prepare ahead of that.
You can install hurricane impact windows, storm-proof shutters, and wind-resistant doors and windows. You can also board your home’s doors and windows with plywood when expecting a storm.
2. Protect outdoor furniture
Loose outdoor furniture can pose a danger to you and can damage your belongings. Tie down outdoor furniture on your porch and ensure they’re secured before a storm hits.
Furthermore, move small loose items like umbrellas, grills, or sporting equipment into your house. Check whether there are no yard tools or toys left outside before a storm and take them in.
3. Use sandbags
Floods can sweep off things and destroy stuff in their path; therefore, you must control them to ensure no ruin comes to your house. Prepare sandbags to divert the water away to prevent damage by placing those sandbags around doors and prone areas to prevent water from entering your home. Furthermore, you should stack them up to one foot high for adequate protection.
4. Find water, gas, and electrical lines
You may often receive emergency instructions to turn off your home’s gas, electricity, and water connections during natural disasters to prevent flooding and water hazards. Therefore, you should know where the lines are located, so you can cut them when necessary.
5. Create an emergency plan
Create a natural disaster emergency kit to get you through the situation. The emergency kit should have non-perishable food items, bottled water, medication, radios, and a cell phone charger.
You should also have a document that contains evacuation routes, local radio stations, insurance policy information, and a checklist for securing your home in digital and physical form in case of a power outage.
6. Secure heavy furniture to the wall
Earthquakes have powerful impacts that can knock down heavy furniture and appliances in the home, like refrigerators. These can lead to serious injuries, which are riskier if you have kids. Therefore, use a bracket to secure those items to the wall if you live in a prone area.
7. Prune large trees
Large trees can damage the home during heavy storms. The heavy branches can break and damage the roof and injure people inside the house. Therefore, routinely prune large trees on your property and ask your neighbor to do the same for theirs, especially when the trees cross property lines.
8. Look for fire-retardant plants
Another way to protect your home from natural disasters is to create a defensible zone around your home, in case of a fire. You can use non-flammable materials like cement and stones. In addition, plant fire retardant plants like ice plants, rockrose, maple, cherry trees, and shrub apples.
Conclusion
Natural disasters are inevitable in some areas; therefore, you must prepare yourself to protect your home from natural disasters as well as protect your family and pets. Don’t wait till the disasters occur before acting, and put every tip discussed into place ahead.
