Protect Your Property

Today's Assignment

Learn how to protect your property in a disaster

One of the first things to do is find out what disasters could strike where you live. The following steps can help you reduce the physical destruction to your property if you were to be hit with a disaster. These steps can reduce your insurance costs, too.

Install smoke detectors to warn of an apartment or home fire.

Elevate utilities to upper floor or attic.

Clear surrounding brush to protect your home against wildfires.

Anchor your house to the foundation, and anchor the roof to the main frame.

Secure objects that could fall and cause damage in an earthquake, such as a bookcase or hot water heater.

Install hurricane shutters on windows, and prepare plywood covers for glass doors.

Cover windows, turn off utilities, or move possessions to a safer location if you have adequate warning of something like a hurricane or flood.

If your home is in a high risk flood area, on a fault line, or threatened by coastal erosion, consider relocating.

Have your house inspected by a building inspector or architect to find out what structural improvements could prevent or reduce major damage from disasters.

If you haven't yet bought a house, you might take construction type into account. Frame houses tend to withstand some disasters, while brick homes hold up better in others.

If you're not sure where to start, you could contact your local fire department if you live in wildfire country. Fire departments will often make house calls to evaluate your property and make suggestions on how to improve safety. In earthquake-prone areas, the local utility can be called upon to come to your location and show you how and where to shut off gas lines or how to elevate utilities to get them above a possible flood.