Once you've finished searching for that real estate investment of a lifetime, you've gone to the open houses, you've gotten the financing, made an offer, sat at home worrying if it's going to be accepted, had the celebratory dinner once it was and then moved in, you're faced with the chore of protecting it. The number of threats that your property faces can be staggering. It's not just termites and crude neighbours that are looking to sink your land value, natural disasters are a part of owning land, too.It doesn't seem to matter where you live in North America, there is a natural disaster with your name on it. The south has their hurricanes, the northeast and Midwest has blizzards and the west has earthquakes. A quake is the most sinister of all natural disasters. People in the rest of the country can see a hurricane and blizzard coming days, sometimes even weeks away and properly prepare their property for the coming storm. With quakes, there is no warning (usually), there is no report on the news that morning saying you're scheduled to get one. They just happen. So, how can you protect your investment from getting a bad case of the shakes? Here are a few tips.
A good first step would be to pick up the phone or log onto the company that carries your home insurance. Almost no homeowners policies cover earthquakes. If you have the extra cash every month, earthquake insurance is a very good idea, but be warned, it is considered catastrophic insurance, so the deductible is going to be very high, usually between 10-15 percent of the amount of your policy. It's still a good thing to have. Check the website of the US Geological Survey to see if you live in a high enough risk area to warrant extra insurance.
A quick quake-proofing of your home is another good idea. This won' so much protect your house as it will protect you if one strikes. Use latches to keep cabinets closed, always make sure you have fresh water around and working batteries in all flashlights. These are common sense steps that anyone who lives in any sort of disaster area should follow, whether it be earthquakes, hurricanes or blizzards.
A final step to safeguard your home is to know where your utilities shut offs are. Fires are common after earthquakes and you'll want to know where your gas main shut off valve is so that you can turn it off and hopefully keep your house safe after a major quake. Also, do not turn the gas back on until you are told it's safe to do so.
Keeping your investment safe from natural disasters can seem impossible, but with a little common sense planning, you can minimize the damage.
Stay Alive: Earthquake Emergency Preparation Tips
Earthquakes are among the most devastating natural disasters. What makes it more annihilating is the fact that there is no precise way of predicting when an earthquake may occur. The most effective tactic to minimize the effects of earthquakes in human lives is to make adequate earthquake emergency preparations.
During an earthquake, you will feel the ground shaking or rolling. If the movement of the Earth's crust is really violent, you might even hear the ground rumbling or roaring. These earthquake characteristics may cause you to panic and eventually jeopardize your chance of survival. While strong and devastating earthquakes seldom happen, even in places located in the Earth's ring of fire, it is imperative that you have an emergency plan so that you and your family can stay safe. Here are a few pointers to remember to keep you prepared for an earthquake.
Practice Makes Safety
The key to being safe during an earthquake is having quick reaction. As soon as the ground shakes violently, you should know what to do as if by instincts. To be able to react fast during earthquakes, you must regularly conduct earthquake drills. This will keep you on your feet when the real thing comes.
Plan Your Home Structure
If you are living in a place that is frequented by earthquakes, you must plan your home in such a way that it will not become your deathbed. Use light materials for your home and provide ample exit ways to run to during emergencies. Collapsing home and building materials commonly cause injuries and deaths during earthquakes; and to avoid this, you must make sure that most of your home structure and appliances are not heavy enough to crush you.
Make sure also that your place has strong doorways or doorframes; as statistically these places are the most likely places that can withstand earthquakes. Fasten tall and heavy fixtures to the wall. And ensure that your cabinets have latches so that whatever they contain will not fall out during an earthquake.
Plan For Everybody
Everybody in your office or home should know your emergency plan for an earthquake. Make sure that everybody understands the procedures to perform whenever the big shaker happens. Coordination is an important survival aspect particularly after the earthquake.
Know Your Place
Knowing where to run and hide for cover during an earthquake may save your life and limbs. Learn the safe spots of your home or office. And practice going to these safe spots so that you can immediately react by going into these places during an actual earthquake.
Also plan a meeting place for your officemates or family where all of you can gather yourselves up after an earthquake.
Delegate Responsibilities
In your office or within your family, assign duties that everybody must perform during earthquakes. Earthquake preparation should never be a one-man job. Your officemates and family members should be made to understand of what to do, especially if you are not with them during an earthquake.
Have Emergency Kits On Standby
Finally, you must have a number of emergency kits ready in the office or at home. These kits must have the bare essentials that can help preserve life during emergencies. From drinking water, food, to first aid materials, your emergency kits will be your lifelines. Make sure that everybody knows where these emergency kits are kept.
