By Theresa Ficazzola
Over the past several years, climate change has contributed to an increased frequency of natural disasters: tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, floods, landslides, crop devastation, beehive loss, wildfires, ocean warming, and hazardous spills. The list is endless.
During September, which is National Preparedness Month, it’s the perfect time to ensure you have a strategic plan in place for natural disasters and emergencies.
In the past, only certain areas of the country were prone to extreme weather events, but now, no place is safe. That’s why advanced planning to keep you, your loved ones, your property and possessions safe is key.
Be Prepared for an Emergency
According to FEMA, there are 12 ways you can prepare for an emergency:
- Sign up for alerts and warnings – The best way to be prepared for an emergency is to have the knowledge that something is headed your way. There are multiple ways to get notified of an impending emergency, including local community and national systems, as well as those for schools. There are also apps that you can download that offer notifications, such as the FEMA app, the American Red Cross app, and the Weather Channel app.
- Make a plan – create an emergency evacuation plan with your family for all natural disasters that are prone to the area of the country you live in. And remember, if power is lost, you will not be able to access gas for your car or generator, or cash from an ATM. So, if a storm is predicted, get gas and cash before the storm hits.
- Practice emergency drills – don’t just create an emergency evacuation plan, practice it with your family at least once per quarter. Remind everyone where your “designated” safe place is to reunite with other family members.
- Test your family communication plan – set up a “call tree” so there is a specific order of who is going to contact whom to check on everyone’s safety. This could include both immediate family members, as well as extended family, friends or neighbors.
- Safeguard important documents – store paper copies in waterproof containers, store electronic copies online on secured sites or on a flashdrive — this includes personal documents (Passports, Social Security cards, driver’s licenses, medical information, prescriptions, birth and marriage certificates), those for your home (mortgage, insurance policies, photos of your home and belongings), old photos, priceless heirlooms, jewelry, your car information (payment details, registration, title), tax returns, wills/trusts, etc.
- Plan with neighbors – set up a plan with your neighbors. If there is ample warning, help everyone else be safe, especially before the disaster strikes, especially the elderly. Maybe you can take an elderly neighbor into your own home, so they are not alone during a storm. Perhaps everyone on your block checks on the person to the right or left of each other’s house.
- Make your home safer – ensure your home has all the protection you can afford. This could include a French drain, sump pump and waterproofing of your basement to control floods, an exterior free of debris, dried shrubs and vegetation to protect from fires, a designated safe indoor space such as a hallway or bathroom for earthquakes and tornadoes, access to a safe running generator in the event of a power outage.
- Know evacuation routes – make sure you don’t only know the main roads that can lead you out of a disaster, but lesser-known, local routes, as well, in the event the main highways are jammed with vehicles.
- Assemble or update supplies – create several emergency bins, including those for food, fresh water, medicine, medical supplies, flashlights, batteries, spare phone chargers, cash, etc. Don’t forget supplies for your pets. Make a plan to check your emergency supplies once each quarter and update food, water and batteries when they are close to their expiration dates. Experts suggest keeping a three-day supply of water that includes one gallon of water per person per day for drinking and sanitation. In terms of food, it is recommended that you store a three-day supply of non-perishable food.
- Document and insure property – take photos or video of your home and/or business, both inside and out, this includes all the contents and valuables, preferably with model numbers and receipts from purchases; understand what your insurance policy covers and what it doesn’t; and know how to file a claim.
- Get involved in your community – help spread the word about disaster preparedness in your community. Let your friends, relatives and neighbors know how they can protect themselves.
- Save for a rainy day – you should have at least a six month “rainy day fund” for emergency expenses that could be used for an emergency, such as a flight to a safer part of the country to stay with relatives or friends, a hotel, replacement of a damaged car or lost household items.
Protect Your Home from the Rising Costs of Electricity with Solar Panels
Utility rates, especially in the Northeast, have been steadily rising over the past several years. Consumers in New York City have been particularly hard hit, spending about 14% more for their energy.
But you can get some protection from these increased costs. By choosing solar panels for your home in New York or New Jersey, you can reduce the amount of money you pay for electricity, plus do something good for the environment to help reverse the effects of climate change.
Keep in mind: Contrary to popular belief, you cannot access power from your solar system during a blackout. Even though you are producing your own power, your solar system is still connected to the grid to bring you power when there’s no sun. In the event of a blackout, your solar panel system will automatically turn itself off to prevent back feeding to the grid.
Don’t Wait…Go Solar Today
Prepare yourself for the ongoing increase in utility rates with a safe, reliable source of renewable energy. Find out more from SI Solar by calling 844-747-6527.
