By Anita Ginsburg
You never expect a tragedy to strike, but they happen every day. It is often spontaneous and could happen to anybody. Of course, tragedy is a lot worse when you aren't prepared. That's why you need to prepare yourself for an emergency ahead of time. This will help you and your family get through anything that comes your way. Here are some tips to help you prepare your home against future emergencies:
Practice Safe Habits
Not all accidents are avoidable, but many are. It's important for everyone in your home to practice safe habits. You should make a point to avoid smoking inside or leaving candles unattended. You should also use strong locks to keep your home secure.
You have items in your home designed to help keep you safe from fires and other hazards. However, they can't do anything to keep you safe if they aren't working. It's important to check your smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers at least annually. You never know when you are going to need them.
Create a Plan
When something happens, you need to already have an emergency plan in place. What will your family do in the case of a fire? A tornado? A flood? You should have a plan for every possible situation and ensure your entire family understands the plan clearly. Try having practice drills or family meetings on safety topics once a year or so.
Your plan should include where to meet, how to contact one another if you get separated and even what to do with your pets. Additionally, it's good to have easily accessible go bags or supply kits. These kits should at least have non-perishable food, potable water, a blanket, medication, a radio, a first aid kit, a flashlight and batteries, as well as copies of important documents.
Get Adequate Insurance
After a tragedy in your home, you may feel like you've lost everything. However, if you have proper home insurance, you should be able to replace most if not all of the things you lost. While some things can't be replaced, like family photos and other sentimental items, insurance can replace a majority of your items. It can also help repair any damage to the home itself, whether it's smoke and structural damage from a fire or mold and water damage from a flood. Talk to an agent to learn the best policy for you and study the policy closely.
Build With Fire-Resistant Materials
You can help prevent accidents from the beginning by building your home with the proper materials. Certain materials are more fire-resistant than others. For example, wood is more prone to fires than something like stone or steel. Also, be careful when buying decorations and furniture that could easily catch on fire. You can talk to your contractor about the different fire-resistant options.
You want to keep your home and the people inside of it safe. That means you need to be ready in the case of an emergency. Preparation will help keep everyone safe in an emergency situation. You can't control everything, but you can control what you do before an emergency happens.
Anita Ginsburg is a freelance writer from Denver, Colo. She studied at Colorado State University and now enjoys writing about health, business, and family. A mother of two wonderful children, she loves traveling with her family whenever she isn't writing. To prepare your home for an emergency, she recommends having home insurance, like Bear River Home Insurance. You can find her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.
