Guide to Home Emergencies: PREVENTION AND PREPAREDNESS

There is no place like home; however humble, it’s the environment in which you and your family share much of your lives-and keeping it safe requires emergency prevention vigilance. However, even with the best of efforts at prevention, emergencies can and do occur; your preparedness for them can save lives and help minimize the damage to your house and possessions. Refer to the illustration at right for guidance in establishing the focus of the emergency prevention and preparedness measures appropriate to your home. Keep in mind the outdoors around the house as well as the interior of your home and its systems and utilities: water, electricity, gas, plumbing, and heating and cooling. Consult the Troubleshooting Guide for the list of prevention and preparedness measures appropriate for each type of household emergency you may be forced to confront-and to the specific sections for more detailed information on the special tools and supplies you should have on hand and the steps to take in handling an emergency in the event one occurs, Keep a well-stocked first-aid kit on hand and equip your home judiciously with the many safety and security devices, detectors and equipment on the market, most of which are readily available at a building supply center or hardware store. Smoke detectors are your first line of defense against a fire, providing valuable time for you to control it or evacuate. Keep at least one fire extinguisher rated ABC in your house and know how to use it. Regularly inspect and maintain the systems, utilities and appliances of your home; have your heating and cooling systems professionally inspected at least once each year. Be sure to locate and label or tag the main shutoff for each utility in your home: electricity; gas; propane; water; oil; in the event of an emergency, you will want anyone to be able to find them quickly and shut them off.

Post emergency telephone numbers near each telephone in your home- including your local hospital emergency room, poison control center and physician, your local fire and police departments, the water and electricity utilities, the gas or oil company, a 24-hour plumber and your insurance agent. If your telephone has a programmable memory, store the numbers and identify the code to use in each emergency. In most regions, dial 911 in the event of any life-threatening emergency. If you are ever in doubt about the safety of your home or your ability to handle an emergency, don’t hesitate to call for help; even in non-emergency situations, qualified professionals can answer questions about the health of your family and the safety of your home.

• Water --- Each spring and fall, routinely inspect your roofing and siding system-the attic, the vents, the Siding material, the roofing material, the gutters and downspouts, the flashing, and the fascia boards. Have any repairs required undertaken as soon as possible. Keep a roll of heavy-duty plastic sheeting on hand for use as a temporary water barrier in the event of an emergency. (more on Water...)
• Environmental disasters --- Safeguard your home and possessions in advance of an environmental disaster. Make sure your homeowner insurance policy provides adequate coverage and prepare panels to protect windows against strong winds. Keep an emergency survival kit on hand.
• Household security ---Lock the doors and windows of your home and keep the area around each entry to the house well lit at night. Install security locks and devices judiciously throughout your home and install outdoor lighting fixtures around the perimeter of the house.
• Hazardous materials --- Store hazardous household products in a locked cupboard, well out of the reach of children. Read the label on the container of any household product and follow the manufacturer's instructions for its use.
• Family first aid --- Keep a well-stocked first-aid kit in a convenient, accessible place in your home. Childproof your home and ensure any swimming pool is fenced in with the gate kept locked when the area is unsupervised.
• Fire --- Have at least one fire extinguisher rated ABC on hand and know how to use it. Install smoke detectors judiciously throughout the house. Keep your fire escape routes clear and unobstructed at all times.
• Electricity --- Know how to life safely with electricity, both indoors and outdoors, and take measures to protect your children. Install electrical safety devices such as ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), surge suppressors, plug covers, cord shorteners and safety caps judiciously throughout your home.
• Plumbing --- Don’t use a toilet as a waste basket or rinse foods, grease, fats or coffee grounds down a sink drain. Don’t leave a hand-held shower attachment in a filled bathtub or a garden hose in a swimming pool.
• Heating and cooling --- Keep furniture and curtains away from the registers of an air distribution system and make sure any electrical baseboard heater is unobstructed. Store paints, solvents and other flammable materials away from gas or oil burners and electrical heating elements.
• Gas --- Keep gas appliances clean and have them serviced regularly. Make sure each family member is familiar with the distinctive odor of natural and propane gas. Install natural and propane gas detectors as well as a carbon monoxide gas detector.

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PROTECTING YOUR HOUSE AND POSSESSIONS

Insurance coverage. A homeowner insurance policy is one of your first lines of defense in emergency preparedness, protecting you from any liability in the event of medical injuries and property damages suffered by a third party and protecting your house and possessions in the event of any loss or damage. A basic home owner insurance policy typically provides coverage for a wide variety of misfortunes, from break-ins, theft and other violations of house hold security to fire and certain types of water-related emergencies; usually the expense provisions included are broad, ranging from rebuilding of the house to temporary lodging.

Assess your insurance needs, however, and update your homeowner insurance policy regularly. Make sure your insurance coverage is extensive enough for the household emergencies you may be forced to con front and high enough in relation to the dollar value of your house and possessions. For example, any loss or damage incurred as a result of an earthquake or flood is not covered by a basic homeowner insurance policy. Consider obtaining extra insurance coverage for any environmental disaster to which the area you live in may be vulnerable; a flood insurance policy, for instance, may be available from a private insurance company or through a government-sponsored program such as the U.S. Flood Insurance Program. And while a basic homeowner insurance policy normally covers the full replacement value of common household possessions such as appliances, furniture and clothing, special endorsements are often necessary for valuable possessions such as artwork, jewelry, silverware and heirlooms. Notify your insurance agent of any upgrading or addition to your house and of each expensive new possession you acquire; ensure your homeowner insurance policy is appropriately adjusted. Avoid the temptation to under-insure your house and possessions -- it could result in an increase to your hardship at a time when you need the most help.

Take steps to protect yourself before you need to file an insurance claim. Prepare a written inventory of your possessions along with their model and serial numbers; include your credit cards and their account numbers. Have valuable items engraved with the number of your driver's license to make them easy to trace; take photographs or use a video camera to record valuable items that cannot be en graved. Keep a copy of your inventory in a safety deposit box or at the office. In the event of any household emergency involving loss or damage, notify your insurance agent as soon as possible; an insurance adjuster will be assigned to assess the situation.

TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE

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