No one wants to think about the worst happening, especially when it comes to your home. But, preparing yourself and your home so you know what to do, should the worst happen, can make a huge difference in saving lives and saving your home.
The good news is there are resources to help you plan for your area’s unique potential hazards and connect you with resources and get help when you need it. For more information on preparing yourself and your home, visit MdReady at mdready.maryland.gov or https://www.ready.gov/.
Consider Your Home’s Main Risks
Maryland, the mini-melting pot, has a lot of different places to live. Where you are in the state will change what risks you may need to account for. Some disasters you may already have a plan for, like:
- Flooding
- Hurricanes
- Tornadoes
- Earthquakes
- Wildfires
There are others that you may not consider because they’re smaller-scale disasters, meaning they won’t make the news or send out alerts to phones, like:
- A tree falling on your house
- Wind damaging your roof
- A break in/robbery
- Your water heater breaks
- Your AC/heat goes out
- Your electric goes out
So how do you prepare for as many possible problems? Focus on the ones that are more likely to be an issue for you. Maryland’s Department of Emergency Management has information on the various threats you may face in the state and how to prepare for them.
Make a Plan
Your response to a flood will likely be a little different than if a tornado is heading your way. Make a plan with anyone else who lives in your home with you so you all know what to do if there’s an emergency. For each disaster you feel is relevant, you can start figuring out your safety response by answering these questions.
- What areas of my home are at risk?
- What areas of my home are safest?
- Do I need to contact anyone in the event of this emergency?
- Where can I go to get help quickly?
- Do I need specific items or resources to help deal with this emergency?
- What is the most important thing to do first?
- What other actions need to be taken as soon as possible?
- If I need to evacuate, where can I go? How?
Making an emergency plan with others in your community, family, neighbors, friends, etc, will also help in an emergency. Share contact information with them, and if an emergency happens, make sure to be in communication with them. Arranging for a meeting place in advance, in case you aren’t able to communicate during an emergency, to help you find each other.
Protect Important Items
The hypothetical question of “If you had to grab one thing out of your burning house, what would it be?” is easier to answer if you’ve taken steps to protect some of your important items in advance.
Important items can mean a lot of different things to different people. Some items are more practically important, like the deed to your home, citizenship papers, or birth certificates, but others might be sentimental, like a photos with a late relative. Go through your house and determine what items are a priority for you to keep safe.
You can gather those items in one area that will be easy to grab, should you need to leave your home quickly, or you can purchase a container to put them in that will protect them from potential hazards. If flooding is your main concern a waterproof that fits what you need will be helpful, but if fire is your priority, a fire-proof safe would be better.
Documents and belongings are basically never the priority in a disaster that requires fast action, so taking the time to protect them in advance, however it makes sense to you, is the best way to ensure you have the most important items when the dust settles.
Get Emergency Supplies and Pack a “Go Bag”
As you make a plan, you’ll likely start to notice that there are some emergency supplies you may want to get in advance. What you’ll want to set aside will be different depending on you and anyone you’re preparing for. If you have a child, pet, or older loved one to take care of, consider what other specialty items they might need, like an extra set of glasses or special food.
Some items you’ll find in almost any emergency supply kit are:
- Water (recommended 1 gallon per person for several days)
- Non-perishable food
- Can opener
- First aid kit
- Battery or hand-crank radio
- Batteries
- Whistle
- Local maps
- Backup batteries for phone
- A list of medical conditions and medicines for everyone who lives in your home
- Matches (in waterproof container)
A “Go Bag” is a bag of essential items you’d need in case of an emergency evacuation. It will likely contain a lot of the items from your emergency supplies but packed so if the area you are in is no longer safe, you can leave without having to gather any items first, saving potentially valuable time. It’s best to also include written contact information and other essential information that you may need when you reach safety.
Insurance
Your homeowner’s insurance will likely be part of your post-disaster planning as you take stock of any damage and loss. Before a disaster hits is the best time to familiarize yourself with your plan, what is or isn’t covered, how much is covered, and so on. Note that standard insurance policies may not cover damages from all types of natural disasters. Talk to your insurance company to make sure your plan is up to date (both to see if you can get a better rate and make sure any changes in the value of your house hasn’t changed the coverage you need) and to ask any questions you may have. You can use this checklist from the State of Maryland as a guide.
Another step you can take to help prepare for if you need to make an insurance claim is to go through your home and take photos of all of your belongings. Anything worth a lot of money should be documented through photos and/or a spreadsheet, especially. This way, when you have to submit a claim to your insurance and they ask what you lost in whatever emergency you made it through, you can show them photo evidence instead of trying to remember each item in each room, all while navigating the damage to your home.
Subscribe to Your Local Alerts
Maryland has a network of alert systems you can sign up for to get notified if any hazards are imminent. You can sign up for state alerts here, and find your local alert sign up by county here.
When you get an alert, listen to it. Even if you’re sure there’s no way a tornado is about to hit and you’re cozy on your couch watching TV. Taking the time to move to a safe location can make the difference between damage to your home and serious injury to yourself or others in the home.
