In recent news, you may have heard of the earthquakes in Washington and California. There has been a lot of talk about when the next big one will hit too! During this time of year, there can be many types of emergencies or natural disasters that you should be prepared for!
Whether its an earthquake, power outage, winter storm, flood or other type of emergency, every family should have a "Disaster Relief Kit" and an "Emergency Preparedness Plan". Remember, in some cases, you may need to leave your house with your supplies so having it all in a handy bag is beneficial. It will also help you keep it all together and be easier to find! Disaster Relief Kit: A basic kit should have enough supplies to last your and your family for 72 hours, or three days. This should include water, food, shelter, warmth, safety (flashlights, batteries or other means of power). If you think about it though, most disasters and emergencies are not resolved within 3 days. Most experts recommend planning for 2 weeks instead.
Have you heard of the "Survival Rules of 3"? Perfect tidbits of knowledge that can be applied to many situations:
- You can survive 3 minutes without oxygen, or in icy water
- You can survive 3 hours without shelter
- You can survive 3 days without water (if shelter is provided)
- You can survive 3 weeks without food (if shelter and water is provided)
What should you put in your kit? Your list may vary some someone else's list depending on the needs of your family but here are some recommended items:
- Drinking water
- Non-perishable food or canned food - remember the manual can opener though! (How many times have you gone camping and forgot that!)
- First aid kit
- Flashlights with extra batteries and handcracnk flashlights
- Copies of important documents and cash at hand - if power is out, those credit cards are useless!
- Cooking appliance (stove)
- Handcrank radio
- Blankets, extra jackets...etc weather appropriate clothing - including shoes!
- Generator & extra fuel
- Portable toilet and toilet paper
- Wetwipes and other hygiene products
- Manual charging station for cell phones
- Tools and knowledge of how to turn off gas/water lines
- Dry kindling and matches/lighter to start a fire (outdoors if you don't have a working fireplace) if needed
- Compass and whistle
- Ask yourself: What else does your family absuletly need on a daily basis? Medicine? Anything else?
- What about your pets? Leash, food, harness, water, records...?
Emergency Preparedness Plan: Your family should have a plan for any kind of emergency ranging from what to do in a fire at your home or where and when you should meet if you're out in public and get separated. Think about some of the following situations and sit down with your family to plan it out. The kids can come up with some very creative ideas and it's a great conversation to have! Remember to write it down and put it somewhere where everyone can access!
- Fire: how do you escape and where do you go/meet?
- Flood: how do you escape and where do you go/meet?
- Earthquake: what should you do? Do you stay put or leave?
- Landslide or Mudslide/Mudflow: Whats the difference? What do you do?
- Power Outage: What kind of back up plan do you have for shelter, heat, food...etc?
- Can you think of any other types of emergencies or disasters? What would you do to prpare yourself for it?
So then the next questions is: Can you get insurance coverage for disasters and emergencies? Yes you can! Did you know most homeowners policies exclude coverage for earthquake, flood, landslide & mudslides/Mudflow? But fear not, you can purchase separate coverage and a homeowners policy will cover fire, and in some cases will provide coverage for loss of food in your refrigerator/freezer due to a power outage! So how do you get coverage for those disasters that are excluded? You can get a separate policy for each disaster, or something called a "DIC" policy which stands for "Difference In Conditions". This is a combination policy that specifically covers what a property policy (business or home) may exclude, such as earthquake damage, flood damage, landslide & mudflow damage. Talk to your agent for more information and see what would be best for you!
Bob Wallin Insurance, "Securing the way you live."
www.bobwallin.com | info@bobwallin.com | PH:360-734-5204 World Headquarters: 1844 Iron St | Bellingham, WA | 98225
