How To Disaster-Proof Your Home

Nobody wants to be caught unprepared in a disaster. If your life and the lives of your loved ones are at risk, you want to be able to do anything and everything in your power to make sure that they will be safe. To keep your home safe, you should take some of these precautions seriously.

Check the property itself

This might seem like an obvious thing to look out for, but it has to be mentioned that the location of your home is crucial. Many individuals are so eager to become homeowners that they forget to check if their chosen property is prone to disaster scenarios. If the home is located in an area that sees constant earthquakes and hurricanes, you can count on this trend to continue even when you move in, which means you have to be prepared.

Is the home made from durable material? The quality of the construction materials used in the home should be checked thoroughly. Stone and brick would be preferable to wood, but many homes use a combination of both in their construction.

Always have a plan of action

Disaster can strike at any moment, which means that you have to be prepared for it. Instead of reacting once an issue comes up, you should already have a plan in place for what to do. You and your family need to have a well-established plan of escape in case of an emergency. Does your home have several exits that can be used in case one is blocked off? If not, it might be time to introduce one.

In case something happens that will leave you and your family trapped in the house for a period of time, it would be good to have spare supplies such as food, water, and hygiene. A couple of large, plastic barrels of water could last you quite a while.

Prevent avoidable fires

Unlike hurricanes and floods, which are often unavoidable natural disasters, fires aren't always naturally occurring. Electrical fires are a very common problem that can destroy a home and they arise from a few simple mistakes. Luckily, they are somewhat easy to prevent.

You have to check your whole electrical system, top to bottom. Every possible faulty outlet or cord needs to be inspected. Once you’re done, make some crucial changes. The part of your home that contains the fuse box and large amounts of electrical equipment needs to have as little flammable material as possible. This should keep you safe from fires for the most part.

Keep alternative heating ready

If you live in a location in Australia that gets pretty cold around the autumn and winter months, you have to be able to keep warm in case of an emergency. What if the grid-connected heating fails for one reason or another? You don’t want to end up freezing while it gets repaired.

Alternative sources should keep your mind at ease. Keep your propane and natural gas systems primed and ready by contacting experts like Woden Valley Plumbing & Gasfitting. Even your stove can be of use when things get tough. If your backup systems are working, you can be sure that you won’t get too cold even when everything else fails.

Build a community

There’s nothing that cooperation can’t solve. If you become close with your neighbours and the community as a whole, you can count on them to be of assistance when disaster strikes. Keep in mind that this cooperation has to go both ways. If you constantly help each other out with yard work, projects, and renovations, you can be sure that when bad things happen, they’ll have your back.

Teamwork can help you with the preparations as well. If your neighbours are just as aware of the dangers that the area faces, then they probably have their disaster-proof changes ready as well. You can help them with theirs and they can help you with yours.

Conclusion

Keeping your home safe from disasters is a no-brainer. You need to take some precautions to make sure you aren’t caught with your pants down. As long as you follow some of these pointers, you should be good for the most part.