[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]After last night’s storms, it’s probably a good time to think about a household emergency plan. Every member of your household should know what to do. Prepare a kit to have ready at home, and also in each of your vehicles. Document your household belongings on your smartphone, download them to a thumb drive to keep in a safe place (other than your home).
We think about homeowners and automobile insurance, but most of us don’t think about being prepared for an emergency. Remember when everyone ran to the grocery store before the last snowstorm? And we lost power for a few days? It’s always good to be prepared.
The Federal Government has developed a website to help you with your storm preparedness and here are some tips to help you with your household emergency plan.
LOCAL EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS
To be notified in case of imminent weather warnings – sign up for CODE RED.
PAULDING COUNTY – Emergency Condition/Road Closure
E-Notification
COBB COUNTY – Emergency Condition/Road Closure –
txt “follow cobbcountygovt” to 40404
EMERGENCY PLAN
So print out this Household Emergency Communication Plan to make sure you have collected all of the necessary information and everyone is prepared and knows what to do. It’s easy to SAY you are prepared, but it’s another to BE prepared.
Information
It is also important to make sure that a family member or friend know:
- where you are
- where you will be in case you aren’t home
- where important papers can be found
- make and model of car, as well as license plate
Important Documents
It’s also a good idea to review your insurance policies to make sure that they are accurate and you have the appropriate coverage. The same is true of deeds, wills and other important documents. It would probably be a good idea to take pictures of your home, car, property and any other important items. I know my smartphone stores my photos in my Google account, so I don’t even need to download them to my laptop – no more excuses! Also, make sure you have your insurance company policy number(s) and contact information handy.
Electronics
Also, review your home. Where is your water shutoff? Where is your gas shutoff? Are all of your electronic appliances plugged into EFCI/PFCI outlets and/or surge protectors? A power surge could damage your equipment, and it only takes a few minutes to prevent this.
Purchase Supplies
While it may seem overwhelming to do all of this now, there is no time like the present. Waiting until you need to do this can result in mistakes, inability to obtain needed supplies and more. As the saying goes – better safe, than sorry.