5 Crucial Tips to Help You Prepare for Devastating Catastrophes

Catastrophic events, like a hurricane, tornado, or blizzard are inevitable. Would you be ready if a natural disaster struck your home tomorrow? It’s important that you take all the necessary steps to ensure that you and your family will survive the damage.

1.      Know your risk.
Research and gather all the important information about the calamity that is about to strike your property. Find out how much risk you are facing. This should be the first and most important step you need to take when preparing for catastrophes. By knowing your risk, you’ll be able to take the necessary measures to protect your family and your home. You’ll also be able to make informed decisions to prepare for crises.

2.      Secure your home.
Check your home for any vulnerable parts. Are your windows and doors secured? Is your roof sturdy enough to protect you during a hurricane? How about trees, are there any near your property that can topple onto your house? You need to make sure that you and your family will all be safe under your roof while a tornado is wreaking havoc near you.

3.      Stockpile food and first aid medicine.
Do a grocery run as early as possible to avoid crowds that are panic-buying. Make sure to stock up on supplies that will last up to at least a week. You should also keep a stash of first-aid medications and supplies, including aspirin, antibiotic creams, bandages and gauzes, latex gloves, bug sprays, sanitizers, and so on.

You should also make sure that you have access to clean water. Check if you have enough bottled water for drinking to last a while. At the very least, you should have stocks of several gallons of water. If you can afford it, you should invest in a water tank that acts as a water reservoir but doesn’t take up a lot of storage space.

4.      Store important documents, like social security cards, passports and the like in a safe, waterproof container.
You never know what’s going to happen during a hurricane. Your home could be uprooted and you could lose all of your belongings. This is why you must see to it that all your important documents are secured. Keep them in a waterproof container to make sure they are protected.

5.      Keep your pets safe.
If you have pets and/or farm animals, make sure they have tags on them so you can easily find them in case they get displaced during a storm. This is important especially if you can’t let them all inside your house during the storm.