Four Steps To Prepare For The Storm Season

Storm season is upon on. With the storms that have pummeled the South over the past years, now is the time to make sure all of the storm alerts make sense and what needs to be done to prepare.

First, pull out the homeowner’s insurance policy and go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Most homeowner’s insurance polices cover wind damage and even tornadoes, but few will cover flood damage as Atlanta is not in a flood plane. To make sure that a home is covered in the case of a flood, a separate policy is needed. Consult an insurance agent to go over the options.

Secondly, make a list of possessions. Walk through the home and take pictures and itemize a list. Put the list and pictures in a safe place, for example, sealed in a Ziploc bag to keep water damage from getting to it and placing in a home safe. This will come in handy in the event of major damage happening in the home.

Third, make an emergency kit. The kit should contain enough water for each person in the home to last for three days. FEMA suggest one gallon of water per person per day for three days. Non perishable food items to last for three days, candles and a lighter or matches, a flashlight, a blanket, a first aid kit, and a battery powered radio along with extra batteries. Additionally, some other items to consider putting in the kit would be food for animals, diapers and formula if an infant is in the home, and activities for if there are children in the home as well.

Lastly, pay attention to the weather alerts for the area. For example, a severe thunderstorm is labeled severe when it has higher than 58 mph winds, hail that is one inch in diameter or larger, or a tornado. The difference between a watch and a warning is that with a watch, conditions are right for the system to occur, whether a tornado or sever thunderstorm. A warning is imminent danger, a severe thunderstorm or a tornado is occurring presently or will occur within minutes
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By preparing ahead of time and staying alert, storm season can be much less stressful.