Prepare for the wrath of Mother nature

[Olde Hornet]

In case of hurricanes, those of us further inland can be hit with tornados, high winds and heavy rains!

Make sure your insurance value covers a rebuild if necessary and if you live in a flood area, get flood insurance.

5 Steps to Create a Home Inventory Checklist | Travelers Insurance

Create a home inventory checklist to keep track of your important possessions in order to help verify loss for insurance and taxes.

www.travelers.com

Here are some steps you can use to help build your home inventory checklist.

Step 1: Take the time to walk through your property. Compiling a comprehensive home inventory takes time and effort. The more detailed your inventory, the more useful it will be if you have to make a claim. Document possessions inside your home and on your property that may be of value.

Step 2: Keep your inventory in a safe place. Creating a digital home inventory and storing it off-site will help ensure that it won’t be lost, stolen or damaged during any disaster at your home. You can also create a photo or video inventory and upload it to a cloud-based service.

• First, take a picture of relevant rooms or items. Label pictures of rooms and important individual items with a description, including where you bought it and the make, model and serial number. Don’t forget to inventory items that may be out of sight in storage closets or drawers.
• Second, walk through your home or office using your phone to shoot video of the contents, describing them as you go.
• Finally, digital home inventory programs allow you to upload multiple photos of each item, including photos of the serial number, receipt and other identifying details. If you choose to create a paper version, consider storing it off-site in a safe deposit box.

 

[Olde Hornet]

Make sure your insurance value covers a rebuild if necessary​

How to Help Prepare for a Wildfire​

How to Help Prepare for a Wildfire

Learn how to prepare for a wildfire, including tips for before the fire starts, and as it approaches and passes. Get wildfire safety tips from Travelers.

www.travelers.com

Prepare Your Home for a Wildfire​

• Home Maintenance: Keep your home well-maintained by regularly cleaning your gutters of materials that could ignite due to windborne embers and trimming tree limbs that may be too close to your home. Be sure your smoke alarms are working and your fire extinguishers are operational. If you need to evacuate quickly from an upper floor, make sure your home escape ladder is accessible and easily deployed by the person who will be using it.
• Landscaping: Landscape your home with wildfire safety in mind, using fire-resistant shrubs and trees. Rock, stone, crushed concrete, flower beds and gardens can provide ground cover for bare spaces and may act as firebreaks. While there are no “fire-proof” plants, fire-retardant plant species include rockrose, ice plant and aloe. Hedging roses, bush honeysuckles, currant, cotoneaster, sumac and shrub apples are examples of fire-resistant shrubs.²
• Create Zones: Maintain defensible space zones between structures and natural growth that is free of brush, trees and grasses to help keep a wildfire away from your property. Move wood piles away from the home. If you live on a hill, extend the zone on the downhill side, since fire can race uphill quickly.
• Be Prepared: Prepare a survival kit, map out an evacuation plan and create a home inventory of all your belongings. Visit our preparedness timeline to learn more about disaster planning.
• Fire-Resistant Materials: If you are remodeling your home, think about including fire-resistant materials such as non-combustible roofing, soffits, decking and siding and fire-rated glass or fire shutters for windows. Consider evaluating the design and materials used for your home and landscape to see which factors may make your home more susceptible to a wildfire.