Nobody likes to think about a home emergency or disaster striking, however, it does happen. The best thing you can do is to be prepared and ready to take action.

Photo by David Levêque on Unsplash

Let’s have a look at some of the ways you can do this.

Fire Extinguisher And Protect Your Windows

Consider stocking up on essentials like fire extinguishers. Every structure, including dwellings, should have at least one fire extinguisher.

Make sure it works, that everyone in the house knows where it is, and that everyone knows how to use it. Similarly, fire alarms and other emergency broadcast equipment should be checked on a regular basis. They should be tested and checked for batteries to guarantee that their alerts are loud and visible to all household members.

Something else you need to think about is protecting your windows, they are one of the easiest things to become broken in an emergency and they can be costly to replace. A hurricane window can help to prevent this.

Have An Emergency Contact List

Ensure that everyone in the house has access to a list of critical contacts.

Although many people keep these lists on their phones, keeping a physical copy in your residence in case of power outages or loss of service is a good idea. You should keep the non-emergency police line, the fire dept, your family doctor, and the nearest hospital’s phone numbers handy.

Once you’ve compiled a comprehensive list of contacts, make certain that everyone in the house knows how to reach out for assistance. Young children should be taught how to call each number in the event of an emergency, and they should be familiar with at least one family phone number in the event of separation.

Have An Emergency Fund

Though this is one of the most basic steps in the disaster response process, it is frequently overlooked. Setting money away, especially for something that may or may not happen, is often difficult.

However, if you are in the midst of a serious emergency, this cushion can serve as a means of keeping things going while you focus your concentration on preparing for or responding to the threat at hand.

There are numerous alternatives to this savings technique, but you should start by determining how much money you want to save. Most financial institutions recommend saving six months’ worth of spending, but the amount you should save depends on your family’s individual position and desires.

If this number is daunting, begin by setting aside a set amount of money for each paycheck. Even if you can’t save as much as you’d want, every little bit helps. If you are in a disaster, you will be appreciative of any cushion you have made for yourself.

Where you keep this money is entirely up to you, however, you may wish to set up a separate saving account for your emergency cash. People frequently set aside funds to be deposited into this account on a monthly basis. Whatever path you take, make sure you keep an emergency fund in place and ready to help you when everything else feels chaotic.