Prepping for a Natural Disaster

Every Aussie should be prepared for disaster to strike whether it is for bushfires, floods, storms, droughts or earthquakes. There have been several instances of natural disasters in Australia like the bushfires at the start of 2020 that caused millions in damages and a significant loss of wildlife.

The East Coast is especially prone to bushfires and storms. There can be fires one month and then flooding the next. When thinking of extreme and potentially dangerous weather conditions, it is a matter of when and not if. We should be prepared year-round.  

Preparing for a disaster can make a huge difference between life and death. That is why it is necessary to have a plan for when it occurs.

A great way to prevent harm from storms and bush fires is home maintenance. For homeowners check the condition of the roof, tiles, gutters and screws and make sure they are secured properly. For renters, lots of maintenance requires work from the landlord or agency, so make sure to contact them regarding any potentially unsafe elements. Make sure that outdoor furniture is secured down, or brought inside when storms strike, as high winds can turn basically anything into a dangerous missile. If there are trees and overhanging branches, trim them to minimise the chances of them coming loose and. 

Before a disaster occurs, it may be predicted by the authorities and warnings will be issued to residents and businesses that may be affected via TV stations, local radio or websites like the Bureau of Meteorology. Once the warning has been issued, take the steps necessary to prepare your home.

Huge storms can cause severe damages to electricity lines and basic services. Emergency kits are generally designed to get families or individuals through 2 or more days. A basic emergency kit should have blankets, a torch, batteries, water supply, some days worth of food and whistles.

In really bad circumstances, power can be knocked out for extended periods. In these cases, especially in rural areas or if you live far from the city centre, it's worth thinking about a generator. Being able to keep the lights on and phones charged whilst power gets switched back on can make a big difference.

Take an inventory of the contents of the house and store copies of important documents in safe locations and online. This may seem like a time-consuming process but this will be very beneficial should you need to replace things later on. Insurance companies often also need that info for home contents claims. Should you suffer damage on your property, NLR does restorations for fire, water and more should you need a helping hand getting back to normal.

In the event that the disaster may be larger than predicted, you may need to evacuate. There may not be much time to figure out what to take with you and where to go. Plan for what things cannot be absolutely forgotten and how to evacuate quickly. Ensure that every family member knows the evacuation plan. Also, keep a list of emergency contacts that every person in the household has access to if the kids or emergency services need to contact family or friends.

Given the nature of disasters, it is difficult to know the full extent of damages that may occur. Even with multiple measures to reduce the risk to yourself and your home there may still be significant damage.

Insurance can be very handy in these times, and depending on your coverage, may pay for restoration services (like NLR), temporary accommodation or even replace objects lost. If you are considering insurance, make sure to check what's covered and what isn't, as well the different offerings from provider. Whilst insurance isn't for everybody, it certainly can be useful.

Once the waters or fire recedes, there may be plenty of things still salvageable if given a bit of love. Whilst professionals like NLR Restoration are often the easiest and quickest way to return to normal life, you can often hire equipment by itself if you have the know how or just love DIY. If looking to make an insurance claim, take lots of photos and refer to their guidance to make the claims process as smooth as possible.

No one could have predicated how crazy 2020 would be with the COVID-19 pandemic, but it has illustrated how we need to prepare for these types of events as well. According to some experts, in case a catastrophe occurs during the pandemic the residents should have at least two weeks of non-perishable food items, important medications and toiletries. All of this should be kept in an accessible location. Some freshwater should also be stored just in case. But take care not to stock up too much, food can go off, and we all know someone know now has a 10 year supply of toilet paper clogging up their storage cupboards. In the case that someone in the household does get infected, now or in future cases, make sure to leave the cleanup to professionals. These cleanups are complicated and require lots of specialised gear, aside from the risks involved. If this does happen to you or someone you know, check out NLR's specialised cleaning service for all your infectious cleanups.