Midwest winters bite back: Are you prepared?
Now’s the time to prepare your home—and your household—for winter weather.
Why? Something as simple as a power outage at the wrong time can turn into a disaster if you don’t have food or water.
Being prepared for the unexpected is crucial during a time of crisis. Here are four steps to help get your home—and your family—ready for winter:
Create a plan
Disaster preparedness starts with a conversation. Talk as a family about the what-ifs: If we had a fire, where do we meet? Who do we call? Does everyone know where the fire extinguishers are?
Heavy snow and frigid temps can lead to disastrous consequences. Ready.gov and the American Red Cross are great resources to help you get prepared for winter weather.
Make a kit
What if your electricity, gas, water and phone lines were cut off for days? Would you have the basic supplies on hand to get your family through that emergency period?
Each household’s needs vary, but here are some ideas to help you create your family’s survival kit.
Take a video
Use your phone to take a 360-degree video of every space in your home. If your home is ever destroyed, that footage will be your memory, helping you determine a replacement cost for your contents.
Update those videos when you make major purchases or changes to your home.
It serves two purposes: Not only does it tell your insurance agency what you had, but it tells you what you had. It protects both parties.
Know your insurance policy
In a time of loss, there can be a lot of unknowns. Don’t let your insurance policy be one of them.
Understand what your policy covers, and what it doesn’t, before you need to use it. If there are things you don’t understand, spend some time with your insurance agent learning what your deductible and coverages are, and your responsibilities in a loss.
