3 Things You Should Do To Prepare For A Household Emergency
Whether you spend a lot of time at home or not, it’s always good to have a plan in place for if and when some kind of household emergency takes place. This could be anything from having something break and start destroying your house to needing to call 911 or evacuate. But to make sure that you don’t panic and that you know what steps to take, it’s wise to think through what you’d do and have some measures put in place to help these next steps happen.
To help you in doing this and making sure that your home and family is prepared for any eventuality, here are three things you should do to prepare for a household emergency.
Know Where Necessary Safety Items Are
For emergencies that could cause harm or damage to your home and family, there are certain things within your house that can help to stop these issues in their tracks. Things like your circuit breaker, water shut-off valve, and more can help in situations like electrical issues or burst pipes. But unless you know where these things are and how to turn them on or off, they won’t be much use to you in an emergency. And the last thing you want to do when you have water running everywhere is try to find your shut-off valve.
With this in mind, you should go around your house and learn where these necessary safety items are. Learn where your shut-off valves are and how to work them. Learn where your breaker box is and what circuits are linked to which areas of your house. Keep your fire extinguisher in a convenient place and make sure you know how to use it. This way, household emergencies won’t also turn into financial emergencies.
Add The Right Numbers To Your Phone Contacts
Another thing you’re not going to want to do if your pipes burst or you have another kind of emergency is to waste time looking online for an emergency plumber or other service provider to come over and help you. For this reason, you should add these numbers to your contacts now so that you have them when you need them.
If you already have people that you call for certain types of home improvement projects, make sure you have their number saved in your phone in a way that will be easy for you to find and call. But if you haven’t found a service provider for certain things yet, do some research now so that you can know who you’ll want to call if an emergency happens.
Have An Emergency Kit Ready To Go
In the event that the emergency at your house is so bad that you and your family can’t safely stay there any longer, you’ll want to be able to quickly grab what you need and get out of there. This is where an emergency kit can be handy.
As a good rule of thumb, you should try to have an emergency kit for each person in your home so that they could survive for two or three days outside of the home. The kit should include things like food, water, extra clothes, hygiene items, medications, and anything else you might need. By keeping all of these things together, you can quickly grab them if and when you need them.
If you want to be ready for any household emergency, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you figure out what you need and get those items prepared.
