There are simple steps you can take to make your home safer and more “disaster ready”. Start by viewing your home with a “disaster eye”, identifying potential hazards.

Potential Hazards

• Install smoke detectors on each level of your home and change batteries every six months
• Move beds away from windows
• Move mirrors and heavy pictures away from couches or other places where people sit Store heavy items on lower shelves
• Secure or tie down lawn furniture, tools, or other objects that can become a projectile in high wind
• Know the potential for flooding where you live and prepare accordingly
• Hurricane-proof your home as much as possible
• Reinforce all doors and windows
• Install shutters or plywood window covers
• Secure metal siding and metal roofs
• Flood-proof your home as much as possible
• Know how, when, and where to turn off utilities
• Study the chemicals you have on hand to learn what can be stored near each other and what should be separated
• Keep at least one ABC type fire extinguisher on each level of your home
• Trim large trees and shrubs near your home Keep the roof of your home in top condition

More Information

Fifteen Ways to Disaster Proof Your Home
FEMA How-To Website