Emergencies can happen at any moment and without any warning. Sometimes there is a little bit of a warning, but many of times people are already in freak out mode and can't always think straight. Every year we help concierge and professional organizing clients prep and organize for various emergencies situations. Being in the Houston area, we are especially prone to hurricanes. And this past year we had a very unexpected freeze in February that caused a lot of damage for a lot of people because of busted pipes, etc. Below are some tips and things you can do in order to prepare for an emergency situation.
Just dive right in. It can be really daunting to think about what you need when it comes to prepping for an emergency, so just think about common since items and start gathering them or at least know where they are located in the house. Below are links to several other blog posts that I have written through the years that goes over items that you would need to have on hand in the event of an emergency.
Gather all important documents. IDS, passports, medical records, pets, important contacts, deeds, insurance information, etc. These are all things that you NEED if you absolutely had to have them and you needed to get out of your house right away.
Have a physical copy and copy on a flash drive & /or on the cloud. Keep a physical copy with you on hand &/or a digital copy. I recommend having a physical copy and one somewhere where you can easily access it on the go if need be. It never hurts to have more than one incase something happens to the original or physical copy.
Store in a fireproof safe. Store important documents a fireproof safe or the waterproof / fireproof envelope zip bags. You never know what can happen at any given moment, I always like to err on the side of caution. The waterproof / fireproof zippered envelopes and fireproof safes come in a variety of sizes and can fit many things that you may want to have on hand.
Have the kit accessible. Know where your emergency kit is and have it easily accessible. That way if something happens you know exactly where it is and you are not stressing trying to look for it somewhere. Also, it helps you not waste as much time if you know exactly where things are. Time is precious when you are in an emergency situation.
Heirlooms accessible. If you need to get out of the house or if you are staying at your house, depending on the situation, know where your heirlooms are. People often want to take or save their heirlooms in some capacity because they have a lot of sentimental value, so knowing where they are is critical. Especially if you need to move them to a higher level in your house, move them to a different room or take them with you.
Know how to shut off water and gas if need be. If you are in the middle of a freeze, hurricane, etc. know where your shut off valves are so you don't risk flooding, starting a fire or blowing up your house. This is something every homeowner should know for sure.
Here are some articles of related to all things emergency prep and emergency preparedness:
- What You Should Have in Your Emergency Go Bag
- Prepping for Hurricanes and Free Resources
- Get Organized Hurricane Preparedness
Do you have any emergency preparedness tips and tricks?
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