Know Before It Blows: How to Prepare Yourself for Home Emergencies Now
Nobody likes to deal with a home emergency that happens out of nowhere, which is why you might be tempted to be ready for anything that could happen. This isn’t always realistic for a homeowner on a tight budget, but you can still prepare yourself for some of these more common home emergencies right now. Here are some tips that will help you with that.
Blackouts
Being without power even for a little while can feel like a disaster for the modern household, but you can get through it if you have a survival kit ready to go.
This should include candles, a flashlight, batteries, a lighter, a hand-crank radio, a cellphone with a charged battery, bottled water, extra blankets, and some non-perishable foods that are easy to heat and eat quickly.
Most blackouts will only last a few hours and be no more than minor inconveniences, but you need to be prepared to survive for a few days without power.
It also helps to have a generator on hand if you experience frequent blackouts in your area.
Plumbing Emergencies
Plumbing emergencies such as burst pipes or backed-up drains can do thousands of dollars’ worth of damage, so you need to be ready for home emergencies before they occur.
At the very least, you should have a plunger, a pair of rubber gloves, a couple of extra buckets, a tool set with some extra wrenches, and a strong roll of duct tape on hand for emergencies.
This probably won’t solve your plumbing problems, but they will help you clean up minor messes until you can get emergency plumbing services to your home.
When you notice that you have a plumbing emergency, immediately shut off the water to your home, remove any valuables that might suffer water damage from the affected area, assess the damage, and contact a plumber.
You will need to act quickly since this is one of the biggest home emergencies that you can have as a homeowner.
A Leaky Roof
An older roof or one that has been damaged by a recent storm can start leaking before you know it.
The leak might be big enough that you might see water coming from your ceiling, but you also might find the dark-brown stains on your walls or ceiling that are telltale signs of water damage.
When you do notice a leak in your roof, do not attempt to fix the problem by yourself. Not only are roof systems more complicated than many people know, climbing onto an unstable roof without the proper training and equipment is just asking for a serious injury.
Make a note of the leak, try to catch any dripping water in a bucket or pan, and contact a roofing contractor as soon as possible.
The key to staying on top of potential home emergencies is to simply be alert.
These disasters can cause hundreds or thousands of dollars’ worth of damage if they go unchecked, but you can save yourself a lot of trouble if you’re alert enough to catch them as they occur.
Category: Family Finances
