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10 tips to protect your home from natural disasters

 
It wasn’t that long ago that we’d never heard of earthquakes in Christchurch, tornadoes in Auckland, floods in Gisborne and tsunamis along the eastern coastline. But now you seem to see this kind of thing every time you turn on the TV news. So what can you do to protect your home before it’s too late?

We were going to call this article “10 Tips to Disaster-Proof Your Home”, but of course, it’s simply not possible to make it fully “disaster-proof”. There are, however, ways of minimising the odds of harm to your family and damage to your home from floods, fire, storms, earthquakes and other natural disasters. Here are ten of them.

1. Floods are the most frequent and costly natural disasters in New Zealand, so if you’re in a low-lying or heavy rainfall area, be sure to keep your roof guttering and external drains clear, especially during autumn and winter, install flashings over windows and doors, keep electrical gear, furnishings and other water-vulnerable items as elevated as possible, and install additional or higher capacity drainage systems.

2. If there are trees, scrub or hedges near your home, keep them trimmed back well away from the house in case of fire, and check for rotten or broken branches that could break off or cause damage in a storm.
 
 3. A tornado swept within half a kilometre from our home last year, and there have been more severe storms in recent years than ever before, so we’ve created a “safe room” in our house that’s in the centre of the house and away from windows, and we’ve equipped it with an emergency kit that includes torches, bottled water and a first aid kit.

4. Our family has collectively planned escape routes from every part of the house in case we need to evacuate quickly, even in the dark. The ideal is to have two ways out of every room if possible. Be aware of the danger of deadlocks on doors and security stays on windows.
 
5. Determine the best escape routes from inside your home in case a fire or other emergency requires you to leave the house quickly. Find two ways out of each room if possible.
 
6. If you haven’t already fitted fire and smoke alarms throughout your home, do so, and if you have, check them regularly for battery life and dust which can prevent them from working properly.
 
7. Even if you’re not in an earthquake zone, make sure your home is securely anchored to its foundations, especially if it’s an older home. If you’re not sure if your home is properly secured, give your local Fix It Building Services operator a call.
 
8. As part of your earthquake precautions, go through the house and secure vulnerable objects such as your bookcases to the walls, make sure your hot water cylinder is braced and avoid having breakable items such as vases unsecured in high places.
 
9. Go to the Civil Defence and GetThru websites and take their advice on preparing for natural disasters and putting together a Survival and Getaway Kit.
 
10. Check with your insurance company or broker that your home and contents cover is comprehensive and will provide for full replacement in the event of damage from a natural disaster. 

 

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