Public Insurance Adjusters
Disaster Preparedness Tips
Texas faces its fair share of natural disasters including severe storms, hail, tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, and more. As with any community prone to nature's wrath, smart McAllen, Texas residents prepare for disasters in advance. Join the ranks of the well prepared by following these basic tips:
- Pay attention to the weather. Whether you prefer watching the daily weather forecast on TV, listening to weather reports on the radio, or having National Weather Service text alerts sent to your smartphone, paying attention to the weather on a daily basis is essential. After all, if you know that a tornado watch is in effect, you'll be better equipped to get to safety than if you have no clue until a funnel cloud appears.
- Understand specific threats likely to occur and how to respond in the face of danger. For example, if you live in an area prone to flooding, do you have an evacuation route? Do you and your family members know what to do in a thunderstorm?
- Prepare emergency kits for your home, cars, and office. You will need at least 72 hours' worth of emergency rations including non-perishable food and water in your home kit. Numerous resources online detail exactly your emergency kits should contain.
- Know how to protect your property. In some cases such as a hurricane, you'll have advance warning and sufficient time to protect your property from damage. Consider investing in storm windows (if you haven't already) and make sure you have plenty of masking tape, plastic sheeting, sand and sandbags, and other emergency materials on hand to secure your property. Move valuables away from windows or areas where they could be damaged by water
- Create a family emergency evacuation plan. Do you know where you will go if evacuated? What if individual family members are at separate locations when the evacuation orders are placed? What about pets? The time to address these scenarios is before they occur.
These are a few tips to help you get started. Disaster planning is an ongoing process, and numerous resources are available to help you learn more including books, websites, and workshops. We encourage you to take action now and prepare for the next disaster long before it strikes.