Being prepared for a disaster may mean the difference between a quick recovery and years of difficulty and financial challenges. Limit the impacts that disasters have on you and your family by taking these low-cost to no-cost preparedness steps:
Step 1: Know the risk of disasters in your area
Visit www.ready.gov/be-informed to learn what disasters and hazards could affect your area, how to get emergency alerts, and where you would go if you and your family need to evacuate. Visit AlertBrookline or text ”AlertBrookline” to 99411 to receive local notifications by phone, email, and/or text (choice of English, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Japanese). Visit bit.ly/AlertVA to download the FEMA app to receive real-time alerts from the National Weather Service.
Step 2: Strengthen your home against disasters
There are actions you can take that can lessen the impact that a potential disaster might have on your home or property. Trimming away tress from your home, installing working shutters, having a generator for back-up power, elevating belongings in basements that flood, maintaining heat/air conditioning equipment are all examples of mitigation.
Step 3: Document and insure your property
Understanding your insurance needs is an important step to prepare yourself and your family for a disaster. Getting the right type and amount of insurance may mean the difference between a quick recovery from disaster and years of financial challenges. To learn more, visit bit.ly/InsuredForDisasters.
