Appliances and water heaters
Water heaters should be strap bolted to the wall studs near it or into the concrete or bricks. This will
prevent it from shaking loose in an earthquake or floating away in flooding.
Appliances and the water heater should have "flex" hoses for both water and gas(if not electric). This will
allow for any minimal movement with out the danger of broken lines. Like the idea of strapping the water heater down you can
get some industrial strength Velcro at the hardware store and attach it to the appliances and either the wall behind them
or the counters adjacent to them.
Cabinets, Shelves, and Book cases
For all cabinets in the kitchens and bathrooms, install child proof security locks to keep the
doors from flying open. This is done on ships, airliners, and in motor homes as an example. Rearrange all your cabinets
to put the heaviest items on the lowest shelves and put the lightest items the highest. Any shelving or bookcase and the like
should be bolted to the wall studs. This will prevent extraneous movement or tipping over. Attaching a simple cross bar on
book shelves can help keep the books in place rather than falling out from violent shaking.
Clocks, Mirrors, and other wall hanging items
Anything hanging on the walls should be mounted into the wall studs and hung with strong wire.
A little Velcro on the backside and out of view will help prevent excessive movement and prevent these items from falling
to the floor.
Electrical fixtures, cords and wall sockets
If you live in a flood prone area, move your wall sockets higher than the likelihood of flooding.
This will prevent electrocution and electrical fires from starting. All electrical cords should be surveyed for fraying, cracking,
and other deteriorating conditions. If they are found to be failing then have them replaced with new ones. Lastly, check your
home for overloaded sockets. In this day of socket strips and excessive electrical devices it is easy to overload your power
supply. This causes a dangerous over load. If the power strips are not equipped with tripping switches you could start an
electrical fire.
The Home Structure
If you live in an older home before some protective codes were put in place, your home may not
be bolted to the foundation or reinforced for quakes. If not, then get them bolted and if feasable have the reinforcement
work done. This will prevent movement off the foundation and subsequent collapse. Also if you have a fireplace and brick
chimney have the chimney checked for stability and cracks. Falling bricks can be deadly. Along with fireplace safety have
your fire place cleaned to remove the soot and creosote build up. Both of these are highly flammable and will provide a fuel
source if fires break out in storms and quakes.
Hazardous Materials
We all store various hazardous materials in our homes. Some are flammable, others are just health
hazards. Insure that all flammables are kept away from normal heat and flame sources. Cleaners, solvents, etc should be kept
in secured areas such as under sinks with child locks or at the lowest levels of the home. Always insure that they are tightly
sealed when not in use.
Important Documentation
With the advent of computers, it is now possible to have all your important documents scanned
and loaded to a CD. Do this with all important documents such as birth certificates, wills, marriage licenses, insurance policies,
stocks, bonds, etc. Once loaded to a CD they can be kept in Fire Proof home safes or bank Safety Deposit boxes. Just keep
the copies in the home for ready access of the info on them. Additionally several CDs can be made and one set kept with any
emergency kits you SHOULD HAVE made for yourself. That way you can snatch and grab and hit the road in a hurry if need be.
Note to renters: Much of the structural fixes are out of your control, especially
if you live in an apartment. Still it would not hurt to check with the landlord or management company to find out which precautions
have been dealt with where you live. If necessary, find a new home and add to the list of requirements the safety of the building
you will be living in. Home renters could share the cost with the landlord of home structural refits or get them to allow
temporary rent reductions while you have it done for them. Remember keep all receipts to prove the actual cost.
Firewood
I add this to home preparation because if you need to shelter in place in the winter as many
will do during bad storms with power and gas losses, the info is valuable for planning ahead. Even if you buy your firewood,
you will know what you are looking at. I am saving space on my site so I will provide a link to the necessary site. You can
click on it to see the valuable info.
