While many homeowners in single-family houses have more than enough info laid out online to keep their homes safe during bad weather and natural disasters (and this even includes restoring their home), what about those who live in apartments? Whether you’re a renter or an owner, you must know how to keep yourself safe during tough times and your apartment safe. So, here is everything you need to know!
Know Your Resident’s Emergency Plan
Knowing your resident’s emergency plan is critical in keeping your apartment safe during bad weather. A solid emergency plan should include key information about evacuation routes and emergency contact info for each property. If your building is in a hurricane-prone region, it’s crucial to follow the warnings from local and national storm-weather organizations. Listen to radio or television for the latest information about impending hurricanes, heeding any warnings about high winds or storm surges.
You should also know the shelter locations in your area and where your family’s emergency kit is kept. Talk with your neighbors and find out who owns a backup generator, the best shelter locations in their apartments, and whether they have any medical expertise. Emergency preparedness saves lives and is a great opportunity to get your community involved in the planning process. Make it easy for residents to stay informed by distributing safety information, encouraging them to subscribe to mass communication systems, and regularly communicating the availability of emergency alerts.
Nearly all apartments and condos offer this type of emergency plan; if they offer this, they know that your life is more important than the life span of this building. But, sometimes, the emergency plan may even include information on what you can do to help keep the apartment safe.
Stay Indoors
This is very obvious, but you will need to stay inside when it comes to keeping you safe and your apartment safe. It is best to stay indoors when the weather takes a turn for the worst.
Invest in a generator
While this is mostly going to depend on your apartment and what is allowed, having a generator for apartment is going to be one of the best things that you can do to not only keep yourself safe during bad weather but this can keep your home safe too. This is especially apparent if there are freezing temperatures outside and you need to keep everyone warm.
Know When to Shut Down the Water
This may sound odd, but if you’re living somewhere prone to freezing temperatures and ice storms, you need to be aware. Water leaks and floods are an unfortunate but common part of natural disasters. You can’t prevent all plumbing emergencies, but knowing where to shut off the main water supply is one of the best ways to protect your home from severe damage. Bad weather can affect your plumbing, especially when it’s freezing temperatures. If you live in an apartment where you can shut this off, it’s strongly recommended to do so.
Store Your Belongings
One of the most important things you can do to keep your abode safe from Mother Nature’s wrath is to store your belongings in a cool and dry place. The best bets include a well-stocked mini-warehouse or a climate-controlled storage unit in a drier clime. Although, if you live in an apartment, you will be limited in storage. But one of the most important things you can at least do is store all of your important documents on a high shelf, so the odds of damaged documents are low in case of something like a flood.
Prepare an Emergency Kit
If you have to evacuate your apartment during bad weather, you must be prepared. You never truly know when bad weather can get worse. That means making an emergency kit with items you need to survive until the situation calms down. During bad weather seasons, storing at least three days’ worth of water and non-perishable food in your emergency kit is recommended.
Also include a flashlight and battery-powered radio, a first aid kit, sanitation supplies, and personal hygiene items. This kit should be stored in a safe place that’s easily accessible. In addition, it should have all of your important documents in one spot. These include copies of birth certificates, passports, identification cards, and insurance policies.
Stay Away from Windows
If you are inside your apartment during bad weather, it is important to stay away from windows. During a storm, windows can easily break, and shatters can cause serious injury or even death. During a severe storm, the winds can be high and unpredictable. You may hear people talking about boarding windows up or placing duct tape on them (ideally with a strong board). Going underground, such as in a basement, is best if the weather is bad and there aren’t any floods.
Stay Alert
Staying aware of your community’s weather conditions can help you prepare for a potential emergency. You can sign up for severe weather watches and warnings and make sure that everyone in your family has multiple ways of receiving alerts. Keep an eye on the news for updated information on severe weather.
The National Weather Service issues watches and warnings so you can take the necessary actions to protect yourself and your family during storms. You can also sign up for Wireless Emergency Alerts. These messages are sent via your mobile device to alert you when severe weather is imminent. Overall, it’s important to stay alert and keep updated about this.
Store Up on Supplies
As far as supplies go, a good rule of thumb is to have at least ten days worth of food and water ready to be stored somewhere in your apartment that will be accessible during a storm. Keep these items in a large, clear bin so they are easy to locate when the time comes. You may also want to consider keeping a first aid kit, battery-powered radio, non-perishable foods and water, blankets, extra clothes, etc.
These items will help you feel more secure if you lose power or are caught in a situation where you can’t get out of the house. So, why is this needed? Well, when it comes to bad weather, you never truly know when it’s going to get worse, so it’s important to stay prepared.