What To Do When the Ground Shakes

by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info, Safety | 0 comments

Chances are good that if an earthquake hits, you’ll be at home — especially now, when many of us are working at home due to coronavirus.

Luckily, there are simple things you can do today to safeguard your home and better protect yourself and your family before an earthquake strikes. Start with our 12 to-dos below. You’ll also find 3 top tips for what to do during a quake and, just as importantly, what not to do.

Inside Your Home

Whether it’s the kind that rolls in waves or arrives with a sudden jolt, an earthquake will surely shake your home and its contents. More people are injured by falling objects or furniture than by building damage. Make your home safer by securing and moving furniture and accessories, especially where people sit, sleep, or spend a lot of time. Pay special attention to heavy objects: move them lower to ground level and also make sure they’re not close to escape routes or doorways. Here are 12 other items to check and secure:

• • Bookshelves – Tall bookshelves are an accident waiting to happen, as they’re unstable to begin with, and their contents can easily become airborne. Secure them to a wall stud using L-brackets and place the heaviest items on bottom shelves.
  • Chemicals – If you have chemicals stored on open shelves in the garage or basement, protect them against spills by installing wood, plexiglass strips or wires to restrain them. If containers are behind cabinet doors, use latches to secure the doors.
  • Display Cases – Secure these to the floor using appropriate brackets. Install safety glass if possible. Try to secure shelves inside the case as well.
  • Electronics – For large electronics such as flat-screen TVs and entertainment centers, buy a “safety strap” kit, which contains straps and buckles designed for these heavy electronics.
  • Hanging Objects – These are especially prone to be thrown around in a quake. Framed pictures and mirrors should be hung from closed hooks so they can’t bounce off walls. You can also use earthquake putty to secure corners. Move medium or large-sized pieces so they’re hung on studs, which is more secure being hung on drywall only. Make sure any hanging plants are well away from windows.
  • HVAC Units – Anchor units using restraint brackets or seismic snubbers.
  • Kitchen Cabinets – Shaking can cause cabinet doors to fly open and throw contents onto the floor. This can lead to a floor full of glass and ceramic shards – not to mention damage to countertops and walls. Secure cabinets by installing one or more of several latches: hook and eye, standard latch, pull/throwover, push latches, child-proof, or seismolatch.
  • Piping – Secure all overhead pipes using brackets.
  • Refrigerator – Secure refrigerators and other major appliances to wall studs using earthquake appliance straps.
  • Space Heaters – These should be equipped with support legs and properly spaced angles. Learn online to DIY or hire a professional.
  • Suspended AC Units – These should be braced with angles or welded to a support rod.
  • Water Heater – Proper fastening involves having 2 straps that wrap completely around the unit and are screwed into studs of the wall.

What to Do During a Quake

The more you move or try to run during an earthquake, the greater chance you’ll be injured by falling or flying objects. Instead, remember to:

1. Drop to hands and knees – Do this before the earthquake knocks you down. It protects you from being thrown down and allows you to move if you need to.

2. Cover your head and neck – Get under a sturdy table or desk as soon as you can. If you can’t get to one, get next to low-lying furniture that won’t fall on you or next to an interior wall. Wherever you end up, cover your head and neck for protection.

3. Hold on to your shelter – Hold on to the table or desk (or your head and neck) until the shaking stops. If you’re under a table, be ready for it to shift as the quake rolls – and move with it.

What NOT to Do

1. Run outside – A building’s exterior walls are the most dangerous place to be during a quake. Facades, windows, and architectural details are often first to collapse or break. If you’re inside, don’t run outside, and if you’re outside, don’t run inside – crossing the building exterior puts you at risk of being injured by falling debris.

2. Stand in a doorway – It’s a long-held idea that a doorframe is the safest place to be. In modern homes, a doorframe is no safer than any other part of the house and won’t protect you from airborne or falling objects. You’re safer under a sturdy table.

3. Get in the “triangle of life” – An email that’s gone viral in the last few years offers advice counter to the long-established “Drop, Cover and Hold On” advice. The actions outlined have been discredited as potentially life-threatening by experts and their organizations.

Earthquake safety really boils down to preparation. Although you can’t control where you’ll be when one hits, you can prepare yourself and your home starting right now. Between the tips above – and our articles on what to do before and after a quake and emergency kit basics – you’ll be well on your way to pro-level preparation.

This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.

Creating a Family Disaster Plan

by California Casualty | Homeowners Insurance Info, Safety | 0 comments

An earthquake, flood, fire, or severe storm can strike at any time — and you and your family may not be together when it does.

How will you find each other if separated? What about household members who have medical conditions? And what if your cell phones or networks are out of power?

Crafting an emergency plan before a disaster hits gives you time to discuss your family’s needs and circumstances, review possible scenarios, and decide on the best options together. Schedule a time when the whole family can participate. You may need one or two additional meetings to finalize all the details.

Here’s what you’ll need to cover:

1. Make A Plan of Action  

Smart planning entails talking through a number of situations and “what-ifs.” Start by brainstorming around the following (and remember that coronavirus may affect some answers).

• What natural disasters are we most likely to experience?
• How will we receive emergency alerts and warnings?
• What are the escape or evacuation routes from our house?
• What is our shelter plan?

2. If Your Family is Separated

Re-opening across the country means parents may be going back to work and kids back to school. Are there other locations, such as after-school programs, childcare, gyms or volunteer sites that family members regularly attend? Consider those when answering the following:

• If separated during an emergency, where should we meet near our home?
• If meeting near home is impossible for some or all family members, what’s our meeting place?
• If we are separated, who is our emergency contact outside of our immediate area?

3. Specific Needs of Family Members

Remember to tailor your plan to address any particular needs of/by family members, such as:

• Medical needs including prescriptions and equipment
• Dietary needs
• Medical conditions, disabilities or functional needs, especially those requiring devices and equipment
• Language barriers or limitations
• Ages of all household members, including school-aged children
• Pets or service animals
• Religious and cultural considerations

5. Fill Out the Plan

After discussing the above, it’s time to get it all down on paper. Be sure to capture the following as well.

• All the contact information for each household member.
• Who’s responsible for what during the disaster? Tasks might include things like retrieving the disaster kit, evacuating pets, and fielding disaster updates and alerts.
• Create a personal network of friends, family or neighbors for things you might need help with.
• Make sure you have one or more out-of-town contacts for emergencies.
• Numbers for important contacts such as utilities, financial companies, childcare and caregivers, veterinarians, and insurance companies.

6. Share & Practice

During an emergency, cellular networks and wi-fi may be unreliable, and computers and phones may be lost or out of power. In these cases, having a paper copy of your family disaster plan can save precious time, minimize stress and prevent unnecessary emergencies. So, make sure each family member has a copy and carries it with them in a purse, backpack or work bag (here’s a template plan that fits in your wallet). Have regular family meetings to review the plan and practice. Finally, do a thorough review every 6 months or so, to update information or responsibilities.

7. Resources

Check out these resources to get your plan disaster-ready.

• Disaster plan templates here (American Red Cross) and here (FEMA).
• Stay current on coronavirus updates at this CDC page.
• Articles on disaster preparation checklist, disaster prep for your pets, emergency kit essentials, and tips to revise your plan in the age of coronavirus.

The perfect time to make a plan is right now. Getting all your family members on board and in the know sooner rather than later will ensure that you’re all ready when you need to be.

This article is furnished by California Casualty, providing auto and home insurance to educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and nurses. Get a quote at 1.866.704.8614 or www.calcas.com.