Are you looking to ensure your valuable items are accounted for after a storm has passed through your area? Take these steps below in your hurricane preparedness activities, should you need to replace valuable items; and know the potential dollar value of irreplaceable ones.
STEP #1: WRITING AN INVENTORY
Writing an inventory of all the possessions you own can help in many ways when a hurricane is on its way. It helps to keep a track of things that may go missing; and can be beneficial after the hurricane has passed to know exactly what has become broken or lost. An inventory can also assist you when it comes to insurance claims if a home is damaged.
STEP #2: GROUPING
Grouping your most valuable possessions by type and size is an important step when preparing for a hurricane. Paperwork like passports, birth certificates, bonds or stocks are just some important documents that would need to be collected in a hurry. Grouping helps to keep all valuables together, especially if an evacuation has been issued. You gather your most important possessions efficiently without wasting valuable time. Larger items such as desktop computers carry a lot of information. Keeping a backup external hard drive can help to save your important data and information, especially if there is no time to unhook the whole computer.
STEP #3: PROTECTING YOUR VALUABLES
In an emergency or evacuation there may not be any time or room to take larger valuables with you. If this happens, it can be beneficial to place all your items in a crush proof, weatherproof case such as one from Gator, chaining it to a sturdy structure in the event of a flash flood. This helps you to find your case when the storm cell passes; and secures your belongings to collect them after the evacuation period has ended.
STEP #4: RETRIEVING YOUR VALUABLES
It is important when retrieving your valuables that it is safe to do so. Never go against the orders of law enforcement or emergency personal during or after a hurricane evacuation. When entering your home to procure your personal possessions, first study the house it is not in danger of collapsing. Strong winds and flying debris can sometimes weaken structures. Once you have evaluated if the home is secure, carefully enter the building and locate your items where you left or have chained them. Be mindful of broken glass and other sharp objects that may be in your way. These things can be dangerous if stepped or fallen on.
Hurricanes can cause large scale damage when one is not prepared properly. Securing your assets can dramatically help to increase the protection of your valuables. Gator cases are just one of the options that can be looked at to assist in securing and protecting your most valuable possessions. It can be one solution to save you hundreds of dollarsā€™ worth of damage following a potential hurricane.
