Emergency Preparedness

Most homeowners never think a disaster will hit their area. But Ashland County and the surrounding regions have seen their share of emergency weather events from the tornado that ripped through Main Street to extreme winter temperatures and frozen electricity lines to the recent barn collapse on County Road 1302 due to a tornado. In addition to these events, on occasion, area residents must also contend with extreme heat, flooding, lightning and hail, high winds and more. Preparation is key to enduring any weather event that hits the region, and causes the power to go out.

Emergency preparedness 101

One of the best ways to prepare for an emergency weather event is to put together an emergency supply kit. Loss of power can result from any number of weather conditions. Having access to food and water, as well as clothing and a backup power supply, can mean the difference between comfortably enduring a power outage and suffering through it.

Get your family members together and make a plan for the kit. It should include items like:

• Canned goods.
• A can opener.
• Granola or dry cereal.
• Peanut butter and crackers.
• Bottled water (experts recommend having approximately 1 gallon of water per day for every person in the home).

Consider putting items like pet food and baby supplies, as well as toilet paper, personal hygiene items, soap and more in the kit. Don’t forget to store candles and a lighter or matches in a place that’s easily accessible, and keep a fresh supply of batteries around to power up flashlights.

You should also put items specific to the needs of your household’s members in the emergency kit, like medications, batteries for hearing aids, contact lens supplies, and first-aid items like band-aids, gauze and medical tape.

Consider purchasing a backup generator during the off-season, when they’re not in high demand and often cost less. Backup power means you and your family can stay safe during a winter or summer outage, and access air conditioning and heating.

Insurance helps in emergency situations

You should also create an emergency plan for your home, too. When extreme weather hits the region, your home may become damaged due to severe weather conditions. Talk to your local insurance agent about your current coverage, and explore options for upgrading your policy to meet your needs.

Make sure that your policies haven’t lapsed, and that you have the amount of coverage you need so that items like electronics, musical instruments and jewelry are covered, too. If you’ve added on to your home or made some adjustments, your insurance agent should know about these projects to ensure they’re properly covered. This is also a good time to talk to your insurance agent about how the process of filing a claim works.

Are you prepared for a power outage? Have you considered whether you have sufficient insurance to cover the potential for damage to your home? Contact the Spreng-Smith Agency in Ashland for more information about home, auto and life insurance, or to request a quote from one of our local, independent agents