Boating Safety

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Safe Boating Tips

No matter how much experience you have, it’s always a good idea for everyone to review boating safety rules before departures. Below you will find 10 basic boating safety tips to help you stay safe:
  1. Be Weather-Wise. Always check local weather conditions before departure; TV and radio forecasts can be a good source of information. If you notice darkening clouds, volatile and rough changing winds, or sudden temperature drops, play it safe by getting off the water.
  2. Follow a Pre-Departure Checklist. Proper boating safety includes being prepared for any possibility on the water. Following a pre-departure checklist is the best way to ensure no boating safety rules or precautions have been overlooked or forgotten.
  3. Use Common Sense. One of the most important parts of boating safety is to use your common sense. This means operating at a safe speed at all times (especially in crowded areas), staying alert at all times, and steering clear of large vessels and watercraft that can be restricted in their ability to stop or turn. Also, be respectful of buoys and other navigational aids, all of which have been placed there to ensure your own safety.
  4. Designate an Assistant Skipper. Ensure more than one person on board is familiar with all aspects of your boat’s handling, operations, and general boating safety. If the primary navigator is injured or incapacitated in any way, it’s important to make sure someone else can follow the proper boating safety rules to get everyone else back to shore.
  5. Develop a Float Plan. Whether you choose to inform a family member or staff at your local marina, always be sure to let someone else know your float plan. This should include where you’re going and how long you’re going to be gone. A float plan can include the following information:
    • name, address, and phone number of the trip leader
    • name and phone number of all passengers
    • boat type and registration information
    • trip itinerary
    • types of communication and signal equipment onboard
  6. Make Proper Use of Lifejackets. Did you know that the majority of drowning victims are the result of boaters not wearing their lifejackets? Ensure that your family and friends aren’t part of this statistic by assigning and fitting each member of your onboard team with a life jacket before departure. Wear it!
  7. Avoid Alcohol. Practice boating safety at all times by saving the alcohol for later. The probability of being involved in a boating accident doubles when alcohol is involved and studies have shown that the effects of alcohol are exacerbated by the sun and wind.
  8. Learn to Swim. If you’re going to be in and around the water, proper boating safety includes knowing how to swim. Local organizations, such as the American Red Cross and others, offer training for all ages and abilities. Check to see what classes are offered in your area.
  9. Take a Boating Course. Beginning boaters and experienced experts alike need to be familiar with the boating safety rules of operation. Boater education requirements vary by state; however, some require validated completion of at least one boating safety course. Regardless of your individual state’s requirements, it’s always important to be educated and prepared for every circumstance that might arise. You can learn boating safety rules by taking a local community course or online course to educate yourself.
  10. Consider a Free Vessel Safety Check. Take advantage of a free vessel safety check from the US Coast Guard. They offer complimentary boat examinations to verify the presence and condition of certain safety equipment required by state and federal regulations. They’ll provide a specialist free of charge to check out your boat and make helpful boating safety tips and recommendations. They also offer virtual online safety checks as well.
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Are you covered for fallen trees?

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If a tree falls and hits your house, are you covered? The short answer is yes. The coverage is quite straightforward: if a tree hits a home or other insured structure, such as a detached garage, standard homeowners insurance policies provide coverage for the damage the tree does to the structure and the contents in it. This includes trees felled by wind, lightning, or hail.
It does not matter whether or not you own the tree; if it lands on your home, you can file a claim with your insurance company. After a hurricane or windstorm, trees, shrubs, and branches can become projectiles capable of traveling significant distances and can cause considerable property damage. In most cases, an insurance company will not spend time trying to figure out where a tree or other item originally came from.
In some situations where the felled tree was located on a neighbor’s property, the policyholder’s insurance company may try to collect from the neighbor’s insurance company in a process called subrogation. This sometimes occurs if the tree was in poor health or not properly maintained. If the insurer is successful, you may be reimbursed for the deductible.
If a tree hits an insured structure, such as your house or garage, there is also coverage for the cost of removing the tree, generally up to about $500 to $1,000, depending on the insurer and the type of policy purchased. If the fallen tree did not hit an insured structure, there is generally no debris removal coverage. However, some insurance companies may pay for the cost of removing the felled tree if it is blocking a driveway or a ramp designed to assist the disabled.
Standard home insurance policies also provide coverage for damage to trees and shrubs due to fire, lightning, explosion, theft, aircraft, vehicles not owned by the resident, vandalism, and malicious mischief. Coverage for these disasters is generally limited to up to 5 percent of the amount of insurance on the house’s structure. Generally, most insurers will limit about $500 for anyone tree, shrub, or plant. Trees and plants grown for business purposes require a separate business insurance policy.
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Do I Need Umbrella Insurance?

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Protection Beyond the Usual
While it’s easy to assume that only a rich person could need that much insurance coverage, you’d be surprised at how important an umbrella policy can be for an average member of the middle class. For example, if you have a car insurance policy with liability coverage, you may think you have enough protection in case of an accident. But a lawsuit could quickly exceed the $100,000 or $300,000 insurance payout.

An umbrella policy provides an additional insurance layer, typically $1 million or $2 million, above your auto insurance and your home insurance liability coverage. Consider the following scenarios where an umbrella policy would have been helpful:

  • A $1.2 million settlement in New Jersey where an underinsured driver hit a policeman who was completing paperwork at a traffic stop. The driver had to pay legal fees for his defense as well as the settlement.
  • $1.76 million was awarded to a mother and her 8-year-old child in Florida after a wave runner accident injured both of them. The mother needed corrective surgery after the initial injuries were treated.

Although 85 percent of umbrella insurance claims are related to car accidents, the policies offer protection against accidents that occur at your home, too. For example, if someone falls down your stairs and sues you, or your balcony collapses during a party. Many people opt for an umbrella policy because they have a pool or a trampoline on their property and fear the consequences of a child getting injured.

Then there’s coverage for incidents you may not have even considered, such as accidents while you’re driving in another country or while you’re on vacation and have rented a boat or Jet Ski.

Another important feature of these policies is protection in a lawsuit against you for slander or defamation of character or for decisions you might have made as a volunteer member of a nonprofit board. If you regularly blog about controversial topics or rant on Facebook, an umbrella policy might be a good idea to protect your assets from a litigious individual who believes you’ve damaged their reputation.

That may sound unlikely, but it’s not unheard of. In 2009, a high school student sued four other students and their families for $3 million because of derogatory comments the other students made about her on Facebook. While the lawsuit was eventually dismissed, reaching that verdict took two years and required considerable expenditures by the families. An umbrella policy can cover expenses related to such lawsuits.

You Have More to Protect Than You Think
You may be assuming that if you don’t have $1 million to lose, you don’t need an umbrella policy. Unfortunately, if you are sued by someone who falls down the stairs at your home or whom you injure in a car accident, you can be sued for more than just what you have in the bank.

Your retirement funds, investments, savings, and even your future earnings are at risk if a judge allows someone to garnish your wages to pay off a settlement. In some states, the equity in your home can be part of the judgment, and you would be forced to sell your home to pay someone who sues you.

If you own a house and have a retirement account or other investments, an umbrella policy of $1 million or more should be part of your financial plan. Most insurance companies offer these plans in increments up to $5 million, and some go up to $10 million.

Insurance companies require specific levels of liability coverage on your auto and home insurance policies before they will approve an umbrella policy, typically:

  • $300,000 per occurrence for personal liability, bodily injury, and property damage liability on your homeowners insurance policy
  • $250,000 per person for bodily injury and $500,000 per accident on your car insurance policy
  • $100,000 per accident for property damage on your car insurance policy

The average cost for a $1 million policy is $200 annually — which you might find a relatively low price for the peace of mind and security it offers

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Wait, there is insurance for that?

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If any of the following incidents were to happen, do you know if your homeowners insurance would pay the full claim, part of the claim, or deny it completely?

  • Your golf clubs are taken out of your car.
  • Your expensive digital camera is dropped and broken.
  • Your home-office computer is ripped off.

Unfortunately, with just a standard homeowners insurance policy, the likelihood of your full claim being paid is not great.
While your homeowners insurance policy does provide some coverage for valuable items, it is usually limited in the types of covered claims and payment amounts.
To have full coverage for the incidents above, you would need to purchase a Personal Articles Floater. A personal articles floater provides coverage for possessions with higher monetary values like:

  • Cameras (video or still) and related equipment
  • China and crystal
  • Firearms
  • Golfer’s equipment
  • Jewelry
  • Musical instruments
  • Personal computers
  • Silverware
  • Works of fine art

It will also provide some additional coverage for things like mysterious disappearance and breakage. And the best part is that this type of policy isn’t costly at all.

Why should I consider a Personal Articles Floater?

Benefit 1: A personal articles floater will provide higher limits on your valuables.
Standard insurance policies limit coverage for the items listed above at anywhere from $500 to $1,500 depending upon the item. In many cases, that may be sufficient; however, if the item is rare or valuable, the regular might not be enough.

One of the benefits of a personal article floater is the freedom you have in selecting your limits.  Rather than predetermined limits, insurance companies are more willing to provide higher limits (as long as you can provide proof of said value).

Benefit 2: Claim payments are facilitated more proficiently.
Claims for personal articles floater usually paid one of two ways:

  1. Replacement Cost: Your insurance will pay the necessary amount to repair or replace your item with another one of like kind and quality.
  2. Agreed Value: The insurance company will use an “Agreed Value” limit for the item. This means that, in the event of a covered claim, your insurance company will pay you the amount listed on the policy.

An agreed value limit is great when you’re insuring items like jewelry, fine art, antiques, and other unique items because it means if you suffer a loss on a covered item, you will not have to negotiate a settlement price with the insurance company.

Benefit 3: A personal articles floater provides expanded coverages.
A standard homeowners policy does not include some vital coverages for rare or valuable items.  For example, a personal articles floater can provide coverage for “mysterious disappearance” or “breakage.” So if you were to lose a valuable piece of jewelry or accidentally break some fine china, your policy would pay the associated claim.

Benefit 4: Coverage can be expanded worldwide.
While most homeowners policies will typically only cover items located on the premises listed within the policy, personal articles floaters will provide coverage anywhere in the world.

For example, if you lost your expensive camera while on vacation, your policy would pay for a replacement.

Benefit 5:  Most personal articles floaters do not have a deductible.
A standard homeowners insurance policy will usually include a $500 to $1,000 deductible. A personal articles floater is different; many of them actually remove the deductible removing any out-of-pocket expenses as the policy owner.

Some Tips when Adding this Coverage

  1. Make sure to keep a detailed list of the items listed on the policy, including copies of the appraisals.
  2. Photograph each piece of your collection and store the photos in a safe place. This will make it easy to list each item on your claim report if your entire collection is stolen or damaged.
  3. If you have several high-value items, it may be in your best interest to store them in a safe deposit box or install a security system in your home. Doing so will help discount the premiums on your policy as well.

How Much Does the Coverage Cost?
Now the big question, right? How much does a policy of this type of cost?

Personal article floaters are actually much cheaper than you think, given the coverage they provide. The increased cost can be anywhere from $20 to $2,000 annually, depending upon the type of items insured and their associated value.

*The above information is to be used as guidance only and should not be considered definite in any particular case. Every policy is different, and you need to read through your policy and consult with your agent to determine how your coverage will respond.  This article cannot analyze every possible loss exposure and exception to the general guidelines above.

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Auto Insurance Exclusions

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Exclusions listed in a personal auto insurance policy vary depending upon what state laws permit and then your car insurance company’s guidelines.  When something is noted as excluded from your policy, it means that your policy won’t cover it.

Exclusions can be associated with a person, property, location, peril, or specific situation.

These limitations to your coverage are important to know so that you don’t end up in a situation where you find out after an auto accident that you have no coverage — or have voided your policy.  (Remember, if your policy doesn’t cover you, then you’ll be stuck paying out-of-pocket usually.)

The most common exclusion regarding a person is a named driver exclusion.  With this, you and your insurer agree to exclude a specific person from your policy’s coverages.  This driver isn’t rated on your policy, and in return, your insurer won’t cover the individual if found driving your car.

Here’s a look at some of the most common exclusions found in the different parts of a personal auto insurance policy.

Bodily and property damage liability exclusions

Most policies plainly state they don’t provide liability coverage:

  • If an insured has intentionally caused injury or property damage.
  • For property damage to property owned (or being transported) by the insured.  (So if you hit your own car, you can’t make a liability claim)
  • For property damage to property that is rented, used by, or in the insured’s care.
  • For bodily injury to the insured or any insured family member residing in the insured’s household. (Some states only allow the policy to reduce the bodily injury limits for family members to the state’s minimum)
  • For liability arising out of the vehicle’s ownership or operation being used for “livery conveyance.”   This means using your vehicle to transport goods or people for payment – so don’t use your car as a taxi or delivery service.   So, don’t use your car for delivering pizzas, or you may void your coverage.

In general, using your vehicle for business purposes can be a no-no according to your liability policy.  For example, it may say that the business of:

  • Selling, repairing, servicing, storing, or parking vehicles (other than your insured vehicles) is not covered by your liability or physical damage coverages.
  • Maintaining or using any vehicle that the insureds are using to engage in business –other than farming or ranching – may not be covered.  (If you are using your vehicle for business, see about a business-use or commercial policy)

Catastrophic events or exposures are usually marked as excluded as well.  This can include items such as bodily injury or property damage resulting from:

  • Nuclear exposure or explosion – including the resulting fire, radiation, or contamination.
  • Bio-chemical attack or exposure to biochemical agents as a result of an act of terrorism.
  • War (declared or undeclared)

Vehicles that are excluded from coverage (or deemed unacceptable to cover for either liability or physical damage coverages) vary, but the list may include:

  • One with less than four wheels
  • Designed for use principally off public roads or not registered for use on public roads
  • Any vehicle owned by you or a family member but isn’t listed as insured on your policy.
  • Any vehicle furnished for your regular use but isn’t listed as insured on your policy.
  • Any vehicle used to compete in a race or practice or preparing for any prearranged or organized racing or speed contest.

Some insurers have amended policies to include an exclusion for any operated, maintained, or used vehicle as part of a personal vehicle sharing program.  So, loaning your vehicle out for a car-sharing service could mean you have no personal coverages.

Physical damage coverage exclusions

Collision and comprehensive coverage are the physical damage coverages offered by auto insurers. At the same time, liability insurance covers those that you damage, collision, and comprehensive cover your own vehicle if it’s damage.
Exclusions under this portion of the policy can be similar in many ways to the restrictions listed in your liability portion of your policy.  Typically, collision and comprehensive coverage exclusions include loss or damage due to:

  • Wear and tear
  • Freezing
  • Mechanical or electrical breakdown or failure
  • Road damage to tires
  • Catastrophic events – radioactive contamination, nuclear weapon discharge, war, etc.
  • Destruction or confiscation by government or civil authorities
  • Using your vehicle for livery or delivery purposes
  • The vehicle being used for racing purposes
  • Intentional damage
  • The vehicle used in personal car-sharing programs (some insurers)

Personal items that are damaged in your vehicle or stolen from it aren’t covered, and most policies specifically mention the exclusion of coverage for losses to:

  • Any electronic equipment that is not permanently installed.
  • Custom equipment (or is covered to a specific minimal amount — such as $2,000) unless you’ve added custom parts and equipment endorsement to your policy.

If a vehicle is excluded from liability coverage, then typically, it’s also unable to obtain physical damage coverage.   However, there is some vehicle that insurers allow to obtain liability but not collision and comprehensive — such as vehicles with a salvage or rebuilt title.

Medical payments and uninsured motorist bodily injury

Medical coverages you can purchase for yourself as part of an auto insurance policy have exclusions as well.  Typically, they include injuries sustained in the circumstances mentioned above, such as catastrophic events, racing or livery service, as well as situations such as:

  • Injured on a motorized vehicle having fewer than four wheels
  • Injured while using the vehicle as a residence
  • Injuries that workers compensation benefits should cover because occurred during the course of work
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Weather Emergency Safety Tips

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Weather Emergency Safety Tips
​​Know what to do in case of a weather-related emergency.

Plan Ahead
​Your home or work routines can be disrupted with little or no warning by natural disasters, fires, or other catastrophic events. You and your family must be prepared as help may not always be available.

If you or your loved ones are faced with a weather-based emergency, determine the safest course of action and stay informed through radio, TV, internet, or whatever is available.

Before an emergency, you can prepare an emergency kit with at least 72 hours worth of food and water; make sure your car has a kit as well.

Home and Car Emergency Kit
​Your home and car should have kits in case of an emergency.

Earthquakes
If you are in an area prone to earthquakes, identify potential hazards, and earthquake-proof your home by securing heavy furniture. If you are indoors:

  • Stop
  • Drop
  • Hold On

If you are outdoors, move to a clear area or a safe building. When in the car, stay in the car. After the quake is over, carefully assess the damage and don’t enter buildings until you know it’s safe.

Floods
If the waters are high, make sure you and your family stay dry. Secure your appliances and turn off utilities like electricity. If you live in an area where flooding is common, you might want to invest in flood insurance. If you are driving, never driving through a standing pool of water. If you have to evacuate, return home only when authorities ​say it’s safe. Check for gas leaks, food spoilage, and be aware of other hazards when returning home.

Hurricanes
​Before a hurricane, have a shelter in place and avoid traveling during floods, thunderstorms, or tornado warnings. If you live in a high-rise, take shelter below the 10th floor.

Hurricane season is June-November. If you are in an area at risk for hurricanes, secure your property, and consider investing in flood insurance. During a hurricane, evacuate when told to do so or if you are unable to evacuate, go to an interior room and lie low. After a hurricane, assess the damage and be careful of post-emergency hazards like flooding, knocked-down electrical wires, and fire.

​Tornadoes
​Tornado season is March-June, and there have been tornadoes reported in 48 continental states. Before a tornado hits, practice emergency plans and have a shelter in place. Avoid traveling during thunderstorms, flood, or tornado warnings. If a tornado does hit, lie low in an interior room at a low level, such as a basement or a bathroom. If you’re driving, drive at a right angle to the tornado’s path, and if you’re outside, lie in a ditch or a flat, low area. After the tornado passes, let others know you’re ok, stay tuned for storm watches and warnings.

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What is a personal articles floater?

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A Personal Articles floater is used to insure valuable personal property that often requires more coverage than what is provided by an insured’s homeowner policy due to various exclusions and limitations on homeowner coverage. The personal articles floater can be used to ensure the following categories of personal property:

– Jewelry: Most personal jewelry can be included on a floater; however, jewelry is given more consideration than other personal items. Generally, any item over $1,000 in value would require an appraisal.

– Furs: Fur coats, personal fur items consisting of fur, garments trimmed with fur, and even imitation fur can be included.

– Fine Arts: Fine arts can include private collections of paintings, antique furniture, rare books, glasses, ornament knickknacks, and manuscripts. Fine arts are insured on a valued basis, which means if a loss occurs, payment would be made for the amount of insurance stated in that particular item’s schedule.

– Cameras: Items usually included are motion picture recording equipment, projection machines, films, binoculars, and telescopes.

– Bicycles: Each item must be described on a schedule with an amount of insurance.

– Musical Instruments: Most personal musical instruments, including sound and amplifying equipment, can be listed on a floater. Each item should be listed on a schedule with the requested amount of insurance coverage.

– Silverware / China / Crystal: Item must be listed on a schedule with the insurance amount.

– Stamps / Coin Collections: Valuable stamps and coin collections can be insured either on a scheduled basis or a blanket basis.

– Guns: Each item must be described on a schedule with an amount of insurance.

– Golfers Equipment  Most golf equipment, including the insured’s golf clothes.
Although there are no standard floater policies, most floater policies share the following four characteristics:

  1. The coverage can be tailored to ensure a specific type of property.
  2. The insured can select the appropriate policy limit for the property.
  3. Floaters are typically written on an all-risk basis, which means all direct physical losses to the property are covered, except for specially excluded losses.
  4. Most floaters cover the property anywhere globally; however, fine arts are usually covered only in the United States.

Exclusions: The personal articles form contains two exclusions that apply: the property is not covered for wear and tear, deterioration, or inherent vice. The property is not covered for loss caused by insects or vermin.

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Trampoline Safety

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Trampolines are popular among children and teens and even among some adults. Though it may be fun to jump and do somersaults on a trampoline, landing wrong can cause serious, permanent injuries. Injuries can occur even when a trampoline has a net and padding and parents are watching.

Common Injuries

Thousands of people are injured on trampolines each year. Most of these injuries happen on home trampolines. Children younger than 6 years are at the greatest risk of injury.

Common injuries include:

  • Broken bones (Sometimes surgery is needed.)
  • Concussions and other head injuries
  • Sprains/strains
  • Bruises, scrapes, and cuts
  • Head and neck injuries (which can lead to permanent paralysis or death)
  • How injuries occur

Most trampoline injuries occur when more than one person is using a trampoline.

Children can get hurt when they:

  • Land wrong while jumping.
  • Land wrong while flipping and doing somersaults (this should not be allowed because of the risk of head and neck injuries).
  • Try stunts.
  • Strike or are struck by another person.
  • Fall or jump off the trampoline.
  • Land on the springs or frame.

American Academy of Pediatrics Recommendation

Don’t buy a trampoline for your home! Trampolines may be popular and a fun way to get exercise, but there are safer ways to encourage your children to be physically active, such as playing catch, riding a bike (don’t forget a bike helmet) playing a team sport.
The AAP recommends that mini and full-sized trampolines never be used at home, in routine gym classes, or on playgrounds. They should only be used in supervised training programs for gymnastics, diving, or other competitive sports. Only one person should be allowed on a trampoline at any given time.

If you choose to have a home trampoline, the AAP recommends the following safety precautions:

  • Adult supervision at all times
  • Only one jumper on the trampoline at a time
  • No somersaults performed
  • Adequate protective padding on the trampoline that is in good condition and appropriately placed
  • Check all equipment often.
  • When damaged, protective padding, the net enclosure, and any other parts should be repaired or replaced.

Parents should check their homeowner’s policy and obtain a rider to cover trampoline-related injuries if not included in the basic policy.

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How Will Driverless Cars Affect Insurance Premiums

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Self-driving cars are definitely on the way.  In fact, one transport scholar at the University of Minnesota estimates that by 2030 every car on the road will be driverless.
From a safety standpoint, this could be great news as most accidents are caused by human error. If this factor can be minimized by taking control of the moving vehicle away from the driver, accident rates should tumble.

An accident’s risk is unlikely to be completely removed, though, since events are not totally predictable and automated systems can fail. Also, the transition from hands-off driving to hands-on promises to be tricky.

Additionally, driverless cars are still fraught with several safety questions:

  1. What kind of training will people need to handle these types of vehicles safely?
  2. How well prepared will drivers be to handle emergencies when the technology returns control to the driver?
  3. What are the insurance implications of autonomous vehicles?
  4. Who is ultimately liable in an accident – the manufacturer or the driver?

Many of the questions above will be appropriately answered when the first driverless cars actually hit the road.  But in the meantime, we have gathered some research data and insight on how insurance companies are starting to view this new risk.

Insurance Implications
Except that the number of crashes will be greatly reduced, the insurance aspects of this gradual transformation to driverless carts are still unclear. It will also be interesting to see if the accidents that occur lead to a higher percentage of product liability claims, as claimants blame the manufacturer or suppliers for what went wrong rather than their own behavior.

Liability laws will also have to evolve to ensure autonomous vehicle technology advances are not brought to a halt.

Auto Insurance: Some aspects of insurance will be impacted as autonomous cars become the norm. There will still be a need for liability coverage. Still, over time the coverage could change, as suggested by the 2014 RAND study on autonomous vehicles, as manufacturers and suppliers and possibly even municipalities are called upon to take responsibility for what went wrong.

Coverage for physical damage due to a crash and losses not caused by crashes but by wind, floods, fire, and theft (comprehensive coverage) is less likely to change. Still, it may become cheaper if the potentially higher costs to repair or replace damaged vehicles is more than offset by the lower accident frequency rate.

Underwriting: Initially, many of the traditional underwriting criteria, such as the number and kind of accidents an applicant has had, the miles he or she expects to drive, and where the car is garaged, will still apply, but the make, model, and style of car may assume greater importance. The implications of where a car is garaged and driven might be different if there are areas set aside, such as dedicated lanes, for automated driving.

During the transition to wholly autonomous driving, insurers may rely more on telematics devices, known as “black boxes,” that monitor driver activity.  According to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, telematics’ use is forecast to grow to up to 20 percent within the next five years.

Liability: As cars become increasingly automated, the onus might be on the manufacturer to prove it was not responsible for what happened in the event of a crash. The liability issue may evolve so that lawsuit concerns do not drive manufacturers and their suppliers out of business.

Repair Costs: While the number of accidents is expected to drop significantly as more crash avoidance features are incorporated into vehicles, the cost of replacing damaged parts is likely to increase because of the complexity of the components. It is not yet clear whether the reduction in the frequency of crashes will reduce the cost of crashes overall.

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Floods: How to Prepare, Respond & Recover

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What to do ahead of time:

  • Hire a licensed electrician to raise electric components (switches, sockets, circuit breakers, and wiring) at least 12 inches above the expected flood levels for your area.
  • Make sure your yard’s grading (slope) directs water away from the building.
  • Have the installation of your furnace, water heater, and other permanent equipment modified so that they are elevated above the expected flood levels for your area.
  • Anchor fuel tanks. An unanchored tank can be torn free by floodwaters, and the broken supply line can cause contamination or if outdoors, can be swept downstream and damage other property.
  • If you have a basement, hire a licensed plumber to install an interior or exterior backflow valve to prevent sewage from backing up into your basement from a flooded sewer system. Check with your building department for permit requirements. Note: this won’t help if floodwaters pour into your basement or house, but it could help in instances where flooding affects the sewage system, but not your house.

What to do when flooding is imminent:

  • Clear drains, gutters, and downspouts of debris.
  • Move furniture and electronics off the floor, particularly in basements and first floor levels.
  • Roll up area rugs, where possible, and store these on higher floors or elevations. This will reduce the chances of rugs getting wet and growing mold.
  • Prepare an evacuation kit with important papers, insurance documents, medications, and other things you may need if you are forced to be away from your home or business for several days.
  • Inspect sump pumps and drains to ensure proper operation. If a sump pump has a battery backup, make sure the batteries are fresh or replace them.
  • Shut off electrical service at the main breaker if the electrical system and outlets will be underwater.
  • Place all appliances, including stove, washer, and dryer, on masonry blocks or concrete at least 12 inches above the projected flood elevation.

What to do after flooding:

  • As soon as it is safe to do so, disconnect all electronics/electrical equipment and move it to a dry location.
  • Remove as much standing water as possible from inside the building.
  • Remove water-damaged materials immediately.
  • Ventilate with fans or use dehumidifiers to dry out the house.
  • Acting quickly can increase the chance of salvaging usable materials, reduce the amount of rust and mold that might develop, and limit the likelihood of structural problems.
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