No matter where your home is, there is likely a risk of being negatively affected by a natural disaster. Burned homes, blown over buildings, and hurricane washed out beach houses are what usually come to mind.

While these are severe examples and need to be considered, most of the time, the damage comes from flooding, blizzards, hail, and other weather that is often viewed as dangerous, but not necessarily headline worthy.

Preventing home damage from a natural disaster is not always possible. If an F5 tornado hits a home head on, no matter what precautions are taken, the house is likely to leveled. If a 20-foot tsunami wave is flying towards a home at 80 miles per hour, that home is going to be gone.

Aside from those extreme examples however, precautions can be taken. Here are five of them.

1. Ground improvement

There’s an old story that refers to two men who build their homes on two different surfaces; one on a rock and another in the sand. When the rains came, the house on the rock stood firm while the one on the sand washed away. While the lesson of the story may have had a more spiritual purpose, it also serves as a strong argument to make sure that a ground has a solid foundation.

In the past, a home would have to be built in a particular way in order to be viewed as safe. For example, in Hawaii or other coastal islands, many homes are built on stilts to help reduce the risk of being taken out by high waves or water.

Everything is changing now. Thanks to ground improvement technologies and drilling, different kinds of homes and businesses can not only be built on different kinds of surfaces, but they are also safer.

For example, a ground improvement drilling company can install an earthquake drain, which will help water to drain away from a foundation if pipes burst to prevent flooding or landslides.

Drilling can also give a home a sturdier foundation and make it so that high pressure natural disasters will leave a minimal negative effect on a home.

2. Fireproof the home

Fire is one of the scariest and most unpredictable disasters that can happen to a home. Wildfires can travel at nearly 15 miles per hour and when spreading, a small fire can go from a campfire to nearly 300 square miles in three hours, or about the size of Los Angeles.

While impossible to make a home completely fireproof, there are quite a few precautions that can be taken, including the following:

● Landscaping - Having a healthy lawn can slow down a fire quite a bit. Fire struggles to travel quickly when having to fight through grass and plants that are filled with water. Another alternative is to have rock paths that also slow down the speed of fires.

● Construction- If building a home, using siding, brick, and rock will be fireproof in those areas. Being creative with metal and concrete around the house can also help to deter a fire.

● Electric checks - While this step will not help with a wildfire, monitoring wires and electric outlets can help prevent a house fire from happening. Every year, thousands of homes catch on fire from an electric fault.

3. Watch the weather

Knowing what is coming can help to prevent a natural disaster from affecting a home. Again, most damage doesn’t come from F4 tornadoes or 110 mph hurricane winds, but rather blizzards, flooding, and hail.

In the case of blizzards, having extra insulation above the ceilings can actually keep the rooftops warmer. While snow doesn’t seem heavy, it only takes a few inches of accumulation to potentially cause a cave in.

With flooding, putting out sandbags, cleaning out drains, and making sure to seal up any weak areas (windows, doors, etc…) can keep the water out and protect a home’s floors, walls, and furniture.

Watching the weather and taking necessary precautions can save thousands of dollars and hours of labor down the road.

4. Routine checks

While using ground improvement technology can be great for a house or property, oftentimes that option is not available to pipes and electric lines that are run by the city.

Many people don’t realize this, but yes, the pipes and wires that run underneath a property are the responsibility of the owner, even if they were there prior to buying or purchasing the land.

It’s recommended that pipes and wires get checked every two years. This will help prevent pipes bursting or electric lines faulting when a disaster hits.

5. Prepare for the ‘likely’ worst

A tsunami is unlikely to ever affect a home that is more than 25 miles inland. Earthquakes typically don’t happen away from a fault line, and a blizzard probably isn’t happening near the equator.

Preparing for these extremely unlikely scenarios may not be the best idea, but realizing and taking note of the top three most likely disasters can help home owners prepare for the worst and to put precautions into place.

For example, if in Auckland, the top three potential natural disasters are earthquakes, tsunamis, and flooding. Knowing these three potential disasters can help prepare homeowners to either build, renovate, or put in other precautionary projects to help protect their home.

Again, in the case of Auckland, this could mean having sandbags ready, utilizing ground improvement technology, sealing off any leaks or weak spots, and if possible, finding an area that is elevated and sturdy.

Every situation is different

There are no two homes that are exactly the same. Even in an apartment complex, there are going to be slight differences, whether that be the amount of sunlight it receives or how close it is to a local creek.

Knowing a home and its vulnerabilities can keep a house protected in a natural disaster while others around may unfortunately be affected in a negative and devastating way.

Home Page | International | Previous Story | Next Story

Copyright (c) Scoop Media