Weather emergencies strike with little or no warning. According to the Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, the city is especially vulnerable to such threats as earthquakes, floods, wildfires and mudslides. Protect your home and your family by learning what to do before and after an emergency occurs.
- Prepare a home emergency kit. Serious events like earthquakes may leave you without electricity, or even the ability to travel, for an extended period of time. A home emergency kit with water, nonperishable food, flashlights, a battery-operated radio and other supplies helps you shelter in place comfortably and safely. Keep the kit in a designated “safe room,” which should be an interior room in your home.
- Make an evacuation plan. Your evacuation plan should include important phone numbers, a list of household preparation tasks such as water and HVAC shut-off, and a list of items you’ll take if you’re ordered to evacuate. Meet with your family to agree on a meeting place.
- Prepare your home. You can’t protect your home against an earthquake or wildfire, but you can take precautions to help it and you weather the emergency and recover from it. For example, mark shut-off valves and switches with reflective tape so you can find them in the dark. Photograph valuable items. Store important documents and important phone numbers in a fire-proof box in your safe room.
- Inspect your home after the threat has passed. The Red Cross recommends examining your home’s exterior for signs of damage to its foundation or support beams, as well as utility lines and wires. If there’s any doubt about the structure’s soundness, order a professional inspection before you enter. Inside, be alert to gas or smoke odors, sagging floors, buckled walls and sagging ceilings. Photograph the damage to help prove your insurance claim, and keep receipts of repairs you have made.
Contact Around the Clock to learn more about keeping your home safe before, during and after weather emergencies.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about weather emergencies and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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