Although Ireland is a country with relatively calm weather, we still have our shares of storms and other extreme weather conditions that often cause severe destruction to our homes.
However, with proper preparation and protection in place, you can dramatically reduce the effect of these weather conditions on your home and properties, saving yourself not just stress, but also financial strain in the process.
To aid in your preparation, we have put together a couple of safety tips on what you can do before, during, and after a storm to reduce the damage to your home. Also, the possible damages to look out for will be listed so you can know the best ways to prevent them.
How to Prepare For a Storm
When expecting a storm, one of the first things you need to make sure of is that you have an updated list of emergency numbers at a visible place in your home. This can be handy in the event of an emergency. You also need to make sure that your mobile phone is fully charged as an alternative in case the storm takes out the landline.
After this, you need to ensure the safety of the house; lock the gates and windows. Gather up your important documents and put them in a place that is safe in your home, where they cannot be damaged by things like flooding or even fire. You should also remove all loose objects and furniture you may have in the garden.
Before the actual storm, you can also take further precautions by trying to confirm if there is a flood warning for your area. Depending on where you are, you can always confirm any of the following websites:
- Ireland: www.floodmaps.ie
- Northern Ireland: NI direct or the official twitter account
Damages to Look Out For
- Roof: In the event of a storm, the wind can easily blow off the home’s roof tiles. These can cause further issues like damaged gutters and broken windows.
- Aerials and Dishes: These can also be damaged by strong winds. However, they are often covered by your home insurance. You can always check for what your policies cover by simply visiting the AA Insurance website.
- Glass: As mentioned earlier, glasses are another thing that can be easily damaged in a storm. If you do decide to remove them before the storm, make sure to use protective gear to avoid wounding yourself.
- Trees and Buildings: If the storm uproots a tree and it damages your neighbors’home, you will be the one to make a claim on your insurance and repair it. Therefore, you need to always be sure of the health and maintenance of the trees in your garden. If you don’t, you could be sued for negligence.
What to Do After a Storm
If you were affected by the storm, it can be a bit scary but you have no reason to panic. You just have to follow a few steps and all will be fine.
- Take Caution: your home and property are damaged but you are alive and well. The last thing we will want is for you to jeopardize that. In a damaged home, property, as well as roof tiles could be lost and easily fall off at any time. Also, there could be jagged ends of woods and many more things that could hurt you. Therefore, assess the situation of things for a safe distance.
- Go Through You Cover: As mentioned earlier, your home insurance policy might cover a lot of things while also not covering a lot of others. Your home insurance policy will very likely cover a lot of things you do not realize are standard so, you should take time to go through it again to know precisely what is covered by your home insurance.
- Take Pictures: from a very safe distance to your home, you need to take pictures of the damages. This will help a lot with your claims processing.
- Contact Your Insurer: Immediately after a storm, home insurance companies are on the ready for the myriad calls that will start flowing in so your call would be expected. There will be workers already prepared with answers to the many questions you are bound to have. So, just put a call through and have all your worries cleared.
- Keep Receipts: if you need to do emergency repairs, make sure that you keep the receipts for your home insurer.
How to Go About Making Insurance Claim
It is advisable to file for your home insurance claim as soon as possible. This is specifically because the longer you wait, the more the chances of the home repair costs skyrocketing.
To file for your claim, you will need to provide certain documents including full details of the events surrounding the loss or damage of the properties along with evidence. Taking pictures or recording videos of the damaged home should help as enough proof.
