First and foremost: nothing is more important than you, your children, your family, your friends, your pets, and your precious and irreplaceable possessions and memorabilia/heirlooms. Before worrying about other things that can be replaced, always take care of these first.

Ensure anyone sick, elderly, and children/vulnerable adults are given extra care and consideration as severe weather and disasters affect them statistically at higher rates and to more harmful extent. Ensure medication supplies are properly stocked, access to safe drinking water/supply of food that isn’t entirely dependent on electricity/gas/etc or making plans to have those independent of the grid (generators, propane stoves, etc.). Make sure to be safe in your use of such tools and equipment.

Contact your local Emergency Management Agency, Fire Department, Emergency Medical Services, personal Physician(s), and Law Enforcement to be aware of how else you can protect you and your loved ones.

Secure your property: Secure or store outdoor plants, trash cans, chairs, and loose items that can easily be lifted by wind gusts or lash/leash them securely when they cannot be stored.

Inspect your home: Check for potential risks such as loose shingles or gutters. Clear gutters of blockages and debris or contact family, friends, professionals or someone you trust to assist you if you are not able or feel comfortable doing so yourself.

Prepare for flooding: keep gutters cleared to allow proper water flow and avoid water and ice damage to roofs, gutters, chimneys, and all sorts of roof penetrations. If you have a cellar or basement be aware of its proneness to flooding and water collection and make plans to mitigate that. Be aware of potential need for pumps, drying equipment, proper drainage and removal systems, and some may even need to consider sandbagging in severe situations if available.

Be aware that some issues and damage that occurs cannot be left alone and just call the insurance to file claim and might require rapid action and even specialized equipment, tools, and techniques to properly halt or mitigate. Knowing your own skills and capabilities is important and knowing when an issue exceeds them is critical to calling the right people at the right time. This is often the difference between saving property and allowing damage and loss to progressively get worse even to the point of total loss in some cases.

You may also have to contact 911 in event of property damage to report utility problems such as lost water pressure, gas leaks, power loss, sewage leaks/backups, water main issues, and any other number of utility and environmental hazards that require emergency response. Never attempt to handle and mitigate such issues if you are not fully and properly trained/certified/licensed or otherwise lawfully authorized to do so and only when such expertise deems it safe to attempt such actions with proper equipment.

Insurance: Make sure your insurance is up-to-date and have a copy of your policy and/or membership card as well as the point of contact for your agent or insurer readily on hand in digital and physical formats like business cards or notes. Be prepared to capture data and documentation of damage and issues when and where they present themselves.

It is also important to have a clear expectation that these sorts of problems can be complicated to catch, fix, and handle claims due to the nature of the system. Vigilance, early detection, and a rapid response to mitigate damage and loss is key to keeping your property from taking any more harm than nature insists upon inflicting.

You need to be prepared for not only the physical and financial harms of property damage, but the emotional ones caused by stress and upset to your life, your safety, and your routines. The whole process is stressful and can be overwhelming at times, make sure you keep a good support system of friends, family, and agencies/companies you trust while going through the process.

While we absolutely encourage you to only work with people and companies you trust, we hope you’ll feel assured that working with us is a safe bet if you don’t have someone else in mind.

Although we hope you feel we are your best choice for whatever needs you’ve got, we invite you to feel welcome to call us anytime, drop us a contact form up above, reach out on Facebook, or you just come right by our office and put some faces to the names (address below and on Google).

We are a family-owned and local business and we hope working with us makes you feel treated like an Ally as you’ll have honest people advocating for you the whole process through and making sure you’re treated fairly and not taken advantage of. Come see the difference between companies out to rake in money and one dedicated to good business earned by honest work, unparalleled client advocacy, and smooth communication.

Unfortunately not all loss and damage can be prevented and sometimes things are beyond you financially, emotionally, physically, and in numbers of other ways. Knowing what resources you have available can make all the difference in lessening the disruption and traumas that such disaster and damage can bring. Our aim in compiling this guide and resource index is helping people experiencing these situations to be make things as smooth, supportive, and restorative as possible.

We truly encourage you to make use of these resources set forth for the specific goal to do so and remember to lean on those you trust and love and knowing it is ok to need help and ask for it. Please know that we will help how we can as we help you and hope you find benefit in these resources and informational tools.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Resources Locator

American Red Cross Resources

Kentucky Emergency Management Office Locator

Kentucky Governor’s Office Tornado Resources

Kentucky Governor’s Office Flood Resources

Kentucky Governor’s News & Updates Feed

Be safe, be informed, be prepared, and always remember to call 911 in the case of emergency at the earliest sign of it to ensure resources don’t arrive too late. Always remember to follow local and reputable authorities to stay in the loop and ahead when disaster strikes. Reach out to your local first responders and emergency services for information on how you can get contribute, get involved, or more prepared.