Disaster Safety Blog

Things to know before you go

Whether you're going on vacation for spring break, travel extensively for business or pleasure, have rental property that is unoccupied, or share time between two homes, there are things you can and should do before closing up your house for any real length of time, according to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety.

Adjust Thermostat - One of the easiest things to do, but something easily forgotten, is adjusting the thermostat.

    * In colder climates, don't turn the thermostat off. Instead, lower it to a temperature that's warm enough to keep pipes from freezing but low enough that you are not spending money to heat an empty home. (No lower than 55 degrees.)
    * In warmer climates, high temperatures and humidity can damage furniture or other home contents. In this case, set your air conditioner to 85 degrees.

Protect Plumbing - Both plastic (PVC) and copper pipes can burst. Pipes, water heaters and other appliances can leak, or in freezing weather, pipes can freeze and burst, which can cause major damage in a home left unattended.

    * If you are leaving for an extended period of time, the best protection is to have the water shut off and the water lines drained.
          o Seek the advice of a professional plumber, who can shut off the valve at the water meter and send water outdoors and away from the house or into a basement drain. Once this has been done, the plumber should flush all toilets and drain the showerhead pipe.
          o Shut off the gas to the water heater (or the gas company can do this for you), or turn the temperature control to a "vacation" setting. If your house has a water softener, shut off its supply line.
    * If you choose to leave the water service turned on or will be away only a short while:
          o Make sure all pipes are insulated, especially in a garage or basement next to an outside wall or in crawl spaces and the attic. These exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing.
          o Heat tape can also be used to wrap pipes. Wrap the tape or cables around water pipes, plug in the cord and the heating element will warm the pipes to prevent freezing. Closely follow all manufacturers' installation and operation instructions.
          o Turn off the water supply to individual fixtures like your washing machine, icemaker, toilets and sinks.
            Flooding often occurs when hoses are worn or ruptured, or there is a leak at the connection.
          o Don't leave appliances (dishwasher, washing machine or dryer) running when you leave, and check to make sure toilets aren't running. As an extra precaution, unplug your toaster, coffee maker, microwave oven, computer and television.
          o Make sure the sump pump is working, especially in late winter or early spring when melting snow or heavy rain increases the risk of basement flooding.

Plan for High Wind - If you're going to be away during a season that brings high wind, protect your property:

          o Trim dead limbs from trees and shrubbery and store outdoor furniture and other objects that could become damaging missiles if picked up by high wind.
          o Close and lock all doors, windows, skylights and vents to keep out wind and wind-driven rain.

Make Your House or Business Look Occupied - An empty, unsecured property can be a tempting target for thieves and vandals. 

    * Put interior and exterior lights on timers and/or motion sensors. Set the timers on staggered hours to turn lights on and off at different times.
    * Make sure tapered deadbolt locks all installed and in use on entry doors. The taper makes it almost impossible to use a wrench or other tool to twist the lock open.
    * Suspend mail service and newspaper delivery.
    * Install a monitored security system. (Insurers often provide discounts for devices that make a home safer, so consider the financial benefit.)
    * Inform the local police department that your house will be empty.

Property damage reported in three states after storms

Violent weather caused property damage in three states where tornadoes and severe thunderstorms struck Wednesday. The storm system that spawned the severe weather moved into Florida and onto the East Coast this morning.

One of the hardest hit areas on Wednesday was the metro of New Orleans, La., which was the site of three tornadoes and heavy rain. Other tornadoes were reported Biloxi, Miss., and Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama. Damage assessments are underway.

Find solutions for reducing the risk of wind damage by strengthening roof to wall connections at DisasterSafety.org.

Wild weather puts properties at increased risk of damage

Weather across the U.S. is a case of extremes right now and threats to properties remain high. Take control of your risk, regardless of what threats you may be facing.

In the west and parts of the south and east, including Florida and Texas, drought conditions and windy weather have elevated the threat of wildfires. While in parts of the Midwest and southeast, residents are dealing with swollen rivers and flooded communities. Communities along the east coast are once again digging out from a snowstorm. Another storm is expected to hit the east coast later this week.

Find resources to protect your property from flooding, freezing weather, wildfire and other natural hazards at DisasterSafety.org, where you can enter your ZIP Code and get a personalized list of risks that face the areas where you live and work.

Severe weather rips through nation's mid-section

Severe Awareness Week got off to an active start in many states Monday with storms damaging properties in Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio with high winds, heavy rains and localized flooding.

Teams from the National Weather Service are investigating the aftermath of storms in several of these areas to see if tornadoes or straight-line winds were the cause of widespread property damage.

Tornadoes were reported in Missouri, where five people were killed during the severe weather. A rare winter tornado was confirmed in Fairfield County, Ohio, on Monday morning and left behind severe property damage.

As the spring approaches and storm season ramps up, take steps to prepare your home or business before severe weather threatens. When repairing storm damage, consider ways to strengthen the property against future storms. IBHS offers expert guidance for both of these approaches.

Visit www.DisasterSafety.org, where you can enter your ZIP Code to see what natural hazards you face and get property protection information to reduce the risk of damage.

Building code update would require stronger enforcement in Memphis

An update to the commercial building code in Memphis, Tenn., which is considered among the cities at highest risk of damage from an earthquake along the New Madrid Seismic Zone, is expected to take effect this spring, pending final approval by city and county officials, according to the Commercial Appeal. The newspaper reports "the code will make buildings not just safer, but better, more serviceable."

According to the report, the new rules will require more inspections to ensure the code is being met. The existing code lacks enforcement requirements.

The new seismic codes emphasize creating a continuous load path from the roof to the foundation with the intent of increasing the building's ability to do more than just allow people to escape prior to a collapse, according to the newspaper.

The newspaper also reports along with the code update, there also is now an increased focus on encouraging non-structural mitigation, such as securing bookshelves, hanging fixtures and appliances, to prevent items from falling on people. Falling objects are the major source of damage due to earthquakes in the Midwest, according to the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC). Both of these factors will allow a busienss to re-open quickly with little or no damage after an earthquake.

Structural and non-structural mitigation, along with a push for strong building codes and enforcement in the Midwest, were the focus of an earthquake outreach initiative conducted by IBHS, CUSEC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency earlier this month in five states, including Tennessee.

The newspaper describes the new Tennessee building code classifications in four ways:

Collapse prevention. It's like the crumple zone of a car. The auto may be totaled, but you can walk away from a crash.

Life safety. Better secures nonstructural elements of a building, such as light fixtures and bookcases that could fall on people. The building might still be unusable or require massive renovation, but its occupants were able to get out. This is the level the updated code is targeting most buildings, Paullus said.

Immediate occupancy. Building withstands a quake so well that it's repairable with a few months of work.

Essential structures. These are buildings everyone will depend on for recovery and order should a quake hit. They include police and fire stations, hospital operating rooms and military installations. These structures are so resistant, a quake may cause people inside to fall, but they can get up and go back to work.

For more information on protecting businesses and homes from earthquake damage through structural and non-structural mitigation projects, download a free copy of the IBHS guide "Earthquake Risk Around the U.S. - How to Protect Your Property."

Superstorm would lead to $300 billion in losses in California, scientists say

This week marks the 17th anniversary of the Northridge earthquake in California, but a group of scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey are focusing on a new project that has nothing to do with temblors.

Leading the project is prominent scientist Lucy Jones, who is best known for her work with earthquakes. This time Jones and her team are working on the threat posed by a theoretical Pacific-spawned superstorm, which Jones predicts could do much more damage in California than a major earthquake on the San Andreas Fault. The team is developing a scenario based on analysis of past events.

The scenario, basically is akin to two of the biggest storm cycles of the past half-century occurring back to back, according to the USGS. It includes 40 days of rain dropping up to 10 feet of water, high winds, landslides and flooding. Property damage estimates show losses possibly reaching $300 billion.

The event is not unprecedented. About 150 years ago, over a few weeks in the winter of 1861-62, enough rain fell to inundate a stretch of the Central Valley 300 miles long and 20 miles wide, from north of Sacramento south to Bakersfield, near the eastern desert, according to USGS Director Marcia K. McNutt.

The storms lasted 45 days, creating lakes in parts of the Mojave Desert and, according to a survey account, “turning the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea, forcing the state capital to be moved from Sacramento to San Francisco for a time, and requiring Gov. Leland Stanford to take a rowboat to his inauguration.”

Then, in 1938, heavy rainfall and flooding inundated Los Angeles and prompted the construction of the Hansen Dam and Sepulveda Dam to control the L.A. River and other major waterways.

Whatever natural or man-made risks threaten your home or business, find ways to reduce the risk of property damage with help from the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). Visit www.DisasterSafety.org.

Heavy, wet snow and high winds threaten New England properties

The winter storm hitting the east coast today after leaving parts of the south in the deep freeze is posing different risks for properties from heavy snow on rooftops to beach erosion for coastal homes.

Numerous homes in and around Plum Island, Mass., are at risk of damage from beach erosion as another winter storm rolls in, WHDH-TV reports. Parts of Massachusetts are forecast to get up to 20 inches of snow today.

The Plum Island homes have been teetering on the edge of a dune and erosion could lead to extensive property damage. One home was torn down prior to be subjected to today's winter storm. This morning 37 mph sustained winds were recorded on the island. Officials concern now lies in the next high tide on this afternoon. As winds continue to blow and churn up the ocean it could have an effect on beach erosion.

In some parts of New England, the heavy, wet snow that's falling this morning could add to the weight on roofs from existing snow and ice. Residents should watch for excessive buildup in the valleys where different parts of the roof meet. A professional should be hired to clear the roof as soon as weather conditions permit. Wind gusts in Connecticut are adding to the dangers posed by the 22 inches of snow already reported on the ground in Hartford.

Find all of the information to keep your property safe this winter at www.DisasterSafety.org in the Freezing Weather section.

Rare January tornado tears through south Texas

A weather system that dumped up to six inches of snow across Texas, including in Dallas, Tyler and Sulphur Springs, generated the first-ever January tornado in the southern part of the state, the National Weather Service reports.

The EF-0 tornado formed Sunday morning out of a storm system that produced winds nearing 70 mph in Alice, Texas, around 3:15 a.m. The tornado stayed on the ground for 21 miles and had a width of about 200 yards with maximum winds of about 100 mph. Properties and trees in Robstown sustained most of the damage from the storm. The system also produced damaging hail.

Property damage reports are still being compiled.

Find ways to keep your property safe from storm damage at www.DisasterSafety.org.

Disasters and losses reached new highs in 2010, new report reveals

Natural disasters worldwide cost insurers more in property losses in 2010, according to a new report.

The new analysis by Munich Re, a member of the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS), reveals insurers paid $37 billion in claims, which exceeded the 10-year average of $35 billion. This pay out was also considerably higher than the $22 billion of losses in 2009.

The losses were fueled by the 950 natural catastrophes that occurred in 2010, which made the year one of the worst in the 30 years since record keeping began, and exceeded the annual average of 785 natural catastrophic events by 21 percent.

The greatest losses of life and property were the result of earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Central China; a heat wave in Russia, and floods in Pakistan. Even though the fatalities were highest in Haiti, the insured losses were greatest in Chile with $30 billion in damage because most Haitian properties were not insured.

According to the report, global insurers had high levels of earthquake exposure in Chile because of the lower risks associated with the modern building codes that were adopted and enforced after other earthquakes in that country's history. These codes resulted in lower fatalities and reduced property damage overall.

In Pakistan, rainfall from monsoons between July and September resulted in $9.5 billion in insured damage.

The 2010 hurricane season spared the United States, despite having the highest number of storms recorded in the last 100 years. There were a total of 19 tropical cyclones during the year, making it the third highest in recorded history. Overall, the season was a quiet one for insurers. Still, the unusually high amount of tropical activity has insurers watching for what's next.

In a release, Munich Re’s Reinsurance CEO Torsten Jeworrek said, “2010 showed the major risks we have to cope with. There were a number of severe earthquakes. The hurricane season was also eventful – it was just fortunate that the tracks of most of the storms remained over the open sea. But things could have turned out very differently. The severe earthquakes and the hurricane season with so many storms demonstrate once again that there must be no slackening of our efforts to analyse these risks in detail and provide the necessary insurance covers at adequate prices. These prices calculated by the insurance industry make it possible to assess the economic consequences of these otherwise difficult-to-evaluate risks.”

Find effective ways to reduce the risk of your home or business being damaged by a natural disaster and maintenance information at www.DisasterSafety.org.

Tornado damage estimates emerge from Midwest storms

Damage estimates are coming in from several tornadoes that tore through parts of the Midwest during the New Year's weekend and killed seven people.

In St. Louis County, Mo., a total of 198 residential and commercial structures were damaged in Friday's storms. In metro St. Louis, a total of 32 residential and commercial buildings were damaged. Of those damaged, 12 were severe, including three buildings that collapsed. The twisters killed four people in Missouri and destroyed at least 50 homes and damaged 280 in other parts of the state.

In Mississippi, a total of 34 homes, five mobile homes, 40 businesses and 20 agricultural buildings have been destroyed or suffered major damage. Minor damage has been reported to 149 structures.

In Illinois, nearly two dozen homes were destroyed in the central part of the state.

In Arkansas, the tornadoes killed three and damaged 27 homes and six businesses.

When rebuilding or repairing roof damage, the Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) recommends strengthening the connections between the roof and walls, adding a secondary water barrier to keep out rain if the roof covering is lost in a future storm, and choosing a high-wind rated roof covering. For more information, visit www.DisasterSafety.org.