There's no such thing as being too safe from natural disasters, especially when it comes to your home. As a property owner or even renter, you'd want to ensure that your place of residence stays safe and free from damage whatever calamity comes its way, but this is easier said than done.

 

 

Due to its geological location, the Boston area is prone to almost all-natural disasters including earthquakes, blizzards, hurricanes, and flooding. A good homeowner will do his best to protect his home from these calamities before they even happen. Here are 6 ways you can protect your home from these disasters.

 

Secure Heavy Objects

Even if your home's foundation is already stable and strong, you can still get serious damage (and serious injuries) from the stuff inside the house. What you can do by then is to secure all heavy objects with brackets, straps, and cables. Doing so will prevent stuff from falling around once an earthquake hits.

Make sure that tall and heavy equipment like refrigerators and closets are secured well. If objects like these fall, they can do damage to the floor and walls too. Worse, they can also hurt someone.

 

Board Up Your Windows

The glass on your windows is the most fragile part of your house. The strong winds and flying objects during a storm are more than enough to shatter these. Aside from making your home vulnerable, the shattered glass is going to be a serious health risk as well.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to simply board up your windows with plywood before the storm hits. The support and stability added by the plywood can ensure that the boards stay in place. Even if they do shatter, the glass won't be reaching your home.

 

Ensure Building Stability

Earthquakes are one of the most common forms of natural disasters that people worry about. A magnitude of just 3 can begin doing damage to your home. From cracks to foundation damage, earthquakes are one of the worst disasters that your home can face.

Seismic shock absorbers are NASA-grade technology that is used to add more stability to your large buildings. As the name suggests, it can absorb the force generated by earthquakes and underground movements - thus lessening the damage done because of seismic activity. Ensure that your building utilizes these seismic shock absorbers, especially if you are in a high-rise apartment. They can significantly stabilize buildings during earthquakes by absorbing the energy generated by the quakes, which can potentially save lives. They were originally invented by NASA as a part of the Apollo program, as seen in the image below by Compare the Market.

 

 

Always Clean Gutters And Drains

This is a simple way to prevent roof damage, as well as flood damage for your place of residence. By keeping your gutters and drains clean, water is going to be able to flow freely through it. This lessens the chances of water building up to damaging levels during heavy rain as well. Clear the gutters and drains of any solid debris once you get word that a storm is coming.

 

Waterproof Your Basement

Floods are also one of the most damaging things to come into your home. The main problem with them is that they can cause serious damage to your furniture and appliances. There are many things you can do to mitigate the damage and one of which is waterproofing your basement.

Since basements are in lower parts of the house, they are the most likely area for floods to affect. You can waterproof the compound on the basement walls so that the flood doesn't rise to worrying levels.

 

Reinforce Your Roof

Roof problems are very common during a hurricane. The strong winds can result in the shingles being taken out of place. In worst-case scenarios, entire parts of your roof can fly off, making your home more vulnerable during the strong winds.

What you can do to prevent such problems from happening during a storm is to simply reinforce your roof. Reinforcing your roof means installing gables from underneath the shingles. It's also a good idea to replace the broken shingles on your roof as well.

That being said, it's good to have your roof inspected regularly.

Property is one of your biggest investments. If you want to make sure that it stays strong and safe from any natural catastrophes, you need to make certain measures that will protect it at all costs.