Week 15 - EARTHQUAKE Insurance - is this something you and your family need?

Earthquake Preparedness! 

The time to prepare is NOW – once the big one STRIKES it will be too late.  Your family is counting on you! 

Answering your Earthquake Preparedness Questions

By Jackie Kloosterboer – Speaker, Trainer, 

Author – My Earthquake Preparedness Guide 

Easy to follow steps with lots of checklists to help you get prepared!

http://www.friesenpress.com/bookstore/title/119734000007821334

WEEK 15 QUESTION:  Why have Insurance – Why have earthquake insurance?

Each year I respond to approximately 30 house and apartment fires to help people and pets who have been impacted. This is done as part of the Emergency Social Services (ESS) program. ESS is a team of dedicated volunteers around our province who are trained to help evacuees during times of disaster.  Other parts of Canada and the US have this role filled by Red Cross volunteers.

Responding to house and apartment fires I can’t tell you how many times I have arrived on scene to find out that the people who have been burned out of their homes don’t have insurance and in many cases are now homeless.  

Even if the fire wasn’t in your unit you can be displaced for a few days and often for longer. Some fires I have been involved with people have been out for 7 months. Of course ESS will help them but only for the initial 72 hours. After the 72 hours these evacuees are on their own.  Then what are they to do?

A cold wet November night I arrived on-scene at 3:37am to an apartment fire. The flames were jumping out of the windows and I knew then – many of these residents would be out for a long time.  I checked in with the fire department and they directed me to the 8 families who were displaced huddled together. Puzzled, cold and bewildered – they just didn’t know what to do or where to turn.

I walked over and the first family I spoke to was a Mom and Dad with two elementary school aged children. Absolutely everything they owned in their apartment was gone. The fire had started in the unit next to them but had quickly engulfed their apartment.   Needless to say they were devastated.

What were they to do – they had essentially lost everything – photos, clothes, school backpacks and laptops - just to mention a few key items they relied upon. 

Talking to the Mom – through tears she explained they had just moved into the apartment 3 days ago and she hadn’t yet had time to purchase their insurance – they were from out of town and she had been busy getting the kids settled in their new school and the hundreds of other tasks you need to complete when moving into a new community.  Purchasing insurance was on the long “to-do” list but unfortunately they never got to it.  

Fortunately the rest of the families that lived in the apartment ESS assisted that evening had insurance or they were able to return to their units as they had not sustained any significant damage.   

But for the one family they had 3 nights in a hotel then what – where would they live, what about furniture, what about shoes and clothing and what about school – there were so many new challenges they had to face. 

If only they had had insurance their life after this disaster would have been much easier. The insurance company could have helped look after them.

The next day I returned to the apartment building and the family without insurance were carrying a few items out they had been able to rescue from their back patio along with clothes that had been on a drying rack on the patio. The smell of smoke was incredibly strong, but his was all that was left after the fire.

The families with insurance were being looked after by the restoration company and all their belongings were being taken care of by the restoration company or being replaced depending on their situation. 

What a difference it makes when you have insurance. My heart went out to the family I was assisting. If only they purchased their insurance policy.

Another apartment fire I responded to with my ESS Team was in a very affluent part of the city. In my mind I assumed all of the residents would have insurance as the apartments they lived in were expensive. That was definitely a bad call on my part – unfortunately many did not have insurance.

What was unfortunate was - many of the residents who owned these apartments did not speak English and did not understand what was included in their strata fees or Homeowner Fees. They all paid their monthly strata fees and these fees included insurance but what they didn’t realize was the insurance the strata fees covered was the building insurance and not the contents the residents owned. To have their contents covered by insurance they need to have purchased a different insurance policy to cover their contents.

Again – many people lost everything simply due to a misunderstanding. The point here is make sure you have a clear understanding of what your insurance covers and what it doesn’t cover. You must know this before facing any sort of disaster from a house fire to a massive earthquake.

Now – let me tell you an expert in insurance I am not – earthquake preparedness yes I will claim to be an expert but not insurance. What I encourage all of you to do is read your insurance policy and see what it covers or talk to the company who sold you the insurance and ask them the specific questions you have relating to your insurance.

I checked with a few of my neighbours in my strata and one thought he was covered by the monthly strata fee and 4 others had no idea if they had earthquake insurance with their insurance policy. One thought earthquake insurance was already included in his policy.

Earthquake insurance is not included in your regular insurance and needs to be added to your policy.  There is an additional fee for earthquake insurance. I would encourage you to talk to your insurance company and make an educated decision before saying No to Earthquake Insurance.

If you live in an area that is prone to flooding you should check with your insurance company to make sure you are covered or not covered. You don't want to be facing a flood wondering if you are covered. find out before the flood happens. When you know then you can take steps to better prepare yourself.

Over the last few weeks in my weekly posts we went through many ways you can secure your furniture, your hot water tanks and minimize the impact an earthquake could have to your home. Make sure you have completed these important steps and also make sure you and your family are carrying adequate insurance to better protect you.

You’re Task for Week #15

1. Check your insurance documents and make sure you have adequate insurance or check with your insurance company.
2. If you live in an area that can be impacted by earthquakes make an educated decision if you should or should not have earthquake insurance.
3. Make your home safe. Refer to the last few weeks of my Blogs for steps to make your home resilient to an earthquake.  This can prevent unnecessary damage to your home and also your family and pets.

Week 16 we will look at Earthquake Preparedness for your pets and some of the important steps you need to take to ensure your pets are safe when facing an earthquake. 

Have questions – don’t hesitate to ask. Until next week – Stay safe and make sure you, your family and pets are prepared for an earthquake or any disaster that may come your way.

As Always BE PREPARED - NOT SCARED!

     

Jackie Kloosterboer - BIO

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to a variety of groups and businesses. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist and an Instructor with the Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching people how to respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been impacted by disaster.

Contact Jackie to speak at your next group or business event to help you, your family, your staff and pets get prepared for earthquakes or whatever disaster comes your way. Jackie will lead you through the necessary steps helping you identify what is important to you and your family or business.  

Contact Jackie with any questions or to book her for your next event at jackie@survive-it.ca or call (604) 355-2414

Jackie is available for:

Earthquake Preparedness Presentations

Preparedness Plans

In-Home Walk-Throughs

Preparedness Kits

Media Interviews

Week 14 – Earthquake Preparedness – Household Appliances & Outside of our Homes

Earthquake Preparedness! 

The time to prepare is NOW – once the big one STRIKES it will be too late.  Your family is counting on you! 

Answering your Earthquake Preparedness Questions

By Jackie Kloosterboer – Speaker, Trainer, 

Author – My Earthquake Preparedness Guide 

QUESTION:  How safe will your family be both inside and outside your home during and after an Earthquake?

We all have them – but when it comes to Earthquake Preparedness we just don’t think about them. What am I referring to is your family’s home appliances.

 Over the last few weeks we have looked at a number of steps you can take to make your home better able to withstand an earthquake. This week serves as a reminder that our appliances need to be secured in place and that we also need to look at the outside of our home.  You need to ensure you take the required steps to secure your appliances to better protect your family, your pets and your home. 

I am not sure why but our appliances tend to get ignored when preparing our homes for earthquakes.  I believe it’s because we really don’t know what to do with them.  They are big – they are awkward – some are connected to gas making it even more important we get them secured. 

Because where we live varies tremendously, the types of appliances we have from home to home varies making it next to impossible for me to go step by step through the process to secure your appliances – but I can certainly point out what you need to consider.  Generally speaking - our appliances need to be secured and there are a number of ways you can do that so you family and pets will be better protected during an earthquake.

When the ground starts shaking your appliances can come to life (so to speak) and can even break free and dance across the room injuring your family and pets and unnecessary damaging your home. If your appliances are connected to gas this can be an even greater risk if they break free?  Now on top of everything else you have a gas leak!

To secure your fridge, freezer, stove, washer, dryer water cooler and any other appliances you may have, ensure you use strong strapping, anchor bolts or other connectors to secure them to the cement floor or to wall studs.  What you use will depend on the type of home you live in and where you appliances are located. Remember your fridge may be on wheels and if the earth starts moving your fridge could be a dangerous weapon injuring or trapping your family and pets.

If you are unsure or unable to secure your appliances hire a licensed contractor to help secure them or talk to the experts at your Hardware store. There is also information online that you can follow to secure your appliances.  www.survive-it.ca provides some helpful links.

Your Hot Water Tank is another area for concern and like your appliances it needs to be secured.  When the earth starts moving and your hot water tank topples over - not only do you have the earthquake to deal with you are also facing an unnecessary flood that can cause significant damage.  Securely strapping your Hot Water Tank is not difficult to do. I would recommend visiting your utility company’s website and follow their directions. They are the experts!  You should also attach a label or tag to your Hot Water Tank showing the on and off positions making it easy to turn them off if necessary.  

Outside your Home

Outside your home I encourage you to do a walk about and identify potential hazards that you need to have repaired.  A few to look for are:

Roof Shingles:  If you find lose roof shingles these need to be repaired so they will stay in place during an earthquake.

Home Foundation:  If you live in an older home check to ensure it is securely fastened to the foundation. If you home is not properly secured to the foundation it can fall off when the earth starts moving. Unless you are an expert in this area I would have a licensed contractor to inspect your home.

Chimneys:  Chimneys are one of the biggest causes of damage in an earthquake as they can easily topple – and quite often it’s simply because they were never checked prior to the earthquake. Ensure your chimney doesn’t have lose bricks. You should also make sure the attic near your chimney has been reinforced with plywood to help prevent chimney bricks from falling into your living areas? If your chimney is very old it is worthwhile having a licensed contractor inspect it.

Masonry Work:  Check all your brick, stone and masonry facades around your home and insure they are securely attached your house

Windows:  Inspect your windows to see if they are safety glass.  You can apply a film to windows which doesn’t prevent the window from breaking but it will prevent the glass from flying across the room.

Gas Metre:  I am truly amazed how many people don’t know where their gas metre is located outside their home.  If you are one of those people make sure you find it. All responsible family members need to know how and when to turn off the gas. 

It’s important to know that you don’t turn gas off unnecessarily – if you turn it off  you cannot turn it back on - you need a licensed gas person to do that. 

Just because we have an earthquake does not mean you need to turn off your gas. Only turn the gas off if you smell the rotten egg smell or you hear the hissing noise escaping gas makes. Remember life safety is always your first priority. If in doubt - evacuate you house. 

Keep a wrench near your gas metre so it’s easy to turn it off when necessary. Some people attach a wrench to the metre while others prefer to keep their wrench on a shelf in their garage. Either way works well. Check with your local gas company for additional details on gas.

Garages:  Garages and other storage areas – Ensure you didn’t have dangerous chemicals kept in glass bottles. If they topple over and break this could be a disaster. Often what I see when doing In-Home Walk–Through is people have their Home Kits safely stored away in their garage with their weed killers and other chemicals stored on the shelf above. When the earth starts moving and these toxic substances topple over they could compromise your earthquake kits. Also keep a clear path to your kits and supplies. 

Like inside your home make sure you don’t have items that can come toppling down from high shelves. Make sure boxes on shelves are properly secured.

Breaker Panel:  Show each responsible family member where your breaker panel is located and teach them how to use it.  Identify where the main breaker is that will cut all power to your home. In a house the Breaker Panel will often be in the basement and in an apartment often they are located in the bedrooms.

You’re Task for Week #14

1. Ensure your appliances are properly secured. Do it yourself or hire a contractor.
2. Walk around the outside of your house and identify what tasks you need to do to make your home safer for you, your family and pets. 
3. Make sure all responsible family members know how and when to shut off the gas and also the location of your main breaker panel.

I encourage all of you to take the necessary steps and make sure you appliances are securely fastened in place and that the outside of your home is safe.  The fact is – we just don’t know where we will be when facing an earthquake. The steps you take today could protect your family and pets when the “Big One” strikes. Your family and pets are counting on you.

Week 15 we will look at Insurance and why you are encouraged to make sure you and your family have insurance. 

Have questions – don’t hesitate to ask. Until next week – Stay safe and make sure you, your family and pets are prepared for earthquake or any disaster that may come your way.

As Always BE PREPARED - NOT SCARED!

     

Jackie Kloosterboer - BIO

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to a variety of groups and businesses. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist and an Instructor with the Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching people how to respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been impacted by disaster.

Contact Jackie to speak at your next group or business event to help you, your family, your staff and pets get prepared for earthquakes or whatever disaster comes your way. Jackie will lead you through the necessary steps helping you identify what is important to you and your family or business.  

Contact Jackie with any questions or to book her for your next event at jackie@survive-it.ca or call (604) 355-2414

Jackie is available for:

Earthquake Preparedness Presentations

Preparedness Plans

In-Home Walk-Throughs

Preparedness Kits

Media Interviews

• 
  

Week 13 - When the Earthquake Strkes will your Family and Pets be safe in your home?

Earthquake Preparedness! 

The time to prepare is NOW – once the big one STRIKES it will be too late.  Your family is counting on you! 

Answering your Earthquake Preparedness Questions

By Jackie Kloosterboer – Speaker, Trainer, Author – My Earthquake Preparedness Guide 

QUESTION:  Will your family and pets be safe in your home during and after an Earthquake?

We spend considerable time in our homes having fun with our families, having meals watching movies, doing chores and of course sleeping. That is why we need to make sure our homes are ready for an earthquake.  We need to protect our families!

Week 11 we identified our kitchen is likely the most dangerous room in our house and Week 12 the focus was securing that heavy furniture so it won’t topple over and injure your family and pets.

This week we are going to look at the rest of your house and identify some things you need to do to better protect your family and pets from earthquakes.

Often an earthquake will feel like the rocking motion you feel on a boat in rough waters. With that motion in mind go room to room in your house or apartment and identify what would come crashing down to the floor in an earthquake.

This is an easy way to identify what you need to do to make your home safe for your family and pets. Some items will just need to be moved to lower shelves, some items will need to be secured, while other items may take some extra work to keep them in place during an earthquake.

Doing an Earthquake Preparedness In-Home Walk-Through we went into their son’s Adam’s bedroom. The first thing that caught my eye was on a high chest of drawers beside his bed were 2 – 10 lb. weights. When I saw them placed there beside his bed I cringed.  If those fall off and landed on his head during an earthquake that would not be good. My recommendation – keep them on the floor.  That is a simple fix that could save a life. A critical eye can save lives. What will your critical eye spot in your home?

Another potentially dangerous item are those pictures you have hanging on your walls throughout your home. If you use a nail to hang pictures like most of us do, that nail could easily pop out when the ground starts moving. Not only will your picture be damaged as it crashes to the floor –the broken glass could seriously injure family and pets. 

 To prevent pictures from falling you need to make sure you use the proper hook and that the hooks are securely attached to the stud in the wall. When you hang a light picture using a hook make sure to push the hook closed so the picture cannot shake out of the hook when the ground starts moving.  

For heavier pictures and mirrors use 2 or 3 nail picture hooks.  Don’t forget to check the strength of string used to hold your pictures based on the size and weight of your picture. A heavy picture will need a heavier cord when hanging.

If you are unsure about the process or the best hooks to use ask for help at the Hardware Store. Never make a guess – you want to be sure you are doing the right thing to better protect your family and pets.

When I moved to Vancouver I decided to lease an apartment in Yaletown.  The movers were carrying my furniture into the apartment and setting it up. They brought my bed in and I walked into the bedroom and my heart sunk. My bed was right in front of the window. 

The sad fact was – that was the only place it could go in the tiny bedroom. What was I going to do? 

I could see the headlines on the 6pm news – Vancouver Emergency Planner killed by broken glass during the earthquake.  This was not looking good.

I thought about if for a while and decided the best I could do to protect myself and Sophie my cat was to go out and buy heavy curtains and hang those over my window.

Every night when I went to bed I would shut the blinds, close the curtains and cross my fingers that tonight would NOT be the night for an earthquake.  I was fortunate; we didn’t have an earthquake while I lived in my tiny apartment.

Was what I did perfect – no far from it? My bed should not have been under the window. But by not having a choice I found a way to better protect myself and my cat.  

The point is - You will never get everything perfect but there are always steps you can take to better protect you, your family and pets. Keep moving forward and take those steps to better protect you, your family and pets when the big one strikes.  Your family is counting on you!

You’re Task for Week #13

1. Go room to room with the rocking motion a boat would make in stormy seas and identify what could come crashing down.
2. Identify what you need to do to make that room safe and TAKE ACTION. 
3. Make sure your pictures are properly hung on the wall

Week 14 we will look at appliances and the outside of your home and what you need to be aware of to better protect you, your family and pets.

Have questions – don’t hesitate to ask. Until next week – Stay safe and make sure you, your family and pets are prepared for earthquake or any disaster that may come your way. .

As Always BE PREPARED - NOT SCARED!

Jackie Kloosterboer 

  

     

Jackie Kloosterboer - BIO

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to a variety of groups and businesses. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist and an Instructor with the Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching people how to respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been impacted by disaster.

Contact Jackie to speak at your next group or business event to help you, your family, your staff and pets get prepared for earthquakes or whatever disaster comes your way. Jackie will lead you through the necessary steps helping you identify what is important to you and your family or business.  

Contact Jackie with any questions or to book her for your next event at jackie@survive-it.ca or call (604) 355-2414

Jackie is available for:

• ·       Earthquake - Disaster Preparedness Presentations
• ·       Preparedness Plans
• ·       In-Home Walk-Throughs
• ·       Preparedness Kits
• ·       Media Interviews

Week 12 - Earthquake Proof your Home to Protect your Family & Pets

By Jackie Kloosterboer -Earthquake Preparedness Specialist, Speaker & Author - My Earthquake Preparedness Guide

Secure all heavy furniture  to protect family and pets

What a way to kick off the New Year – living in the aftermath of an Earthquake – yes a small earthquake, nonetheless an earthquake.  Thank goodness there was no significant damage or injuries. However had it been a larger earthquake – we could be facing a much different situation.  That is why we need to be prepared to survive an earthquake and think of this earthquake as our wakeup call – after all we do live in an area that can be impacted by earthquakes.

Since the earthquake I have had the opportunity to be a guest on some radio and TV shows to talk about the importance of earthquake preparedness and answer many questions.  My Inbox is overloaded with people requesting Earthquake Preparedness Sessions for thier neighbourhoods, groups and businesses.

I am thrilled to see the interest in Earthquake Preparedness has come back into focus. What about you – What do you need to do to protect your family after an earthquake? 

Continuing on from the Dec 03, 2015 Blog Post "What is the Most Dangerous Room in your House" we talked about our kitchen as likely being the most dangerous room in our house in an earthquake. This week I want to look at furniture and why it is so important to properly anchor or secure your furniture.

I want to share a story a man from Northridge CA told me while attending one of my Earthquake Preparedness Sessions. His name is Dave and he and his family lived in Northridge California – a community impacted by 6.4 Earthquake in 1994. 

Dave took earthquake preparedness very seriously. If an earthquake occurred, he and his family would be safe – their furniture was securely affixed to the walls and they had all the supplies they would need.

Ensure all heavy furniture is properly secured

Dave often travelled on business and on one of these trips his wife Susan decided to surprise him with a floor to ceiling bookcase to display all his books that were packed away in boxes in the garage. Susan and their young son Danny assembled the bookcase and filled it with all his treasured books. This was going to be his birthday surprise when he returned home from his business trip.

Unfortunately for Susan and Danny the surprise was not what they expected, instead it was a magnitude 6.4 earthquake. Susan had neglected to affix the bookcase to the wall and during the earthquake the bookcase crashed to the ground spewing books around the room. The bookcase lodged itself into Danny’s bedroom door making it impossible to access his room.  

They were fortunate as they lived in a rancher making it easy to access the bedroom window from the outside.  Susan was able to help Danny crawl out his window.  Imagine if they lived in a house where the bedrooms were on the 2^nd or 3^rd floor, or what if they lived on the 24^th floor of an apartment – how would Danny have gotten out then?  What if there had been a fire – Danny may not have made it to safety – all because a piece of furniture was not properly secured.  You would never forgive yourself!

When we purchase furniture or even the furniture we currently have in our homes - the majority of us don’t think what would happen to the furniture if we had an earthquake.  Would it fall over injuring our families and pets, would it cause unnecessary damage just because we didn’t secure it – until the earthquake happens we just don’t know.  

Like Northridge, we too could be impacted by a massive earthquake causing extensive damage. Simple steps like securing heavy furniture could save the life of a family member and your pets.

Your Task for Week #10

1. Take a walk through your home and identify what furniture needs to be secured.
2. Take a trip to the Hardware Store, Babies R Us, Ikea, Amazon or an Earthquake Preparedness Store and purchase the supplies you need to anchor your furniture to the wall.  The staff in these stores should be able to help you select the right anchor for your furniture.
3. Complete the task ensuring you have properly anchored your furniture to prevent it fro toppling over during an earthquake.

Week 13 we will look at what else you can do in your home to make it safer for you, your family and pets during an earthquake. Have questions – don’t hesitate to ask. Until next week – Stay safe and get you, your family and pets prepared.

Jackie Kloosterboer - BIO

Jackie Kloosterboer has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for 2 decades presenting more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to groups and businesses. She is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes the importance of earthquake and disaster preparedness.

As an Emergency Preparedness Specialist and an Instructor with the Justice Institute of BC Jackie travels across Canada teaching people how to respond to disasters to help those who have been displaced. Throughout British Columbia Jackie has taken on leadership roles assisting those who have been impacted by disaster.

Contact Jackie to speak at your next group or business event to help you get prepared for earthquakes or whatever disaster comes your way. Jackie will lead you through the necessary steps helping you identify what is important to you and your family or business.  

Contact Jackie with any questions or to book her for your next event at jackie@survive-it.ca or call (604) 355-2414