The Restoration Pillar Newsletter
According to FEMA, September has been deemed National Preparedness Month. September is the ideal month to draw attention to the need for a family plan of preparedness; kids are close at hand with their return to classes, thoughts of winterizing are on the horizon and general attitudes toward nesting take hold as more new renters than ever enter the marketplace. This is the time for a family meeting centered around talks of how to prepare for disasters and emergencies by developing a plan, creating a disaster supply survival kit and staying uniformly informed. This is also the time to start thinking of ways to protect assets with the least expensive insurance coverage available, and one which is universally underutilized – renters insurance! We hope our first featured article on how to create an emergency plan and the benefits of having one in place will provide a jump start to how you and your family can be prepared. Our second article focuses on dispelling false notions about renters insurance and outlines just how affordable it is to have.
Warmest Wishes, |
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Your Family Preparedness Plan
National Preparedness Month
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Putting together a family preparedness plan for disasters or emergencies can serve you well in any circumstance. Whether you are facing a severe weather event, a fire in your home, a hazardous materials incident in the neighborhood, or any other emergency, it's a good idea to plan in advance.
- Talk to your family members about preparedness and how to respond calmly to emergencies. Discuss what you would need to do to shelter in place, leave your home or evacuate your city.
- Identify two meeting places, one near your home and one away from the neighborhood in the event family members cannot return to the house.
- Post emergency phone numbers beside the telephone. Teach children how to call 911.
- Choose a friend or relative out-of-state whom all family members will telephone to check in. The out-of-state relative can relay messages. When evacuating, notify relatives and friends about your plans.
- Be familiar with designated evacuation routes leading out of town.
- Draw a home floor plan and choose at least two escape routes. Make sure you know how to shut off the water, gas and electricity.
- Keep an emergency supply kit, including water, non-perishable food, important documents, radio and flashlight with extra batteries, extra eye glasses, medications and special needs products for babies and the elderly.
- Make plans for family members or neighbors with special needs, as well as for care of pets.
Why Renters Insurance Is
Worth Its (Low) Cost
By Kimberly Palmer
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Over the past several years, two of my good friends experienced apartment fires that ruined parts of their homes (although thankfully did not injure either of them). Maybe that's part of the reason why I think of renters insurance as more of a necessity than a luxury. For a relatively low amount-my renters insurance in Washington, D.C., costs around $100 a year-you can protect yourself financially from potential disasters striking your home.
Most college-age adults, however, don't bother to get renters insurance. According to a new study from Allstate Insurance, two in three say they have no insurance protection whatsoever. At the same time, about half said their belongings are worth more than $10,000 and the vast majority said that they could only afford to replace some of those items if they had to.
Allstate, not surprisingly, wants to encourage young people to insure themselves. They point out that many people are willing to pay a couple hundred dollars a month on clothes, but aren't willing to shell out anything to protect themselves from the risk of theft, fire, and other catastrophes. "It's a shame because renters insurance is one of the smartest investments people in this situation can make and so few take advantage of it," says Julie Parsons, a vice president at Allstate.
