Real Estate Reflections: Preparedness pointers: Practical steps to protect your property

It feels like everyone is on high alert. Between the upcoming election, regional wars and the looming AI uprising, there seems to be a general sense of impending doom. While we hope the powers that be have a plan to prevent catastrophe, it's important to ensure that our homes are prepared for whatever comes our way. After all, if the world is going to end, let’s make sure it ends with style and a well-stocked pantry!

FEMA has provided numerous preparedness documents outlining strategies to safeguard ourselves and our loved ones. Some include lessons we already learned during COVID, but there are additional suggestions that are easy to implement. 

Take fire safety, for example. Do you have an emergency ladder on the upper floors? Are there enough fire extinguishers in the house? When was the last time you tested your smoke alarms? You might be surprised at how much safer you feel after sitting down as a family and putting a plan in place.

Storm safety is equally important. Ensure outdoor objects are brought in or secured, have an evacuation plan, and establish a meeting point if returning home isn’t an option. Make sure to have flashlights and batteries handy, because nothing screams “preparedness” like tripping over the dog on your way to the bathroom.

Next up, utility shutoffs. Do you know how your house works? Even though most of us don’t understand any of the major systems, being able to turn off the gas, water, and electricity could prevent major damage in an emergency.

Where do you store important documents such as birth certificates, passports, social security cards, and insurance policies? Are they filed away in a drawer? These essential documents should be in a fireproof and waterproof container.  

And last but not least, have the right supplies on hand. While FEMA recommends maintaining three days’ worth of resources, we’re leaning towards a more ambitious approach: prepare for the long haul. During Hurricane Sandy, many of our homes lost power for a full week and each day became increasingly challenging. So do what you can to prevent a household rebellion!

While food, water and, of course, toilet paper are essential to survival, in a long-haul disaster, you’ll need a variety of things. You can review a preparedness checklist at FEMA’s ready.gov—where you can also find plans for almost every disaster scenario. But there are steps you can take and some inexpensive things you can buy that might just save your sanity. Consider keeping cash in small bills (if the power goes down, you won’t be able to use apple pay), a whistle (in case you need to call for help), board games (to entertain the kids), a solar powered charger (you can only play board games for so long), a manual can opener (you can’t eat what you can’t open), hot hands (grab them from the kids’ baseball bag), a tarp (unlimited uses), duct tape (also unlimited uses!) and gum (because fresh breath is vital, even in the midst of chaos).

While we hope we never need to utilize any of these strategies, if doomsday (or even a “regular” natural disaster) falls upon us, our community should be ready to weather the storm—be it political, meteorological, or technological. So be prepared. Stock up on supplies, review your family’s plans, and hang onto your sense of humor. As the saying goes, laughter is always the best medicine.

Randie P. Paterno, Esq. is a real estate attorney with offices in Rye. Randie is licensed in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey and lives in Rye Brook. 

Joshua Paterno is an 11th grader at Blind Brook High School and serves as a member of FEMA’s Region 2 Youth Preparedness Council.