Category Archives: Home How-To

Preparing for Disaster: Things to Do

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Disaster PrepWhen preparing for a disaster, here are some helpful things to do:

A disaster supplies kit is simply a collection of basic items your family may need in case of an emergency.  Your kit should be assembled in advance of an emergency.  It should be easily accessible in case you in need it in a moment’s notice.

1) Build a Tailor Made Kit:  Your kit should definitely include water and food.  You should include foods your family should eat.  If you’re kids have never eaten a lima or kidney beans,  a disaster isn’t the time to introduce them to it.  You should always include high-energy foods like protein bars.  Try to skip salty food that will make you thirsty. Remember – water may need to be rationed.
2) How Much Water Should You Stored:  FEMA suggests storing at least one gallon for each person in your family.  This should be enough for three days.
3) Items Often Forgotten For Your Kit:  Can opener, garbage bags, personal sanitation wipes, paper towels, dust masks, back pack, flash lights, extra batteries, whistle, lighter or matches, $250 in cash, compass, small radio, change of clothing, coloring books for small children, a few pictures.
4) Communication Plan:  In case you and your family have been separated, you should have a meeting location. If you have out of area family, you should have a meeting or communication center point.  For example – Auntie Dorothy’s farm in Kansas.

For more information on preparing for disasters visit:  http://www.ready.gov/build-a-kit

 

 

FLOOD INSURANCE PREMIUMS REDUCED IN BURLINGAME

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Burlingame residents and businesses are now eligible for a 5 percent reduction on flood insurance premiums.  This discount reflects the work of the City in improving  storm drainage and implementing best practices for reducing flooding.

The City’s participation in the Community Rating System (CRM) by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allowed for this reduction in premiums.  Burlingame could participate in this program due to the Burlingame Storm Drain Capital Improvements Program funded by the storm drain bond measure.

The changes will affect policies renewed or issued after May 1, 2012

 

Disaster Prep that We All Forget About

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San Bruno, California is a household name because of the recent PG&E gas explosion in the Crestmoor area of the city. This tragic event effected everyone in some way throughout the entire San Mateo County. From relatives in the area to people graciously donating time and money to help those directly effected. The people who lost their homes lost everything. When this type of disaster happens it makes us all stop and put things into perspective about what you might do in the same situation. Besides having a safety plan for your family, you might consider duplicating your most precious documents and storing them virtually, in the cloud.

“The Cloud,” is a term that refers to information or technology that sits on a server where you can access either the technology or your documents via the Internet.  For example, pictures are commonly stored online.  Documents can be stored this way too. You can scan your pictures and documents and upload them clouds available to us today. Obviously if you have hundreds and hundreds of documents and pictures, it means you decide which are the most precious. Take some time and go through them and then scan them, upload them, and keep them safe and accessible by you and others you might choose to have access. If you don’t have access to a scanner through your workplace, take your documents to your local UPS- or FedEx – Kinko’s Store where they can do it for a slight charge.

This task is the kind of thing you should do while this disaster is still fresh in your mind. With a little disaster preparation, if and when a disaster happens then you won’t be the family who loses everything including birth certificates, copies of  your passports, marriage and death certificates, etc.  While you’re at it, make a photo journal of your home and its contents and store them in the cloud, too.  This will help when dealing with insurance companies.

Here are a few Cloud Services

  • Google Docs
  • Mozi
  • Carbonite
  • icloud

How To Reduce Home Energy Costs By Sealing Air Leaks

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Air leaks With Labor Day looming, the autumn and winter months aren’t far behind. It’s a good time to reflect on your home’s heating and cooling costs, and take steps to lower your energy bills. Finding air leaks may be a perfect first project.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, up to 30 percent can be cut from a home’s energy costs just by reducing drafts. For example, a 1/16-inch gap unsealed gap around a window is equivalent to leaving the window 3 inches open. 

That’s a lot of wasted Burlingame air.

The good news is that air leaks are rather simple to identify, and simple to fix. The key is to know where to look. And, to make the job easier, the government offers a complete DIY Guide To Sealing and Insulating a home.

Some of the key tips include:

  • Focus on the attic and basement, where most air is lost
  • Locate problem areas on a chimney
  • Check recessed lights which allow air flow between conditioned and unconditioned air

The government’s website also provides a 13-page PDF with detailed images, instructions, and recommendation to help you with the work.

However, if the job is beyond your skill set, be sure to call a qualified contractor. Sealing your home from air leaks will reduce your monthly energy bill and the money spent to pay a professional will be just a fraction of what you’ll save over time.

(Image courtesy: US Department of Energy)