What to Do with Weather Related Difficulties, Loss of Electricity, Flooding, Tree Damage?

What to do with weather related difficulties, loss of electricity, flooding, tree damage?

I know that I am happy that the winter months are behind me now. As with any new season we are faced with differing weather conditions. In the Spring and Summer in the Baltimore area, as with most of this country we face Thunderstorms which may cause electrical outages, flooding and maybe property damage.

Coping with power outages, flooding and property damage can be minimized. Facing some of these issues can be daunting if you are not prepared and do not know what to do or expect. Below are some tips that may be of assistance.

Your electricity goes out and you are concerned about your items in your freezer or refrigerator you may have concerns about how long will you ood keep in a refrigerator or freezer when the power goes out?
Generally, 24 hours in a refrigerator or a half-full freezer and 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer. To assist in keeping your refrigerated items good, don't open the door. Do not refreeze frozen food that has thawed. Discard refrigerated milk 8 hours after a power loss. Fresh eggs are safe unrefrigerated for 2 hours; discard ones with cracked shells, odor, or discoloration. Discard fresh meat, lunch meat, hot dogs, and hard-boiled eggs if held above refrigerator temperature (40 degrees F.) more than 2 hours. Butter, margarine, and hard cheese are safe unrefrigerated if well wrapped. .

There are areas that may tend to flood, there are precautions to take if my basement floods. Unplug electrical appliances. Keep an eye on the pilot light of a gas furnace or water heater; if flooded, get professional cleaning assistance. Water on the floor can be removed with a wet vac, these are not expensive you can probably get an inexpensive one for under $50.00 from Home Depot or Lowes. If you do not have a Wet Vac a simple garden hose can be used as a siphon to remove the water. For a wet carpet, remove water with a wet vac and air it out, replace the padding there is a possibility of mold building up underneath which could lead to health problems. Steam-clean the carpet.
Most homeowner policies do not cover flood damage unless the homeowner has purchased flood insurance, check your policies, if you are in an area that tends to flood the extra dollars that you spend on flood insurance may save you thousands in the long run.

We have severe thunderstorms and there are plenty of trees surrounding our home, when a tree is struck and falls as a homeowner you have to be aware of who may be responsible for paying for its clean up and damages. If the tree falls on a street or park it's the government's responsibility. If a yard tree falls, it depends, if your tree falls on a neighbor's house, the neighbor's insurance will pay. If it falls in your yard, it's your responsibility.