As Northern Californians woke up this morning to an eerie existence – smoke-filled air and dark orange skies – we were reminded again that Fall, once California’s most pristine season, has now become synonymous with wildfires. Smoky skies have become our grim reality every September, and should never be taken lightly. Fire preparedness is something all Californians now must practice, both for financial peace of mind and personal safety. But it is especially important to be prepared if you have a senior family member to care for.
As we enter what’s already become the worst fire seasons in California’s history, we have three crucial questions:
- Are you ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice?
- Are your elderly family members prepared?
- Is your home insured and have you prepared it for a fire?
You cannot control if and when you and your family are evacuated, but you can prepare for it.
Download our free fire evacuation checklist.
If you had to evacuate, what would you take? What if you had only 15, 30, or 60 minutes notice? Print our fire evacuation checklist today and start prepping.
Step 1 – Pack your emergency go-bag:
Always keep a bag packed and easily accessible in case you have less than an hour to leave.
Include:
- First aid supplies, medications, glasses, copies of important documents (driver’s license, passport, prescriptions, proof of insurance, emergency contacts, etc.), cash, change of clothing for each member of the household, sturdy shoes, three-day food (non-perishable) and water supply (1 gallon per person per day), pet food for three days, area map, flashlight, radio, cell phone charger.
Step 2 – Prepare your elderly family members for evacuation:
When it comes to family members that need assistance, you can never be too prepared.
Take action:
- Have an evacuation plan practiced and ready.
- Make sure the path from the bedroom to the exit is clear and easy to traffic.
- Make sure their go-bags are packed – with necessary medications and a cell phone charger – and by the front door, easy to grab.
- Install a phone in their bedroom, and dedicate a family member who will contact them in the event of evacuation.
- If you live out of the area, Sign up to receive text messages from CalFire when there’s a wildfire near your elder.
- Talk with them about the evacuation route they will take, and where they will go once evacuated.
- Coordinate with neighbors to ensure someone is checking on them and ensuring they get out.
Step 3 – Prepare your property before evacuating:
If officials order you to evacuate, do it. And if you feel unsafe, don’t wait for the order. But if you have an hour or more to evacuate, you might have time to safeguard your home from smoke damage and make access easy for firefighters.
Take action:
- Close all windows and doors.
- Move furniture to the center of each room.
- Shut off HVAC, unplug electronics.
- Prop open side gates, and place a ladder at the corner of your structure for firefighters.
Fire insurance – Are you covered?
Fire insurance covers the loss or damage to a structure destroyed in a fire. Are you covered? Is your coverage up to date?
If you aren’t covered, educate yourself and shop around, as insurability and costs vary. Wildfire frequency and destruction have escalated in California over the last four years, and mainstream insurance companies have grown increasingly picky and pricey when it comes to signing and renewing policies. After wildfires devastated the town of Paradise in 2018, this coverage crisis became so bad that California issued a moratorium blocking all insurance companies from canceling or not renewing policies. The moratorium is set to expire Dec. 5.
How much you will pay for fire insurance varies widely between providers and depends on everything from your roofing materials to whether your home is located in a zip code with a high fire risk score. If you’re in the process of buying a home, remember to investigate fire insurance costs and availability so you can calculate that into your bottom line.
“I have so many potential home buyers who are referred to me because they are considering not going through with their offer because of how complicated it’s been to place the fire insurance or because it is so expensive that they don’t see the home as a worthwhile investment anymore,” Daniel Lapicola, a broker with Goosehead Insurance in Walnut Creek, tells us.
Don’t give up if you find yourself in this situation. Connect with a qualified insurance broker for help. Also, your real estate agent might be able to negotiate a lower home sales price by citing the insurance premium costs.
What to do before you have to file a claim:
Whether or not the current wildfire evacuations directly impact you, you can take important preventative actions (while safe, not under evacuation orders!) that will help you later if you have to file an insurance claim.
Take action:
- Photograph expensive possessions, including the serial numbers on electronics and receipts if you have them.
- Record a video diary of your home and belongings. A simple cell phone recording will do. Open closets, cabinets, and drawers as you walk through your home. Don’t forget the garage and storage areas.
- Download a home inventory guide from the California Department of Insurance website.
Keep important documents, photos, and videos off-site, like in a safe deposit box or cloud storage for digital content.
Want more information? Visit Encircle Life or email us at hello@encirclelife.com.
Additional Resources:
- Sign up to receive text messages from CalFire when there’s a wildfire near you.
- www.readyforwildfire.org is CalFire’s comprehensive website filled with info about preparing for a wildfire, preventing damage to your home, and what to do after a fire.
- Seniors need special consideration when preparing for wildfires. CalFire has suggestions to make sure you’re prepared.
- Struggling with insurance coverage? Reach out to broker Daniel Lapicola of Goosehead Insurance in Walnut Creek. His expertise has helped many of our home buyers.
- If you’re still stymied, look into the California FAIR Plan. FAIR sells coverage to people who can’t buy it through a carrier through no fault of their own. It provides insurance only after a diligent effort to obtain coverage in the voluntary market has been made.
