Via California - May/June 2020 - 42

SMART GUIDE
9
Learn to shut off utilities. You
can protect your home from gas
leaks, electrical fires, burst pipes,
and contaminated water by shutting
off utilities after a disaster.
● For natural gas, it's best if your
utility does the shutoff. If you must
do it yourself, use a wrench to turn
off the main valve by rotating it so
that it's perpendicular to the pipe.
● For electricity, go to the circuit
box and flip off all the individual
circuits before turning off the
main circuit, then unplug your
appliances to keep them from
shorting when the power returns.
● For water, go to the main shutoff
valve and turn the knob or handle
clockwise until it's off.
10
Protect the irreplaceable. Store cherished heirlooms
somewhere secure. Don't keep them in
vulnerable spots: Low shelves are bad for paper
treasures (such as photo albums) during floods,
and high shelves are bad for fragile items during
earthquakes. Have a plan for getting them out of
the house if there's time to do so safely. Put important
documents in a fireproof, waterproof safe after
you upload digital scans of them to the cloud.
Finally, suggests Neal Stern of the American
Institute of Certified Public Accountants, " If you
use a safe-deposit box at a bank, consider one
that's not near your house, since a disaster can
impact the entire area. "
11. Prepare mentally. While
you're setting yourself up physically
for a possible disaster, make
sure you get mentally ready, too.
Realist ically acknowledging the
possibility of an earthquake, fire,
or flood-whichever your hometown
is prone to-without stressing
about it is step one. Step two
is doing everything you can do be
ready. (Hence this guide.) " Preparation
is as useful as stress is useless, "
says psychologist Talya
Miron-Shatz. " Identify what needs
to be done-and do it. Living
with the constant inner noise of
'What if there's a flood?' is like
inflicting that flood upon yourself
constantly. Prepare for the worst,
then stop thinking about it. "
42 VIA | MAY+JUNE 2020
LEFT: JIM LAMBERT / SHUTTERSTOCK; RIGHT: NIRADJ / SHUTTERSTOCK
Via California - May/June 2020

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