home disasters Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

10 Items To Keep In a Fire Proof Box

If a fire strikes your home or apartment will you be able to save or recover your personal information? A fire proof box could save you time, money, and stress. Trying to recover credit card numbers and other personal information can daunting with everything else that you will have to deal with. You can purchase a reputable fire proof box from Walmart, Target or Amazon to name a few places for a reasonable price. Make the investment, and ensure that your documents are safe.

Once you purchase your fire proof box, don’t guest about what documents should be placed in it. We have a list, which is not all inclusive, but a good start:

Passport – If you have a passport, you will want to place it in your fire proof box when you’re not traveling.
Original Birth Certificates – Original birth certificates should be placed in your fire proof box. If you or your children were born locally, a copy can obtained from your local court house for a nominal amount. If you were born out of state, obtain copies and place them with the original in the fire proof box.
Deeds and Wills – Place the deed for your home and any papers pertaining to your timeshare, rental properties etc, in the box. Include your Will and/or Living Will.
Power of Attorney – If you have or have granted POA to a friend or family member, place the documents in the box. This includes Medical Power of Attorney.
Vehicle Titles – Clear titles to vehicles should be placed in the box.
Household Inventory List and Photos – Take inventory of your household, jewelry, furs, antiques, collectibles etc. Take clear pictures of each item on your list.
Photo CDs – Place photos on a CD that you would want to reprint if destroyed. I also have photos on my laptop copied on a flash drive and in my box as well.
Insurance Policies – Keep your home owners, life insurance and any other policies in the box.
Credit Cards Numbers, backup ATM cards or health insurance cards etc. – Write down your credit car numbers and their expiration dates. Keep an extra copy of your ATM and health insurance cards on hand as well.
Social Security Cards – Place yours and family member’s cards in the box. Numbers can be written down in another location or memorized.

Again, this list is not all inclusive. If you have adoption papers, a marriage license or other legal documents be sure to include them too.

Preparing For Smoke and Water Damage In Your Home

Have you encountered smoke and water damage in your home? If you have encountered either, you know the stress and work that it takes to get everything cleaned up, right? Unfortunately, I have experienced both. My basement flooding because the Sump Pump malfunctioned and my entire house receiving smoke damage because my son-in-law left a pan on the stove and fall asleep.

First, the smoke damage. Thank goodness it was just smoke and not a fire. It only took us a short period of time to clear the house of smoke, but the smell lingered. So, I eventually called in a professional to rid my house of smoke and to clean the carpet, drapes and furniture.

I wish I had known about Aer Industries and their products. They serve the industry professionals with a wide range of commercial equipment. This includes restoring water damaged indoor environments to safe and dry conditions. Furthermore, they are also master distributors of B-Ari®, BluDri®, Soleaire® and Abatement® products. They offer a wide range of air movers, dehumidifiers and scrubbers for smoke removal, drying carpet and more. In addition, they sell equipment that the average home owner would appreciate having on hand just in case of an emergency.

I certainly could have used an Air Scrubber to remove smoke from my house. Professionals use air scrubbers. Additionally, there’s a dry and a wet scrubber that is used according to the situation. Wet Scrubbers are used for smoke and/or dust and Dry scrubbers are used to remove odors and acidic gases in the air. This would be a great Christmas or birthday gift for the man of the house or a family member.

Now, lets move on to flooding basements. Having a Dehumidifier is essential if you are a contractor or if your basement is prone to flooding. Basement flooding can be an issue if you live in a flood prone area; however, flooding can happen even if you don’t live in a flood zone. Many home owners make the mistake of thinking that they won’t experience flooding because they don’t live in a flood zone. There are times when sump pumps malfunction or an area receives excessive rainfall.

Dehumidifiers can come in handy in helping to dry carpet or a flooded area in your home. Pipes can burst in kitchens and baths causing flooding. So, basements are not the only areas in the home to flood. I was checking out the Super Monsoon Dehumidifier. It states when maximum air ventilation is needed look no further. The prices are reasonable. Be sure to check out the colors being offered for the equipment too. Who said industrial work can’t be pretty. Watching a colorful machine working to restore your home to its original beauty is a great way to bring a little happiness into your life. They also have a professional series if you or your husband make a living doing cleanup as well as financial assistance. To put the icing on the cake, shipment is free in the Continental USA.

Moisture in your home can be harmful, so we need to take flooding issues seriously. High moisture content causes the musty odor in basements or other parts of buildings. Excess moisture encourages the growth of mold and mildew, which in turn causes a musty smell too. Mold is not healthy and can be costly to get rid of.

Take my word for it, dehumidifiers, air movers and scrubbers can come in handy during an emergency. Being unprepared for a disaster can be stressful, frightening, depressing and expensive. Head over to Aer Industries and check out how they can assist you with your smoke and water damage tools.

Note: I have received compensation for this post; however, all opinions are my own.