Protect Your Family During Severe Spring Weather

While winter is finally loosening its grip on the Pacific Northwest, March can still pack a punch! You've undoubtedly heard the saying, "March comes in like a lion, and leaves like a lamb". While that isn't always true, there's a good reason why March is known as Severe Weather Preparation Month.

Spring arrives soon, but before then spring storms can blow in quickly and and cause lots of damage. Is your family prepared?

First things first, make sure you have designated a safe place to go to if the weather gets bad.  It could be a basement, closet, or room with no windows or outside walls.  Make sure this space is cleared out enough that you could easily get your family inside if needed.  (You don’t want to be clearing out the closet if there is a tornado!)

Next, put together a small emergency kit.  What would you need if the power was out?  Consider putting in flashlights, extra batteries, canned food, and plenty of water.  (Don’t forget supplies for your pets too!)

Flooding

If it's flooding you're concerned about, there are steps to take to stay safe:

• Listen to the radio or television for information.

• Be aware that flash flooding can occur. If there is any possibility of a flash flood, move immediately to higher ground. Do not wait for instructions to move.

• Be aware of stream, drainage channels, canyons and other areas known to flood suddenly. Flash floods can occur in these areas with or without typical warnings such as rain clouds or heavy rain.

If you need to evacuate: Turn off utilities at the main switches or valves if instructed to do so. Disconnect electrical appliances. Do not touch electrical equipment if you are wet or standing in water.

If you have to leave your home, remember these evacuation tips:

• Do not walk through moving water. Six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.

• Do not drive into flooded areas. If floodwaters rise around your car, abandon the car and move to higher ground, when water is not moivng or not more than a few inches deep. You and the vehicle can be swept away quickly.  If your vehicle is trapped in rapidly moving water, stay in the vehicle. If the water is rising inside the vehicle, seek refuge on the roof.

• Do not camp or park your vehicle along streams, rivers or creeks, particularly during threatening conditions.

Keep emergency phone numbers in your cell phone contacts, including the phone number for SAV-ON Insurance!  You could even save a note in your phone with your policy numbers too, since you may not be able to search for them during the storm.

While we can’t prevent bad weather, it’s always great to be as prepared as possible. If you live in an area that is prone to flooding, call SAV-ON at 888-867-2866 about obtaining flood insurance. If you end up with flood damage, you will be glad you did!

Take care of your family first and know that we’ll be there to protect your belongings.