Organizing for lightning, floods, storms and fires isn’t much fun, but do you know what’s even LESS fun? Dealing with the damage and loss from lighting, floods, storms and fires!

Remember to sign up for our Organizing Game Night, July 18 OR August 8. Click here. 

Organizing for Lightning, Floods, Storms and Fires

My heart goes out to the folks on the East Coast, especially those in Vermont, dealing with devastating flooding right now. Serious flooding that threatens life and property isn’t going to be fixed with a little organizing. But if you are fortunate enough right now to be dry, then you’ve got time to prep for the next storm that’s coming your way.

That picture above shows the tree in my front yard that was damaged in the same storm that’s causing the flooding in Vermont. We called in a pro tree removal crew to cleanup and will require a bit of roof repair, too. Ugh.

Recently a client told me that her basement has flooded twice in the last seven years, despite the fact that it has a sump pump and battery backup.

I used to run on the ambulance for our local volunteer fire company. The fact that house fires are rare doesn’t matter one bit when it’s your house burning down.

I can’t even remember the names of all the newsworthy US-based fires/hurricanes/floods/tornados in the last few years. I’m weary of it all, but I still check my basement each time it rains.

Home Inventories Help Organize for Disasters

No one is immune from mother nature and her storms.

Insurance companies, estate attorneys, organizers and so many others recommend every homeowner take a home inventory. One 2017 Santa Rosa fire victim said, “everyone should have a home inventory and please take one now.”

I want to help you get prepared for that what if.

I’ve mentioned HomeZada in a previous post, and even had Beth Dodson, one of the founders, give a special 35 minute webinar just for my audience, which you can listen to anytime (click the link).

HomeZada has a FREE home inventory app. You simply use your phone or digital camera to take unlimited photos of your rooms, the items throughout your home, and your outdoor living spaces and store them safely and securely in HomeZada. You can add documents, item details or even paint colors. You can upgrade HomeZada for additional features and printouts. It really couldn’t be easier.

I’ve been working with HomeZada for over 10 years now, so it’s worth looking into if you want to stick with a home inventory app with staying power.

If anything were to happen to your home or your electronic devices, you have all the information about your home in a safe, secure private cloud that you can access with an internet connection.

Don’t want to put your private info in a cloud? I get it, but the info you store with HomeZada isn’t going to make you a target for identity theft. There’s no banking or financial information involved in your home inventory. There is a higher risk of letting your Roomba run free than getting hacked through HomeZada. And really, if your home is at risk, where else will your information about your home be safer than an offsite app?

If making a home inventory has been on your list of to-do’s, give us a call, and we’ll make quick work of it. It takes us just one organizing appointment to do each floor of your home.

Disclosure: I am a Homezada affiliate, and I may receive a commission if you purchase. This doesn’t change the fact that I took the time to store my own home inventory with HomeZada.

Steps to Organize Before a Disaster

We’ve had to throw out many keepsakes, photos, and household items from basements that flooded or had even just a small amount of water.

Here’s an ugly truth: if your basement had water once, it will probably have it again.

If your neighborhood flooded before, it will probably happen again.

You can ignore flood probabilities , but it won’t make the cleanup easier when your basement floods again.

Here are the steps to organize for lightning, floods, and storms right now to protect your home and contents from a basement flood:

• Declutter. If you don’t want it or can’t use it, don’t store it in the basement. Better to donate it in good shape than haul a soggy. moldy mess to the curb after a flood.
• Store smaller things in plastic bins, not cardboard. There is no truly waterproof bin, but flood preparation is the one time that plastic bins are much, much better than cardboard. These Rubbermaid bins are my favorite. 
• Store bins on metal shelves. We recommend these chrome shelves. 
• Raise larger items, like tools and unused furniture, up off the floor with non-wicking risers.
• Permanently remove photos, irreplaceable books, and genealogy records from the area and relocate them to your main living areas, preferably on the second floor.

A big project like organizing your basement can be overwhelming, but by starting with something that you really care about, like your photos, you can make important inroads to protect your home’s entire contents. Even if you never have to recover from a disaster, organizing for lightning, floods, storms and fires makes it easier to find your favorite things and use your home’s space wisely.

Need Motivation to Organize for Floods and other Disasters?

Remember to sign up for our Organizing Game Night, July 18 OR August 8, 2023. Click here.