Take steps to protect your home and family during severe summer weather

(BPT) - The warm summer brings about plenty of fun in the sun with picnics, camping and backyard parties. However, these months can produce severe weather, from tornadoes to hurricanes. In addition to planning fun outdoor activities to enjoy in the summer heat, Americans should also prepare their homes for the worst that Mother Nature can bring.

Recent weather events like Superstorm Sandy along the East Coast and the tornadoes in Oklahoma have heightened awareness about emergency preparedness and the importance of having reliable backup power. Severe summer storms can strike at any moment anywhere in the U.S., so it's important for all homeowners to develop an emergency plan now, before the next big storm hits. Here are a few tips to help people protect their homes, belongings and families during severe weather events.

* Consider emergency backup power - During Superstorm Sandy, more than 8 million homes lost power up and down the East Coast and in states as far west as Michigan. Power lines are easily damaged by high winds, heavy rains and even lightning. A permanent standby generator is often viewed as the best option for homeowners to maintain power during and after severe weather, because it provides automatic, whole-home power during extended outages.

"When the power goes out, it completely changes the way you live," says Ed Del Grande, a master contractor, syndicated home improvement columnist and host on the DIY network. "A standby generator can power an entire home during an outage, which means your life continues uninterrupted. This is particularly important for homes with small children, the elderly or home-based businesses."

A standby generator is recommended by most professionals because it turns on automatically when power is lost from the utility and is permanently connected to the home like a central air conditioning unit. Because of this, homeowners do not need to be home to turn the generator on or have to go out into severe weather to set it up. The unit also connects to existing fuel lines in the home, running on propane or natural gas, and can power the entire home, including essential items like air conditioning, lights, refrigerators and freezers, security systems, electronic devices and more.

To learn more about standby power, visit KohlerGenerators.com to view educational videos and access a sizing calculator to determine what kind of a standby generator is needed for your home.

* Establish an emergency plan - Involve the entire family in your emergency plan, which should include details about the safest room in the home during severe weather, evacuation routes from the home and a predetermined meeting place in case your family gets separated during an evacuation.

As part of this plan, create a storm kit for your home and keep it replenished all summer long. To start a kit, get a plastic bucket or backpack and fill it with emergency supplies - water, first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries, a radio, nonperishable food and cash. In addition, scan all of your important paperwork, like financial documents, insurance papers and birth certificates, and save them to a USB drive or CD. Once your storm kit is assembled, store it in a secure location in the home where all family members can access it. For more information and suggestions for building a storm kit, visit www.GreatHurricaneBlowout.org.

* Stay informed - During the summer, stay tuned to local weather forecasters when threatening weather is on the horizon and follow directions provided by local emergency officials to help keep your family and your home as secure as possible. Invest in a weather radio that alerts you and your family of potentially dangerous weather in your area. This is especially important when severe weather strikes in the middle of the night.

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Preparation and technology can help you weather the storm

(BPT) - The last few years have brought record destruction from natural disasters. While disasters such as Hurricane Isaac, Superstorm Sandy or the Oklahoma tornadoes are tragic and unavoidable, there is value in being prepared for the challenges Mother Nature throws our way.

Technology can help you prepare for the unknown and get back on your feet more quickly. Whether it's building an emergency plan or securing your important documents, a little planning can make it easier to recover from a disaster. And fortunately, today, abundant technology tools are available to help you do just that.

According to Tony Surma, the chief technology officer for Microsoft's Disaster Response Program: "The best way to help you and your family after a disaster is to build an emergency plan today.- As part of your plan, technology can help you connect with loved ones, access critical information and preserve cherished memories after a disaster strikes."

Follow these steps to prepare for recovery:

• Create an emergency plan. The first step is to create a plan for you and your family. A good plan will include emergency contacts, planned meeting locations and personal health details, such as allergies and medications, for all your family members. Microsoft Excel offers a template that walks you through the process of creating a comprehensive plan. You can find it on Office.com.
• Make your plan accessible. Just as important as creating the plan is accessing it during a disaster. Save your plan to a cloud drive, like SkyDrive (skydrive.com), that will sync your files, so you can get to your plan on any computer or smartphone, even when Internet connectivity fails.
• Keep important documents safe. Scan your important documents - insurance information, birth certificates, passports, medical records and other essential documents - and organize them in a digital notebook, like OneNote (onenote.com), so they can be quickly searched to find information you need. -If you save them to the same cloud drive as your plan, they'll be accessible anytime, from anywhere.
• Build a communication plan. The ability to connect with friends and family during a natural disaster is critical to ensuring everyone is safe, or knowing when someone needs help. While your plan will have mobile phone numbers and a meeting place outlined, many natural disasters disable communications and make transportation difficult. Mobile applications like HelpBridge (microsoft.com/helpbridge) and Skype (skype.com) can help you quickly communicate when networks get overloaded. It is also important to share your family emergency plan with trusted friends, relatives and coworkers and keep contacts up to date on your computer or smartphone to provide as many points of contact as possible when cellphone and Internet access is inconsistent.
• Construct a disaster preparedness kit. While technology can help you get through and recover from a disaster, you can't forget the basics. Experts recommend having enough food and water to last 72 hours, as well as other essential supplies such as a first aid kit, flashlight and battery-operated radio. Check with your state's emergency preparedness office for a checklist to ensure you have all the right items and keep track of when items need to be replaced.

While no one can anticipate the next tornado, earthquake or super storm, a little planning and a little technology can make a big difference.

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