Preparing Your Home for Natural Disasters

Natural disaster preparedness at home starts with one question: which hazards does your address actually face? A flat on a hill in a dry region needs a different plan from a house beside a river on the coast. This guide takes the common hazards one by one: floods, storms, tsunamis and landslides, earthquakes, wildfire, heat, cold and drought. For each one it gives the protective steps you can take before the event, and the habits that help during it.

Your national or local emergency agency publishes the official maps, warnings and instructions for your area. Use this guide to understand the method and to know what to ask. During any event, the official warning always comes first.

Know which hazards your address faces

You do not need to prepare for everything equally. Spend your time on the hazards that are likely where you live.

Find out in three steps:

Look at the official hazard maps. Many local authorities publish flood maps, fire-risk maps and earthquake zones. Search for the name of your town and the word "hazard map", or ask at the town office.
Ask the neighbours who have lived there longest. They know which road floods first, where the wind is worst and which hill slips.
Look at your own building. Is the ground floor below the level of the street? Are there trees close to the roof? Is the building old, or built from heavy unreinforced material? Does the flat sit on a high floor?

Write down the top two or three hazards. Say your house is near a river and in a windy region. Then floods and storms are your first two, and you spend most of your effort there.

Whatever the hazard, three things are always useful: a stock of water, food and light, a go-bag, and a plan the whole family knows. They are covered in our household emergency preparedness guide.

Floods: warnings and what to move

Floods are the most common natural hazard in many countries. They come from heavy rain, rivers that overflow, the sea, or water pipes and drains that cannot cope. Even a small amount of moving water is dangerous. Never walk or drive through floodwater.

Before a flood:

Learn the warning words your agency uses. Usually there is a lower level that means "be aware" and a higher level that means "act now".
Move valuable and important items upstairs: papers, electrical items, photographs, children's toys that matter.
Keep sandbags or flood boards only if your authority advises them and you know how to use them.
Know the high ground nearest to you and the road that leads there.

When a warning is issued, act on the steps in our article on a flood warning: what to do at home. The short version: move people, pets and papers up, fill the bath for clean water, do not wait for the water to rise, and leave if officials tell you to leave.

After a flood, floodwater can carry dirt, sewage and chemicals. Do not drink tap water until your supplier says it is safe, and do not touch electrical items that have been wet.

Storms and hurricanes: the safe room and the surge

High winds break windows, throw objects through the air and tear roofs. A large storm at the coast can also push the sea inland. That rise of the sea is called a storm surge, and it is often the most dangerous part of a hurricane.

Before the storm:

Secure the garden. Chairs, bins, plant pots and toys become missiles in strong wind. Bring them inside or tie them down.
Check the roof, gutters and shutters while the weather is calm.
Trim branches that hang over the house, if you are able and it is safe to do so.
Choose your safe room. It should be an interior room on the lowest safe level, with as few windows as possible. A hallway, a bathroom or a cupboard under the stairs often works. If your area is in a surge zone, your plan is to leave, not to stay.

Our article on the safest room in the house during a hurricane explains how to choose, and what to put in the room.

During the storm, stay inside, away from windows, and listen to official updates on a battery radio. If the calm centre of a hurricane, the eye, passes over you, the wind will stop for a while, then come back from the other direction, often just as strong. Do not go outside during the calm.

After the storm, stay away from fallen power lines. Treat every line on the ground as live. Stay back, warn others and report it to the utility or the emergency number.

If your agency orders an evacuation for a coastal surge, go early. Roads fill quickly, and the order is given because water can rise faster than people can leave.

Tsunamis and landslides: the natural warnings

Both of these hazards can arrive with very little time. Official systems may be too slow to help you, so learn the natural signs.

Tsunami. If you live on a coast, remember this rule: a strong earthquake that makes it hard to stand, a loud roar from the sea, or the sea pulling back much farther than normal are all signs to move at once. Do not wait for a siren. Go on foot to high ground or inland, as far and as high as your local plan says. Know the marked evacuation route and practise walking it.

Landslide. Heavy rain on a steep slope, new cracks in the ground or walls, doors that suddenly stick, or a sound like a distant rumble can all be warnings. If you see them, leave the area and tell the authorities. Do not stay to watch.

For both, the main preparation is to know the route and the destination before it happens.

Earthquakes: securing the home

You cannot predict an earthquake, so preparation is about making the home less dangerous and knowing what to do in the first seconds.

Make the home safer:

Fix tall furniture, such as bookcases and wardrobes, to the wall with brackets.
Move heavy objects to low shelves.
Keep beds away from windows and from shelves with heavy items above.
Know where your gas, water and electricity shut-offs are, and learn from your supplier when it is right to use them.

Our article on how to earthquake-proof an apartment and secure furniture goes room by room, including what to do if you rent and cannot drill into walls.

During shaking, the usual advice from agencies is to drop to the ground, take cover under a strong table or against an inside wall, and hold on until the shaking stops. Follow your own agency's wording, because advice can differ by building type and country. Do not run outside while the ground is moving, because falling glass and masonry cause many injuries. Afterwards, expect aftershocks.

Wildfire: defensible space and smoke

Wildfire needs fuel, dry weather and wind. Your home is more likely to survive if the fuel near it is limited.

Before the fire season:

Clear dry leaves, pine needles and dead plants from the roof, gutters and the ground next to the walls.
Keep firewood, gas bottles and rubbish away from the building.
Look at the first few metres around the house. Fire services in your area will tell you how wide the cleared zone should be.
Know two ways out of your neighbourhood. Smoke and traffic can block one.

If a fire is near, follow evacuation orders at once. Do not wait to see the flames. Take the go-bag, pets and papers, and leave early.

Smoke can reach far beyond the fire and can harm health, especially for children, older people and people with lung or heart conditions. Close windows and doors, and use a clean room with a filter if you have one. Read how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke indoors for practical steps, and follow the health advice your authority publishes.

Heatwaves and cold waves

Temperature extremes kill more people in many places than storms do, and the people most at risk are older adults, babies, people who live alone and people with long-term illness.

Heat. Keep the house cool in the daytime by closing curtains and shutters on the sunny side, and open windows at night when it is cooler outside. Drink water regularly and do not wait until you are thirsty. Check on neighbours who live alone. Our article on how to keep the house cool without air conditioning during a heatwave gives more ideas. Learn the signs of serious heat illness. Our guide to heat exhaustion versus heatstroke explains the difference, and the main rule is that heatstroke is a medical emergency: call your emergency number.

Cold. Insulate what you can: draught-proof doors, hang thick curtains, and know how to keep one room warm if the heating fails. If you travel in winter, carry a warm layer, water, a charged phone and a torch in the car. If you become stuck, our article on being stranded in a car in a snowstorm explains why you should usually stay with the vehicle and how to do it safely.

Drought and restrictions

Drought is slow. It does not shock like a flood, but it can last for months. Water suppliers may ask or order households to use less. Rules differ by region, so follow your supplier's notices.

Simple habits help when restrictions begin: shorter showers, a bowl in the sink to catch water for plants, full loads in the washing machine, and a quick check of taps and toilets for leaks. A dripping tap wastes more than you think over a month.

Drought also raises the risk of wildfire, so the fire steps above matter more in a dry season. Keep a small store of drinking water at home, because supply can be interrupted.

Common mistakes

Preparing for the wrong hazard. Spend time on what your address faces, not on what you saw in a film.
Waiting for the siren. For tsunami and landslide, the natural signs are your warning.
Staying "just to see". Many people are hurt because they delay leaving. Leave when officials say.
Driving through water. Floodwater hides damage and moves cars.
Going outside in the eye of the storm. The wind returns.
Leaving heavy things on high shelves. In an earthquake, they fall.
Ignoring neighbours. In heat and cold, check on people who live alone.

Quick reference by hazard

Hazard	Main protective action	First thing to prepare
Flood	Move up and out early; never walk or drive through water	Know the high ground and the route to it
Storm or hurricane	Shelter in an interior room; leave early for a surge zone	Secure the garden; choose the safe room
Tsunami	Go to high ground or inland at once on natural signs	Learn the evacuation route
Landslide	Leave the slope area when you see warning signs	Know which slopes are at risk near you
Earthquake	Drop, cover and hold on; expect aftershocks	Fix tall furniture; move heavy objects low
Wildfire	Leave early when ordered; keep smoke out	Clear fuel near the house; know two exits
Heat	Stay cool, drink water, check on others	Plan how to shade and ventilate
Cold	Keep one room warm; layer clothes	Draught-proof; keep warm clothes handy
Drought	Follow supplier restrictions; save water	Keep a small drinking-water store

Questions people ask

How do I find out which natural hazards affect my home?

Look for the hazard maps published by your local authority or national emergency agency. Ask neighbours who have lived there a long time. Check whether your street has flooded, burned or slipped before. Your insurance paperwork may also list the risks.

Should I stay or leave when a warning is issued?

Follow the instruction of your local emergency authority. For some hazards, such as a storm surge, a wildfire or a flood, leaving early is the safest choice when officials order it. For others, such as an earthquake, the safe action is to take cover where you are.

Is a storm shelter or safe room necessary?

Not for every household. A good interior room is a start. If you live in a place with frequent severe storms, your local authority may offer advice or public shelters. Ask them what they recommend for your type of building.

Can I prepare if I rent my home?

Yes. You can store water and food, pack a go-bag, learn the routes and write a plan. For items that need drilling or changes to the building, ask your landlord. Many furniture fixings can be done without permanent damage.

What if more than one hazard threatens at the same time?

Follow the instruction for the most urgent danger and keep to official updates. A good general plan, with a go-bag and a meeting point, works for most hazards, so you do not need a different plan for each.

Learn this in five minutes

The ReadyCiv track "Storms and Hurricanes" has five short lessons: secure your home and garden before a major storm, choose the safest room, stay inside during the eye of a hurricane, avoid downed power lines and debris afterwards, and know when to leave for a coastal storm surge. Each lesson takes about five minutes, so you can learn the key steps for the most damaging wind hazard in one short sitting.