Irene and Flooding: Wake Up Call for Homeowners

Stories and news about hurricanes are always related to the southern states like Florida, Texas and Louisiana. Not the northern states. When it happened few days ago, were we prepared in the Northeast?

Did Irene give us a wake up call? Is it time to draw up an action plan for natural disaster emergencies? We see families going to stores getting their food supplies and essentials before the weekend storm. Most store shelves were near empty come Saturday night. I was thinking, what if, we did not have enough warning, what is going to happen to the residents of New Jersey and other states of the Northeast?

As a realtor in New Jersey -- looking at trees falling in my neighborhood and hearing of news of victims being electrocuted because of exposed wires and cars swept away because of flooding waters -- I realized we need to get prepared for emergencies and create an evacuation plan.

Here are 5 things we should be prepared as homeowners or renters:

Food, water and essentials: It is necessary to have at least a week’s supply of non-perishable food, water and essentials. Not forgetting flashlights, candles, manual can openers and batteries. FEMA has prepared a checklist that you can download here. Food for the family and pets.

Financial Storehouse: Do you have emergency funds for the just-in-case emergency. Sadly, I read that FEMA, our Federal Emergency Management Agency is running out of money! We have to prepare for rainy days. How about an evacuation plan? Where will you go and what will you bring? Where are all your important documents? Do you have them in a bin ready to go in case of an emergency?

Take Inventory: Do you know what you have in your home? Do you have pictures of your belongings? To make claims from insurance companies easier, we need to have an inventory of all valuables we own in our home.

Homeowners Insurance: What type of homeowners insurance you have? Does the insurance cover hurricanes, earthquakes or floods? Not all homeowners insurances are created equal. Take time to look into your policy.

Maintain your outdoor and indoor areas of your home: Check if the tree branches are falling or too close to your home? Cut back trees to prevent them from damaging your home. Trees can be hazardous in severe weather. Will the trees in your backyard bring more harm than good? Trim and maintain trees and plants in your yard.

Irene came and is now gone from our area, but the devastation remains. Today, it was reported that 3.3 million customers are still without power and at least 40 lost their lives. Could this be prevented if caution was taken?

What would happen if the next hurricane decides to "visit" the Northeast and NJ?

Do you have an emergency plan? Do you have a plan in life? Do you have a plan in home buying and home selling? Jim Rohn, a great motivational speaker and leader once said: If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s. And guess what they might have planned for you? Not much.