Lawn furniture, trash cans, children’s toys, garden equipment, clotheslines, hanging plants and any other objects that may fly around and damage property should be brought indoors.
Leave trees and shrubs alone. If you did not cut away dead or diseased branches or limbs from trees and shrubs, leave them alone – do not do it now. Turn off electricity and water if instructed to do so. Turn off electricity at the main fuse or breaker and turn off water at the main valve.
Turn off propane gas service. Propane tanks often become dislodged in disasters.
Make a visual or written record of all of your household possessions. List model and serial numbers. Include expensive items such as sofas, chairs, tables, beds, chests, wall units and any other furniture too heavy to move. Consider storing the list in a safety deposit box.
If you have to evacuate your home for a prolonged period during a winter power failure, drain the water from the plumbing system.
