The Philippines has a long-standing problem because of its geographical location: Strong typhoons and heavy floods! The Philippines location is on the Pacific Ring of Fire and close to the equator. Therefore, we are no strangers to earthquakes and typhoons. We are battered with an average of 20 typhoons each year, many of which become devastating such as Ondoy and Yolanda.
Damage to properties rises to millions each year. Most of the properties affected are our homes and shelters. Homeowners should consider this when moving into a new house. To safeguard our new homes from heavy downpours and destructive monsoons, here are the top 4 safety-tips to prepare during the rainy seasons including a home insurance in the Philippines:
- Check your roofs, gutters, and ceilings
The roofs on our new houses become our first line of defense when strong storms come. It is best to secure your roofs, gutters, and ceiling if it can efficiently hold up even against powerful gusts of winds and torrential rains. Adding a protective gutter system can help you reduce cleaning the gutters from time to time. But to be safer, you should be equipped with materials such as ladders, gutter scoop, and a jet sprayer. When cleaning time comes, you are prepared for the job. Failure to clean it will result in clogging, making it hard to funnel rainwater away from the house.
- Repair doors, windows, and walls
Even new homes can have unchecked damages. Thus, it is also better to inspect the doors if it can properly be opened or shut. Plus, windows can also get unwanted showers of rain get into your house. Installing new window frames and glasses can fortify your home much better in rainy weathers. Aside from doors and windows, walls can also suffer from wear and tear. Fixing cracks or repainting it can add up to your protection kit against storms surges.
- Fix drainage systems and canals
Your new home may be thoroughly furnished, but you cannot be sure at the drainage systems and canals around it. When it rains, garbage may become a physical hindrance in waterways surrounding your area. When this happens, drains are blocked, and water is collected. This inevitably causes the kind of flood that does not quickly subside even when rains already stop. These obstructions cause stagnant water that may home insects and parasites. Make sure that canals are fully functional in letting rainwater flow to where it should go, and not accumulate to the point it overflows to your house.
- Home Insurance
Oftentimes, preparation will not be enough for the prevalence of storms here in the Philippines. Even though your new homes are checked to its totality from the roofs to the waterways in your surrounding areas, some tropical storms are almost unstoppable in destroying houses. Under these unfortunate events, regular houses are destroyed, and evacuation is of utmost importance. In these scenarios, homeowners are burdened with costly repairments. To face these financial challenges, homeowners must secure home insurance. A standard homeowners insurance in the Philippines covers the damages to the homeowners and the restorations of your home.
As the saying goes, “Failure to plan is planning to fail”. Protecting your new house from the dangers of the rainy season should be a priority. You can check house areas that are easily damaged so that you can have ideas as to what to install to make it withstand weather disturbances. Or you can also acquire a comprehensive home insurance policy that helps you recover from the costs if a typhoon brings damage to your house.
When weather conditions become extreme, yourself and your family members are put at risk. Preventive strategies are a must to keep everyone from suffering to the brunt of a storm.
