{"id":2814,"date":"2021-07-22T10:09:46","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T10:09:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/?p=2814"},"modified":"2025-09-23T03:00:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T07:00:08","slug":"disaster-preparation-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/home-improvement\/disaster-preparation-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Your Home Prepared for a Disaster?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Life doesn\u2019t always go as planned. If you think ahead, you can stay prepared in the event of a disaster. First, you need to know what disasters to plan for and what steps you can take to keep your home safe. Keep reading for a list of the most common disasters and how you can properly prepare for them.<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"more-3795\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>If your HVAC or electrical system is already damaged and need repairs or maintenance, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/contact-us\/\">contact<\/a> Jack Lehr Heating Cooling &amp; Electric in Allentown, PA to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/schedule-service\/\">schedule your service<\/a> today.<\/p>\n<h2>Common Natural Disasters<\/h2>\n<p>Several weather conditions can affect the safety of your home. Here are some of the most common natural causes that can cause severe damages:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Cold weather<\/li>\n<li>Wind<\/li>\n<li>Winter storms<\/li>\n<li>Floods<\/li>\n<li>Lightning<\/li>\n<li>Hurricanes<\/li>\n<li>Tornados<\/li>\n<li>Heat waves<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>How to Prepare Your Home<\/h2>\n<p>One flood or storm could completely destroy your home. Luckily, there are precautions you can take to minimize or prevent damages in the case of a disaster. Here\u2019s how you can protect your family and your home from three of the most common natural disasters:<\/p>\n<h3>Flood Preparation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Clean your gutters<\/strong> \u2013 If your gutters are clogged, water will quickly collect around your home\u2019s foundation. Cleaning them out will prevent additional water collection and unnecessary damages. Redirect downspouts away from your home to keep more water away.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protect HVAC systems and electrical systems<\/strong> \u2013 It\u2019s a good idea to move your HVAC equipment to a higher floor or to build a water-proof wall around it. If you live in a high risk area, you should also raise sockets, circuits and other electrical hardware above flood elevation to help prevent damage or fires. For professional assistance with your electrical systems, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/contact-us\/\">contact<\/a> Jack Behr in Allentown, PA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Winter Weather Preparation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Schedule HVAC maintenance<\/strong> \u2013 It\u2019s important to schedule your HVAC maintenance services before the winter months, so you are prepared in case of a winter storm. Jack Lehr can help with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/furnaces\/\">furnace maintenance<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/heat-pump-maintenance-agreements\/\">heat pump maintenance<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/maintenance-agreements\/air-conditioning\/\">AC maintenance<\/a> in the Allentown, PA area.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Trim your trees<\/strong> \u2013 Cut back the limbs and branches from around your home, so if they pile up with snow and ice, they don\u2019t fall on your roof.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Drain irrigation systems<\/strong> \u2013 Water can freeze up and damage your sprinklers, so be sure to drain them before a potential winter storm.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insulate<\/strong> \u2013 To prevent your pipes from freezing, make sure you insulate them. It\u2019s also a good idea to insulate windows and walls to prepare for the cold weather.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Hurricane Preparation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Put together an evacuation kit<\/strong> \u2013 Prepare a kit with water, food, extra clothing, a battery-powered flashlight, and first-aid supplies. Keep it in a safe place and make sure everyone in the house knows where to find it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Power off<\/strong> \u2013 Turn off propane tanks and unplug small appliances to prevent electrical fires.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Turn the refrigerator up <\/strong>\u2013 It\u2019s important to keep the refrigerator and freezer on the coldest settings before a potential storm so food will last longer if the power goes out.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Close windows <\/strong>\u2013 Close all your doors, windows and shutters. Board up all your windows with plywood for extra security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>HVAC and Electrical Repair in Allentown, PA<\/h2>\n<p>At Jack Lehr Heating Cooling &amp; Electric, we want you and your family to stay safe throughout the year. If you properly prepare for disasters, you can greatly reduce and prevent damages to your home. If your HVAC or electric systems are already damaged or need maintenance services before the winter months, contact Jack Lehr to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/schedule-service\/\">schedule service<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/request-quote\/\">request an estimate<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Life doesn\u2019t always go as planned. If you think ahead, you can stay prepared in the event of a disaster. First, you need to know what disasters to plan for and what steps you can take to keep your home safe. Keep reading for a list of the most common disasters and how you can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[105,100,36],"class_list":["post-2814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-improvement","tag-electrical","tag-home-improvement","tag-plumbing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2814"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5593,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2814\/revisions\/5593"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jacklehr.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}