4 Steps to Protect Your Home Against Disaster

Three-quarters of families are unprepared for natural disasters. Stow some water and non-perishable food, and protect your home from power outages and flooding with these 4 projects:

1. Add Emergency Power

A portable generator keeps essential electrical items running during blackouts: from your heat, refrigerator, and key lights to your Internet and cordless phones. It's a small gas-powered motor on wheels you start with a lawnmower-like pull cord and jack into a receptacle in an exterior wall of your house.

Make sure your electrician installs a transfer switch, which disengages the utility power when you connect the generator.

Average cost – $1,000 to $2,000, with wiring

2. Keep Electronics Safe

When the power comes back on after a blackout, it often comes with a rush of electricity that fries any silicon chips in its path. You probably have plug-in surge protectors for your computer and home theater, but nowadays there are also expensive-to-replace computer controls inside kitchen and laundry appliances and heating and cooling equipment.

A whole-house surge suppressor will shield everything. Choose one that accepts phone and cable wiring too, because surges can come through those lines as well.

Average cost – 500 to $800, including installation by an electrician

3. Set Up a Flood Fix

Heavy rains and snows — as well as plumbing and gutter problems — can fill your basement or crawlspace with water, causing a big mess and destroying belongings stored down there.

Protect yourself with a sump pump, which sits in a hole in the basement floor and automatically turns on when that pit fills. The best units include an alarm to alert you to flooding and a second, battery-operated pump that kicks on if the primary one stops working.

Average cost – Cost: $500 to $1,000 for a new installation; $800 to $1,000 to add battery backup to a new or existing pump.

4. Be Ready to Evacuate

What if you need to get out quickly? A home survival kit contains critical supplies such as thermal blankets, water-purification tablets, waterproof matches, and a Swiss Army knife. Add some cash, toiletries, and a week's supply of prescription medications, and you'll be prepared for most anything.

Average cost – $100 to $150 for a family of 4

Have any other steps you would add to this list? We'd love to hear your comments. Just use the "comment" link below to sound off.