Don't Leave Your Leaves!

Fall is a beautiful time of year. Comfortable temperatures, clean, crisp air, and a brilliant palette of colors all make for what is the author's favorite season of the year (this may or may not correlate with when the authors birthday is). Those fall leaves, however, can cause home owner's headaches if they're not properly dealt with.

Aside from ruining yards in which they aren't raked up, the accumulation of leaves in gutters and around downspouts can prevent these systems from carrying water away from your house when it rains. Worse, when the temperature drops and we start to see snow, the leaves along with ice can form an ice dam which can wreak havoc on your roof and interior when the weather thaws again in the spring.

So, after the beautiful leaves fall this fall, clean them up! Install a gutter guard, or clean your gutter and downspout systems out several times during the fall. As with most home maintenance issues, a little bit of work now can save you a whole lot of headache later!

Let's Talk About Dogs

Take a look at any park, beach or sidewalk this summer and you'll likely see someone walking a dog. Normally, this wouldn't give anyone any pause, but even though the majority of pet owners are careful with their animals, there are still over 350,000 dog bite victims seen in emergency rooms each year. Insurance companies pay over $1 billion each year in injury claims related to dog bites.

While there are absolutely unpreventable examples of dogs biting and attacking people, there are some steps you can take to prevent being involved in an incident with your dog. The first, and easiest way to prevent an accident is to always make sure your dog is on a leash, regardless of how well trained and where you are. Keeping control of your pet means you are in control of the situation. Next, be sure you are only walking your dog in safe areas, and away from things that could stimulate a reaction, such as fireworks or large groups of parties.

Finally-and this can be a difficult for some people-take extreme caution with your pet around children. Children love animals, and plenty of parents do not exercise the appropriate caution when it comes to allowing their children to pet a "stranger" dog. If your dog has ever exhibited any aggressive behavior, take extreme caution before allowing a child to pet your dog.

As with most things, simple steps can go a long way. Be sure to also discuss with your insurance professional to make sure you have enough personal liability coverage to protect you and your family in the event that something unfortunate does occur. With how litigious society is today, it's absolutely critical to make sure that everything you've worked for is protected in the event of an accident, and your insurance professional can go through the many options available to protect you, your family and your pet!

Are You Ready For Summer?

Summer means lots of things-barbeque's, swimming and family vacations. It's also a time of year where we see our fair share of severe storms. 2011 was a year full of severe weather in our area; with numerous power outages affecting nearly all of our insureds.

When power goes out, it can be more than an inconvenience-it can mean a loss of food or other items needing refrigeration, issues with heatstroke and other health concerns, and potential danger from malfunctioning power generators.

Make sure you and your family are prepared for potential power outages this summer. Have your emergency kit ready with first aid supplies, non perishable foods and 1 gallon of water per person, per day. If you or anyone in your family take medication or have other health issues that can be exacerbated by heat or a power outage, be sure to try and make arrangements with a family member or health care provider for continuation of treatment.

Finally, take care to avoid eating spoiled foods-be sure to reference http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Factsheets/Severe_Storms_and_Hurricanes_Guide/index.asp
for extremely helpful information on food safety in the event of a disaster or power outage, and be sure to use extreme caution if attempting to use a generator to power electrical devices.

While the hope is we never go through another summer like last in regards to the power, the reality is that we may be faced with more severe weather this year. Like with anything, though, planning and preparation are the keys to getting through the days until the power comes back!

Check Your Sump Pump!

Spring is in full swing in our area, and despite the unseasonably warm stretch we had enjoyed in March, we are now right back in our normal weather pattern, which means a lot of damp, rainy days. As the ground begins to get more and more saturated, the chances that your sump system and drain tile system could be overwhelmed and back up grow higher and higher.

For every homeowner with a finished basement, the specter of water damage to that area of the house can be a recurring nightmare. The cost of cleanup can be thousands of dollars, and that's before factoring in the stress and time spent dealing with damage post-loss.

If you have a home with a sump system, be sure to check it to confirm that it is still in working order, and that your battery backup system is fully ready to kick in in the event of a power outage. Don't have a backup sump battery? Consider purchasing one! The cost of one of these backup systems is a fraction of the cost of a claim, and can save you from having to deal with a ruined basement. Be sure the sump pit is clear of any blockage or obstruction, and make sure the ejector pipe is likewise clear, and carrying the water away from the foundation of your home.

Finally, speak with your insurance professional and confirm that you have coverage on your policy in the event that a loss occurs. Fewer things are more frustrating than thinking you are covered when you are not! A quick, five minute phone call can save you time, money and stress-and everyone can appreciate the value of a stress free envrioment!

Do You Have An Emergency Kit?

Everyone in the area experienced power outages last spring and summer due to severe weather, and this year has the potential to be just as voliatle when it comes to the kind of storms we can expect to see. From uncomfortable heat to lost food and medicine, we were all affected in some way, shape or form, and in some cases the power was out for over a week!

While there isn't anything we can do to prevent the power from going out in the event of severe weather, there are steps that we can take to help get us through until the power comes back on. Here are some helpful suggestions:

-Keep enough bottled water in your home for one week. The average person needs one gallon of water per day. Keep gallons or bottles off the floor, elevated on a shelf.

-Keep one flashlight per person in a central location, and change the batteries every six months. A good time to do this would be every time change we have; just as we change the batteries in our smoke detectors, change the batteries in your flashlights just as often.

-Food in the freezer can last up to 48 hours if the freezer is full, and 24 hours if it's half full, provided it's not opened and closed frequently during this time. Food in the refrigerator will only last about 4 hours in a power outage. Throw out any dairy, meat, cream based dressing or leafy green that's been in a refirgerator with the power out for longer than 4 hours.

-Keep one weeks' worth of non perishable food in your home at all times. Peanut butter, canned foods, granola, peanuts and the like are all excellent foods to keep on hand, along with any foods that can be heated on an outdoor grill.

-When in doubt, throw it out!

-Enjoy the silence! One of the things that I personally found last summer during the several days my power was out was how peaceful and quiet things were, especially at night. Without the usual light pollution we normally have, it was fantatsic to see the starscape and everything else out there and up there. Take advantage of the downtime to read a book, relax, play a board game and enjoy the company that you keep.

Melting Snow

While this winter has been very mild both in terms of temperture and snow, what snow we have had has melted very quickly. While this is a good thing in terms of comfort and such, it can present a risk to finished basements and other home spaces that are vulnerable to a sudden increase in surface water.

Please take care to make sure your sump pumps and downspout drains are functioning, and draining any excess surface water away from the foundation of your home. Make sure window wells are covered and the drains within them are clear of leaves, dirt and other debris that could prevent water from draining safely away.

This will help avoid any costly water damage incidents from occurring. Additionally, it will also prepare your home for the spring season ahead, which is forecast to be wet as usual.

Valentine's Day Gifts!

Gentleman, today is February 13th, which means tomorrow is February 14th, which means there will be inordinate pressure upon you to find the perfect gift for your significant other. 10% of the roughly 2.3 million people who get engaged each year do so on Valentine's Day, which means there are about 230,000 engagement rings being purchased and given right around this year.

As anyone who has purchased a ring (or any kind of jewelry, for that matter) is aware, diamond rings are not cheap. They represent a very large investment, and any sort of large investment needs to be properly protected against the random events that can occur in life. From being lost or misplaced to the stone falling out of the mounting, the last thing you want to have happen is for your very large investment to go unprotected.

If you are getting engaged, or are already engaged and do not have the ring insured, please contact your insurance agent today. There are many different ways to protect your valuable jewelry, and your agent can help you choose the option that best protects your investment.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy and romantic Valentine's Day!