During catastrophic events like hurricanes or wildfires, keeping you, your family, and your pets safe is a priority. If you have not already made an evacuation kit, you can read our article about that here.
When preparing your home for an emergency, you should also maintain a plan to protect the valuables in your home.
From fine art to antiques, some objects truly are irreplaceable. Emergency evacuations often leave little time, and you need to know what pieces of your collections will be a priority, as well as who will be transporting them if necessary.
Not knowing what you have in your collection makes it more difficult to make a plan and prioritize pieces. Make a list or spreadsheet of your valuables and include information like the location of the item and dimensions. For fine art, include the medium. You may also want to include appraisals for antiques or any jewelry, and insurance policies. Taking photos and videos can also provide documentation for if something catastrophic does happen to your collection.
Make multiple copies of your inventory and store them in different places.
Identify what pieces in your collection will be the most important to move in the case of a fire, flood, or hurricane. Once you make an evacuation plan, notify which family member or staff member will be responsible for moving what pieces if such an event should occur and it is safe to do so, or whom they should contact. Have a protocol in place for how items should be packed.
Compose a list of professionals you may need to contact before an emergency. This could be your insurance broker, fine art shippers, or warehouses.
You may work with some of these professionals ahead of time to create a plan for moving and storing your collection. For example, custom crates and packing boxes may need to be made.
Although you may want to keep your favorite pieces out, consider having copies made to put on display while the originals are kept in a safer location. This goes for fine art as well as family photos.
If you have artwork on display at a home you will not be occupying for a while, consider storing it at another location such as a professional fine art storage facility.
From water detectors to smoke alarms, be sure your home has adequate alarms for each area and that they are maintained regularly.
While Mother Nature is unpredictable, some areas are more prone to disasters than others. Here are some different preventative measures that you can take depending on the type of environmental threat.
Securely install artwork and other valuables and have hardware checked periodically.
Store collections up off the ground in secure places, and avoid storing items in the basement. Install a water leak detection system.
Maintain your lawn and remove any dead plants, tree branches, and dense vegetation. If you are renovating, consider choosing fire-resistant building materials.
Review your insurance coverage to be sure it covers your treasured assets. You may be surprised to find your collection is not covered under your standard homeowner’s policy. If you have any questions regarding coverage options for your collection, please reach out to one of our local offices. At Cross Private Client Insurance, we can help you protect high value items with a valuables policy.
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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.