PSA on storing preps

[pnuner]

On storing preps think fire safety! Yesterday we responded to a structure fire in a neighboring district. It was an unoccupied trailer house that was being used for storage. There was also a smaller storage shed (actually a box off of a coca cola deliver truck) that was beginning to burn because it was too close to the trailer house. The storage building was FULL of preps (solar ovens, pressure canners, canning jars, food, etc). I believe the trailer house was also full of preps. The problem was it was FULL!! Everything was packed in so tight you couldn't get to the area that was burning. About 50% of what was in the shed was salvageable but the trailer house was a total loss. I might also add that an occupied home was only 20 yards from the burning trailer house. It did not have any damage thankfully.

If you have that much stuff, take time to organize and store it with enough room to get through and get things out quickly. Many of these items were just thrown in there and piled on top of each other.

Not keeping all your preps in one building is good, but be sure the places you do keep them aren't too close to each other. That way if one catches fire the other doesn't.

 

[BadgeBunny]

YIKES! Glad the occupied home didn't burn down and that you were able to save at least SOME of their stuff. I know some folks advocate not having any money in the bank (i.e., spending every dime they have) on preps ... If misfortune like this befalls you, you are gonna need some cash ...

Insurance doesn't pay off 2 seconds after the fire department leaves ... I worked one case where some folks had to fight the insurance company for their replacement cost coverage and they literally lived in a small shed they had set up on their property (basically turned it into a one room cabin) for 2 years while they fought with to get the proceeds from coverage they had paid for. They might have been just a tad bit more comfortable had they had some sort of cash reserve to draw from but they figured "insurance would pay us if we ever needed the money" ...

 

[dennishoddy]

Mind telling us what insurance company that was?

I've had major insurance claims with State Farm, Farm Bureau, and USAA. All were handled professionally, and quickly.

Wouldn't want anybody to get with a fly by night company.

 

[BadgeBunny]

Mind telling us what insurance company that was?

I've had major insurance claims with State Farm, Farm Bureau, and USAA. All were handled professionally, and quickly.

Wouldn't want anybody to get with a fly by night company.

Can't do it. I signed a confidentiality agreement with the firm I worked for and we represented the insurance company in the lawsuit. I can tell you it wasn't a fly by night company though. Read your contracts, people. And KEEP A COPY of EVERYTHING!

 

[SomeCallMeMom]

That is horrible.
Speaking of keeping important documents...I always worry about losing important documents in a tornado or other natural disaster & keep them in a fireproof safe, but I also scan everything & put it on a flash drive that I keep in a separate place. It gives me piece of mind that I don't have to worry about losing all of it.

 

[BadgeBunny]

That is horrible.
Speaking of keeping important documents...I always worry about losing important documents in a tornado or other natural disaster & keep them in a fireproof safe, but I also scan everything & put it on a flash drive that I keep in a separate place. It gives me piece of mind that I don't have to worry about losing all of it.

I do too and I haven't done nearly enough to safeguard myself in that respect ... Think I will make that my "prep" for this week and get my butt in gear and find a safe deposit box somewhere ...

Another thing I thought of last night, while I was waiting for my headache to just kill me dead ... If you have a lot of equipment and food storage, it may behoove you to talk to your insurance agent about a rider. Most policies have limits on what you can claim for contents, regardless of what you actually have ... Again, I've seen some people (not preppers, mind you but people with hobbies where they sunk an extraordinary amount of money into what interested them) not be able to replace everything they lost because their claim was above policy limits for certain categories of items.

I know it's no fun, but READ your policy ... and make adjustments if need be ...

 

[pnuner]

Another thing to consider on insurance is that since this wasn't a residence most homeowners policies only cover a small amount for "extra" structures. If you have $30,000 worth of preps in an outbuilding and that building is only insured for $10,000?? Well you can do the math. Most insurance companies only cover a small amount for certain high value items such as jewelry, guns, etc. As BadgeBunny said READ you policy. If you don't understand it ask you agent to explain it. If you don't trust your agent to explain it find a different agent (or company).

 

[Old Timer]

Our insurance company uses 10% of the house for the cost of outbuildings.
If your house is insured for $100,000, then all of your outbuildings would be insured for $10,000.
If you want more, you have to get them to up it, and pay the difference. We doubled our
outbuildings for about $5