How to prepare your vacation home for a natural disaster

Natural disasters impact vacation homes—yours included

The likelihood a natural disaster could impact your property is higher than you might expect.

According to a study by Realtor.com, nearly half of all homes in the U.S. are at risk of severe or extreme damage from environmental threats.

So, it’s important to consider the changing climate patterns in your area and how they could impact your guests (and your bottom line).

What counts as a natural disaster, anyway?

The United States Department of Homeland Security defines natural disasters as “all types of severe weather, which have the potential to pose a significant threat to human health and safety, property, critical infrastructure, and homeland security.” In our world, a natural disaster constitutes anything that could potentially risk the safety of our guests, owners, and local teams.

These can include large disasters such as:

• Hurricanes
• Wildfires
• Blizzards
• Tornadoes
• Flooding or flash flooding
• Landslides
• Earthquakes
• Tsunamis
• Volcanic eruptions
• Cyclones

Even minor natural events can disrupt your bookings and guests, such as extreme snowfall closing roads or a red tide impacting beach communities.

6 steps for preparing your vacation home for a natural disaster

Whether you live down the street or across the country from your vacation rental, here’s what we suggest doing before, during, and after a natural disaster.

Step 1. Understand the risk of natural disasters

The first—and most crucial—step: Identify which disasters are most likely to occur in your area.

• Look into your local climate history and see how disasters have evolved over the years. For example, Texans didn’t need to worry about deep freezes and flooding in the past. But they’re now taking these risks more seriously after recent incidents.
• Determine if your home’s location poses an even bigger risk during a disaster. Homes on hillsides in fire-prone areas may want to have detailed escape routes handy for guests. And, owners of vacation rentals on flood plains may want to investigate building preventative infrastructure to protect the integrity of their property.
• Lean on local expertise. Use local government resources and assessments to guide your decisions. And turn to a trusted, local vacation rental manager for their natural disaster damage prevention tips.

Step 2. Brush up on your homeowner’s insurance policy

Your homeowners’ insurance policy may not cover as much as you think—especially if the risk for catastrophic and damaging weather has increased in your area. Based on what you find, consult with an attorney or other professional, and consider purchasing or upgrading your supplemental vacation rental protection plan.

Step 3. Assess any unsafe conditions

Inspect your property for potential dangers that can compound the damage of a natural disaster, such as overgrown brush in wildfire-prone areas or mold in hurricane-impacted properties.

If you find outstanding issues, address them swiftly. A minor fix now could save you from a major loss down the road.

Step 4. Share key safety information with your guests

Consider your guest’s perspective during an emergency. How can they stay safe during a weather disaster? What do they need to know to evacuate, if needed?

At a minimum, we suggest:

• Ensuring all exits are functional, easy to access, and up to code
• Checking if escape routes are required to be posted or available in your home per local regulations
• Confirming your driveway and exits are clear of any potential obstructions

Step 5. Stock your home with essential tools

With the right stuff, it’s much easier to deal with common inclement weather. For example, homes that experience heavy snowfall should have a snow shovel and salt on hand for the safety and convenience of local teams and guests. Ensure these tools are kept in good repair and can be found easily in the event of an emergency.

Step 6. Develop an emergency communication plan

Having resources on hand is vital to your natural disaster plan.

Elevate guest safety by creating an alert system that informs guests of potential danger. We also recommend ensuring your guests have local emergency contact information and the resources below.

Natural disaster resources for homeowners in the United States

Climate.gov features maps, reports, guides, and data to help you understand and make informed decisions concerning your local climate.

FEMA keeps you up-to-date with developing natural disasters, points to support for anyone impacted, offers preparation tips and tools, and more.

Ready.gov can help you make a plan, build an emergency bag, and teach you how natural disasters could impact you, your guests, and your local team.

Natural disaster resources for homeowners in Canada

Getprepared.ca offers guides to help you prepare for emergencies, explains about best practices, and links to Canadian governmental resources, it’s a good place to get reliable information when a disaster happens.

Natural disaster resources for homeowners in Mexico

Coordinación General de Protección Civil y Gestión Integral del Riesgo features a risk atlas of Mexico’s states, information about earthquakes, reports about volcanic activity, and emergency preparedness tips.

Natural disaster resources for homeowners in Belize

The National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) features storm-tracking tools, educational materials, and checklists to prepare for hurricanes and storms.

Natural disaster resources for homeowners in Costa Rica

Comisión Nacional De Prevención De Riesgos Y Atención De Emergencias Costa Rica (CNE) features information, alerts, and response plans to disasters within Costa Rica.