If you live in San Diego County, this coming October can be very dangerous. In 2003 and 2007, wildfires swept across the country, from eastern County to the coast. It could happen again. Between the strong growth of early rains this year and the reduced budget to fight fires in San Diego, local residents must do their part to be prepared.

Have you traveled the back roads of San Diego County lately and seen all the wonderful green of the hills? It looks beautiful now, but once the summer heat and winds arrive, that lovely foliage will become potential fuel for another wildfire out of control.

Are you ready?

In addition to making their property fire-safe by reducing brush, removing wooden fencing and framing, and removing shingles, San Diegans should also:

1) Check insurance coverage – are they properly insured?

2) Determine if your home inventory list is up to date

3) Have an evacuation plan (including a data backup)

Check your insurance coverage

Every year, rebuilding costs increase. Is your homeowners insurance policy coverage keeping up with rising building and construction costs? If your house burns down, will your insurance policy cover the new building codes and regulations? Many policies are limited to rebuilding what you already have.

In San Diego’s two previous major wildfires, the Witch Fire of 2007 and the Cedar Fire of 2003, many homeowners discovered after the fact that their policies were expired and they were underinsured.

Even with the threat of wildfire danger, we believe the majority of San Diego County homeowners still have insufficient coverage. According to most insurance companies, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to determine the appropriate levels of insurance for your property, not your insurance agent. An agent or broker cannot know the value of your property and possessions as well as you can.

You have to take responsibility for properly insuring your home.

Check your policy to see what type of coverage you have. Does it have replacement cost or actual cash value? Guaranteed replacement cost is the best but also the most expensive. Remember, don’t base replacement cost limits on the amount of your mortgage.

When reviewing your existing policy, make sure that all of your personal property is properly insured. Do you have large or expensive gardens, trees, plants or shrubs that need to have higher limits? Determining the actual replacement cost value of your property is not easy or simple. Make sure your agent does the job.

How do you know what might need to be replaced?

Every year you and your family should update your home inventory list. This is a list of all the items your family owns that you would like reimbursement for in the event your home caught fire.

In addition to large items like furniture, appliances, major electronics, cars, boats, etc., this should also include clothing, pots and pans, seasonal items, tools, cameras, jewelry, and all other property that you and your family own. at home.

After a disaster, one of the biggest challenges people face is preparing a list of their personal property destroyed in the fire. What was it worth?

Even at the best of times, you’ll find that you can’t remember everything or specific details. Now add the stress of the disaster, the desperate search for a place to live, and just going to work every day, and you can see how you can remember the details of your lost belongings, what they were, how much they cost, and when you received them. them, it can be an almost insurmountable task.

Preparation can provide some peace of mind. You can download a free Home Inventory List from San Diego Quality Claims Management and work from it. You can supplement the list with still images and videos of the various items. A good technique is to go room by room, cataloging the different elements and taking a video or photograph of them. For example, when doing bedrooms, take your items off shelves and closets and place them on a bed and make a visual check. In the kitchen, bring out the various pots and pans, silverware and dining sets, and seasonal items, and display them on a counter or table for photography.

You may want to make this a family activity and involve the kids as well, especially when documenting the items in their bedrooms, study, and garage.

Put all of this information into your computer, along with the images, and burn a CD or two. Once the data is ready, be sure to keep copies away from home. Maybe send a CD to a relative, put another in a safe deposit box. It doesn’t make sense for your inventory list to burn with the rest of your possessions.

External storage should also extend to your computers and the information on them. In addition to storing backup drives, CDs, and data away from home, there are a variety of free online backup services. Do an internet search for “Free Online Backup”. Several of these companies offer free storage of up to 2 gigs. For a few dollars a month, many services allow you to make regular backup copies of all your information so that it is protected.

Have an evacuation plan

Start by reviewing your insurance policy. What kind of emergency help are you entitled to?

Most insurance policies provide coverage for you and your family to remain in a residence similar in size and quality to your current residence. During a wildfire, or just after your home is destroyed, is not the best time to start thinking about this. Every year or two, look around you and identify nearby hotels that may be available in an emergency. Is it big enough for you and your family? Is the location convenient to schools and work? Is it suitable for children? If you have pets, especially big ones, can you take them there?

If your pets are too big or too exotic for a hotel, what will you do with them? Prepare a list of various boarding facilities and stables that could possibly receive your animals in the event of a disaster.

Finally, how are you going to evacuate your family? Who’s going to take what? Depending on the ages of your children and whether or not they have cars, you may want to assign responsibility for family possessions to specific people. If the children are at school during a fire, what will happen? If mom is on a business trip when a forest fire occurs, who will evacuate what?

If the family is separated, where will everyone meet? Who is responsible for pets? If you live in a fire danger zone, it makes sense to sit down periodically as a family and discuss these issues.

This summer – 2010 – can be hot. Hopefully, San Diego won’t be torched by any wildfires. But it is always prudent to be prepared. You will be able to sleep much better knowing that your family, your house and your belongings are properly protected.

* Make sure you have an evacuation plan.

* Make sure your inventory list is up to date and all your important information, photos, videos and other data is backed up somewhere outside of your home.

* Contact your insurance agent to make sure you have the right insurance and coverage for your property.