Homeowners · Prepare
How do you protect your home before a disaster?
Written by Andy Kruger
BuildSOS CEO
Six topics, about thirty-five minutes of reading, and a home that is documented, fortified and ready to prove what it was worth. Free, and you do not need an account to read it.
Why protecting your home starts before the forecast
Most of what decides whether a claim gets paid, and whether a house survives the next storm, is settled long before the storm has a name. Dated photos, a documented inventory, records stored off-site and a roof that meets a real standard are the difference between a comparison and an argument.
How to use this guide
Start with the eight photos. They take five minutes and they matter more than anything else on this page. Then work through the rest in order: assets, fortifying, the FORTIFIED upgrade, storing documents and supplies.
What's in this guide
The 8 photos that could change everything
The four walls and four corners that prove what you had.
Document your assets
A room-by-room inventory that survives the disaster.
Fortify your home
For every $1 spent on fortifying a home, an average of $6 is saved in disaster recovery costs. Here’s where to start, what it costs, and how it lowers your premium.
The FORTIFIED upgrade bridge
FORTIFIED is a tiered, third-party-verified home standard that can lower your insurance premium by double digits. Here’s what each tier requires, what it costs, and how to get certified.
Store your documents
Your insurance policy and financial records need to survive the disaster, not just your house. Here’s where to keep them so you can find them when it matters.
Emergency supplies & go-bag
Seventy-two hours of supplies and a bag you can grab in a minute.
Free app · iOS & Android
Can you survive the first 72 hours?
Most people think they can. The Resilience Game walks you through the preparedness journey, mission by mission, and shows you exactly where the gaps are, before you find out the hard way.
About the author
Andy Kruger
Andy Kruger is CEO of BuildSOS, author of When the Storm Comes, and sits on multiple boards and advisory groups shaping disaster resilience policy and research.
About Andy