preparation

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TPG Hurricane Safety Blog Post

Hurricane season is in full swing and while it may be easy to overlook the importance of evacuation/preparedness details due to the current pandemic, it’s even more imperative not to be caught unprepared. Before, during, and after a hurricane can be an incredibly stressful and frantic time. According to the CDC, it’s important to know how the Covid-19 pandemic can affect disaster preparedness and recovery, and what you can do to keep yourself and others safe.

Below are some tips on how you can prepare, evacuate, and shelter during severe storms while remaining safe from the coronavirus.

Prepare

  • Given the current state of the coronavirus, it may take more time than it would have prior to prepare your emergency food, water, and medical supplies. While some do not have the option to have their supplies delivered, it is the safest route. If delivery is not an option, follow steps to protect yourself and other’s health when running essential errands.
  • Updated plans regarding shelters (including shelters for your pets) and evacuation are important to monitor.
  • COVID-19 vaccines help to protect you from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19.

Evacuate

  • Preparing a “go kit” with personal items that are necessary in case of evacuation is a good idea. Items should include alcohol hand sanitizer, bar or liquid soap, disinfectant wipes (if available), and multiple, clean masks for those older than 2 years of age.
  • Make sure you have several ways to get weather alerts. The National Weather Service cell phone alerts external icon, or (@NWS) Twitter alerts are great resources.
  • It’s important to check if your area’s local public shelter is open if you need to evacuate your house. It’s also important to keep in mind that your designated shelter may have changed this year due to COVID-19.

Shelter

For those residing outside of their household with family or friends to avoid the storm:

  • Check-in with those you plan to stay with to ensure the proper precautions are taken to protect against COVID-19.
  • If your households include someone with a higher risk of developing severe illness from COVID-19, make sure everyone knows how to keep them protected.
  • It’s important to continue practicing everyday preventive actions, like covering coughs and sneezes, washing your hands often, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. It may even be necessary to take extra precautions for people living in close quarters.

As always, your Prewitt Group team is in place to provide guidance, manage claims that may occur, and most importantly, protect you and your family as if you are our own.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/covid-19/prepare-for-hurricane.html

TPG Hurricane Safety Blog Post

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TPG Friday LI

Brian Fleury assists in answering this week’s FAQ. Brian joined The Prewitt Group in 2019 as a Personal Lines and Small Commercial Distribution Leader.

Long-term care insurance helps pay for a wide range of services for those who need it and is mainly designed to assist with costs of custodial and personal care. While most of these services do not include the cost of medical care, coverage can include staying in an assisted living facility, nursing home, or adult day care. These policies pay for the cost of care due to chronic illness, an injury, or a disability. Often, just the effects of aging requires people to need help, and long-term care coverage can help.

As you go through your financial planning process, it’s important to understand long-term care costs as you approach retirement age. We have risk advisors that can walk you through this process and make sure that you are covered properly.

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There are three common misconceptions about ADA compliance

  1. It’s expensive.
  2. It’s difficult to complete.
  3. There are no standards.

If the website for your business is mainly used for engaging potential new clients or existing clients with information about your company, blog postings or updates, it should not be very expensive to update and maintain ADA Compliance on your site.

If you have an ordering system, like a grocery store for example, you might have more of an investment ahead of you in order to remain compliant.

Secondly, it is not difficult to have an expert help keep your website ADA compliant; there are guidelines. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium. Automated testing can be completed quickly and easily, but advanced manual testing completed by Quality Assurance screeners can ensure that your website meets the WCAG criteria that automated testing might miss.

Overall, a lawsuit will be much more expensive than investing in a digital team to update or build your website so that it meets the ADA Compliance requirements.

Protection from potential lawsuits is not just about being proactive. At some point, any one of us could experience a temporary disability. Becoming ADA Compliant is not just for those with impaired vision or blindness. Maybe you left your reading glasses at home or maybe you’re learning how to maneuver around with a broken arm until your cast is removed. ADA Compliance meets complex needs across many disabilities.

We can all learn a lesson about how smaller and temporary disabilities could impact our use of websites. Utilizing www.ADA.gov and www.w3.org can be the first step in better understanding guidelines for compliance.

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Copy of Life Insurance Awareness Month

One of the added benefits of insuring your home with The Prewitt Group is knowing that your valuable possessions are protected when you’re away. Whether you’re traveling for the holidays to be with friends and family or taking a much-needed vacation to warmer weather, the following tips can help put you at ease and ensure an enjoyable return to your home.

  • Leave faucets dripping if temperatures dip below freezing where you live.
  • Set your thermostat to 65 so you won’t be unnecessarily heating your entire home while you are away.
  • Leave porch lights on to deter potential thieves. If you have access to timed lighting, which can turn on and off to make it seem like someone is home, use this added step to prevent theft during the holidays.
  • For those with a live Christmas tree, make sure it’s properly watered, turn the lights off and unplug them before leaving.
  • As online shopping increases each year, many of your gifts may be delivered during the season. If packages might be delivered to your home while you’re away, many carriers will allow a delayed delivery for your return. You might also have a friend or neighbor bring them inside for safekeeping.
  • Double-checking that all windows and doors are secured is essential. Additionally, for those who have a home security system, setting it before you leave is the last step to making sure you feel comfortable during the holidays away from your home.

Last holiday season, a record-breaking 112.5 million travelers hit the road. That means the risk associated with sharing the roadways increases. The following tips will aid in preparation for your own holiday travels.

  • Keep presents, or anything of great value, hidden away in the trunk or covered.
  • Have your car serviced a few days before traveling to make sure it’s in tip-top shape.
  • Keep in mind that traveling earlier in the day will allow access to service stations, or if necessary, use roadside assistance to provide fixes for troubles you may have without hindering much of your progress.
  • Make sure you have warm blankets and a few snacks in case there are delays due to traffic during your travels, or if a flat tire leaves you waiting in the cold for longer than expected!
  • Always have a phone charger in your car.
  • Lastly, share your itinerary with family so they know when to expect you. Having an alternative route to combat any excess traffic or delays can ensure you arrive before dinner is on the table.

The Prewitt Group extends warm wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

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As temperatures begin to drop, check for drafts near doors and windows and insulate each area. Weatherstrips and caulking can help with closing those drafty places.

Fans can help circulate warmer air in a room. By changing the directional switch and lowering the speed on the fan, this will help push the warmer air throughout with adding cooler air to the space.

Dusting both vents and radiators and clearing any furniture near vents will provide adequate space for air to flow throughout the home.

Note the temperature indoors when you feel the slight chill that makes you reach for the thermostat and keep it one to two degrees warmer. This will help you be more comfortable.

Have a basket of warm blankets in the common rooms you and your family spend the most time in so when the first cool front comes through, the first instinct might be to grab a throw or blanket instead of turning on the furnace.

A few additional tips can save money and help to further winterize your home –

  • Check your fireplace before the first fire.
  • Close doors to unused spaces in your home.
  • Protect any plants that might live outdoors or bring them inside before freezing temps arrive.
  • Replace air filters.
  • Protect your pipes from bursting with insulation.
  • Cook at home, the warmth from the kitchen will help warm other parts of the home, too.

The Prewitt Group encourages everyone to prepare for the changing temperatures and seasons, it can save you money by lowering power bills and preparation is priceless.

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How to Prepare Your Business for Disaster

Did you know that 40 percent of businesses fail to reopen following a disaster? According to a report from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), another 25 percent of businesses fail within a year following a disaster. From natural disasters to cyberattacks, your business is at risk of facing downtime following an unfortunate event. In fact, more than 50 percent of companies experienced a downtime event in the past five years that last longer than a full workday.

Recovering from any disaster can be expensive and burdensome to your business, so it’s important to be prepared for emergency expenses and protect your assets with insurance. The saying, “Time is money” certainly applies in business, so minimizing downtime in case of an emergency is imperative.

Prepare for emergency expenses by:

  • Identifying your monthly financial obligations.
  • Creating an emergency fund to purchase supplies or equipment.
  • Having a credit card or line of credit available.
  • Establishing a payroll policy for during and after a disaster.
  • Establish clear strategies for controlling costs in a disaster situation.

Protect your assets with insurance: Meet with an insurance consultant to make sure you have the proper coverage for the disasters and risks your business faces. If you already have policies in place, review them with your insurance consultant to make sure you understand your deductibles, the limits of your insurance and the nature of your coverage. After all, there are many different types of coverage, all of which are subject to limitations and exclusions. For instance, some policies do not cover flood or earthquake damage, so you may need additional protection. In today’s world, you may want to consider obtaining cyber insurance to protect your business from data breaches and cyber-attacks. The Prewitt Group offers various commercial coverages including commercial property, commercial umbrella, boiler and machinery, business automobile and more.

All in all, when it comes to emergency preparedness, focus on prevention and protection. Effective preparedness can benefit the recovery process. It’s important to assess your risks and take steps to minimize damage and downtime.