How can you protect a farm from natural disasters?

Answer 1

Flood

• Elevate homes in flood-prone areas.
• Elevate the main breaker or fuse box, and any heating, ventilating, and cooling equipment.
• Install and check valves in building sewer traps to prevent water from backing up in sewer drains.
• Anchor the legs of your fuel tank into a large concrete slab.

Tornadoes

• Build a safe room in your house. For information on building a safe room, visit www.fema.gov/mit/saferoom and request a copy of "Taking Shelter from the Storm, Building a Safe Room Inside Your House."
• Determine if your home uses connections between the roof, walls and foundation.
• Use devices like anchors, clips and straps to secure wood frame buildings.
• Properly brace the end wall of gabled roofs to reduce lift loads.
• Reinforce or retrofit garage doors for strength.

Wildfires

• Create a 25' safety zone to separate the home from combustible plants and vegetation. Stone walls can act as heat shields and deflect flames. Swimming Pools and patios can be a safety zone.
• Prune all branches around the residence to a height of 8 to 10 feet. Keep trees adjacent to buildings free of dead or dying wood and moss.
• Remove all dead limb, needles, and debris from rain gutters.
• Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers and keep them away from the house.

Hurricanes

• Install storm shutters on windows.
• Reinforce your roof with hurricane straps and bracing.
• Reinforce garage doors.
• Ensure double doors are secured at the top and bottom, adding bolts or pins where needed.

Answer 2

To protect a farm from natural disasters, you can implement measures such as using windbreaks to shield against strong winds, building proper drainage systems to prevent flooding, and setting up early warning systems for events like wildfires or hurricanes. It's also important to have insurance coverage specifically tailored to protect against the types of natural disasters common in your area.