One page, two lists
Safe at home means two lists
Families often think about storms and falls separately. In one house they share the same door, hall and bathroom, so we plan them together and write them on one page.
| Where we look | Storm safety | Fall safety |
|---|---|---|
| The way in | Storm safetyA door and threshold rated for your wind zone, on a landing that sheds water | Fall safetyA level entry, rails on both sides and a landing wide enough to turn on |
| The bath | Storm safetyAn interior room you can reach in the dark, with a seat and a battery light | Fall safetyNo curb, a seat, and bars set into solid wall |
| Doors and halls | Storm safetyA clear path to the room where you'll shelter, with nothing to move first | Fall safetyWide doorways, lever handles and floors with no thresholds |
| Windows and the slider | Storm safetyShutters or impact-rated glass you can close without lifting a panel | Fall safetyHandles and locks you can work with weak hands |
| Lights and power | Storm safetyA battery light on every route and an outlet where a medical device plugs in | Fall safetyLights that come on as you walk, and switches at both ends of the hall |
| Floors | Storm safetyFloors that can get wet and be cleaned, with nothing that lifts or swells | Fall safetyEven surfaces that grip when wet |
| Getting out | Storm safetyThe same exit, kept clear, so a chair can reach the car if the county orders an evacuation | Fall safetyAn exit with no steps, wide enough for a chair |
Where the lists meet
Three jobs that do both
A level entry with a proper threshold
One way in without a step, on a landing that sheds water and holds a chair.
What's includedThe room you shelter in
Usually a bath or a hall closet without windows: easy to enter, with a seat and a light that doesn't need power.
What's includedShutters you can close yourself
A crank or a motor in place of heavy panels, chosen by who will be home.
What's included
Beyond the building
What we can and can't do
A contractor can change the house. The rest of storm planning belongs to you and the county.
We can't certify a safe room, tell you whether to evacuate or sign you up for help leaving. Florida counties keep a registry of people who would need help evacuating. Your county's emergency management office can tell you how to join.
What we can do is make the house easier to leave, easier to close up and safer to move around in the days before and after a storm, when you may be tired and the power is off.
Questions about the one-page plan
Who gets the page?
You do, and anyone you choose, such as a son or daughter. It's written in plain words, with the work in the order we'd do it.
Do I have to do both lists?
No. Some people start with the bath and leave the shutters for next year. The page shows what each piece does, so you can choose.
Does it cost anything to get the page?
No. The walk-through and the written scope don't cost anything and don't oblige you to hire us. The scope is yours either way.
Get your own page
We walk the house, and you get both lists in writing.