When large storms and tornados rip through the Midwest or hurricanes cause destruction on the East Coast or in the South, millions of homes and families are affected. While no one can ensure that their home will be 100% protected from such damage, there are things you can do to better protect it in any case. Consider some of the most important steps in making your home more disaster resistant, including how to set up the proper home insurance plan. 
Better Protect Your Home in the Face of Disaster With These Steps
1. Keep gutters clean.
Start by making sure your gutters are free and clear of debris at all times. This may mean hiring a gutter-cleaning service to come to your home and clean them periodically. Or, it might mean doing the job yourself. In this case, you’d be climbing up on a ladder and removing leaves, sticks, and other debris by hand.
2. Remove weak or broken trees and tree limbs close to your home.
Any trees near your home should be watched closely. If a tree is dead or has dead or weak limbs, they should be removed. Many homeowners will even remove healthy tree limbs if they hang over their home’s roof or too near to windows or the exterior.
The reason for this is two-fold. First, it can be dangerous to have weak or dead trees and limbs near your home as they may fall at any time and hurt someone. Second, during a storm, these are the first things to break off and cause damage.
3. Fix broken elements of your home’s exterior right away.
Much of the damage caused by severe storms, tornados and hurricanes comes from extremely high winds. These winds might remove anything loose from your home. Therefore, if you have loose railings, shutters, siding, shingles, or other elements of your home’s exterior, make sure you fix these as soon as possible. Just keeping the home “tightened up” so to speak, is a great way to reduce damage risks.
4. Make sure you have a strong home insurance policy in place.
Sometimes when a storm hits, there’s nothing you can do about the damage it causes. In these situations, the only thing that will protect you is a strong homeowners insurance policy. If you aren’t already confident that your home insurance policy is working for you and providing the best coverage, speak to your agent. You may need to upgrade your policy or find a different agency altogether.