Without periodic rains, debris such as fallen leaves and twigs and trash builds up on property and in street gutters. Local utilities do their best to maintain clear storm drain lines, but when a sudden deluge hits, all that accumulated debris can clog up those lines, causing runoff to back up into homes.

There are some proactive measures you can take to minimize your exposure to this kind of calamity. If you’re a potential homeowner, check out the history of the area you’re considering moving into. Talk with residents and see if there’s a history of problems. Many of these sewer backups tend to cluster in low-lying areas areas of a neighborhood. Also, property that borders flood plains can be at a higher risk.

If you’re already in a home, make sure any valuable possessions in your basement are up on shelves. Consider area rugs instead of wall-to-wall carpeting in lower level living spaces. Also, go with furniture and accessories made of solid wood, metal or plastic instead of porous materials like particle board.

There are also mechanical devices on the market that can contain minor backups and prevent them from spreading out to a large area of your basement. Some of these devices, such as back-flow preventers can be pricy, so it pays to shop around.

Another measure kind of follows the “It takes a village to raise a child” philosophy. Making it a habit to keep your property clear of debris such as leaves and branches can help an area avoid this type of backup, but it takes a concerted effort by everyone in the neighborhood to make this approach effective.

When Mother Nature wants to pull one of her dirty tricks on us, there’s usually no stopping her. But a little forethought and preparation can go a long way to lessen the nastiness.

Shut off any supply lines to outdoor faucets, and if possible, drain the lines. If you don’t have a drain valve, at least make sure the faucet is open to allow expansion of water left in the line to prevent a pipe rupture.

Inside your home, check underneath all sinks, especially in basement areas. Install pipe wrap to any exposed supply lines and cut out panels of Styrofoam to mount on any exterior wall surfaces close to the pipes.

Some older homes even have supply lines running through attic spaces. If you can safely access your attic, pipe wrap on these lines can go a long way in preventing a frozen pipe break.

Finally, consider having your main drain line (lateral line) professionally cabled. Colder weather can reduce the flow in these lines by thickening the sludge that normally builds up in them over time.

These simple precautions make it a snap to stay on target for a great start to 2012.

Time and again we’ve seen clients at wit’s end, because they discovered they were under-insured after a loss, or had only the vaguest idea what personal items just went up in smoke. Putting your homeowner’s insurance on autopilot is  like driving your car without changing the oil or checking the tires. But it only takes a few steps to give your policy a tune-up.

Check to see that your limits are high enough to give you enough coverage to rebuild if your entire home is destroyed by fire. Also, consider adding an endorsement (addition) to cover a sewer backup. Sewer utilities in larger communities provide some compensation to homeowners, but smaller ones offer little or no protection.

After the gift-giving of the holidays, it’s also a good time to start or update an inventory list of your personal possessions. A good way to break this down is by room, starting with the largest or most expensive items. Today, even low-end digital cameras and most cellphones have video capabilities, making it easy to further document your possessions.

Finally, check in with your insurance agent, to see if you qualify for any discounts, or whether your provider has any deals for bundling your homeowners’ with other policies. You can use any savings to offset the cost of raising your coverage where it’s needed.

Disaster can strike anyone, anytime and anywhere. A little bit of “resolve” now can go a long way to reduce the pain if disaster puts you in its cross-hairs.

Sensitivity to mold can be disabling, and in some cases, even life-threatening. If you suspect this potential problem in yourself or a family member, a great source for help is right here in St. Louis at http://aafastl.org/. The local chapter of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America can help answer your questions about health concerns, and steer you to medical professionals with the expertise to do something about them.

If your family has experienced this problem, we’d like to hear from you. Knowledge is certainly power, and your knowledge and experience could very well help another overcome and win the war when mold attacks.

Please send us any questions you have on property loss, the claims process, getting things back to normal, etc. If we don’t have the answer, we WILL find it for you.