{"id":566,"date":"2019-08-09T13:35:42","date_gmt":"2019-08-09T13:35:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/?p=566"},"modified":"2019-08-09T13:35:42","modified_gmt":"2019-08-09T13:35:42","slug":"summer-weather","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/?p=566","title":{"rendered":"Summer Weather?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">We all like a good joke about the weather, come rain or shine. But if your home has been damaged following a storm, dealing with the aftermath is no laughing matter.<\/h3>\n<h3 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">To help you avoid the worst, we\u2019ve put together a list of simple steps you can take to limit the damage caused by strong winds and heavy rain \u2013 before, during and after a storm.<\/h3>\n<h2 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">Before the storm<\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">The best thing you can do at any time of the year is to make sure your property is well looked after. Regular checks can help your home stand up to bad weather when it comes. Try carrying out the following:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"unordered-list a-list-unordered\" style=\"color: #444444;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Check your roof regularly<\/span><br \/>\nLook for loose or missing tiles, crumbling pointing or any other signs of damage. Also ensure your television aerial and satellite dish are securely attached.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Secure your fence<\/span><br \/>\nMake sure fence panels are fixed in place and garden gates are in good working order. You don\u2019t want panels flying away or gates swinging wildly in the wind.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Remove hazardous branches<\/span><br \/>\nCut down loose or overhanging branches in your garden, particularly those close to windows or power lines. But be careful: some trees are safeguarded and cannot be removed. Check with your local planning authority if you\u2019re unsure whether a tree can be cut.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Keep gutters clear of moss and leaves<\/span><br \/>\nIf your gutters overflow during a downpour, it\u2019s time to give them a good clean. Remember to make sure they\u2019re securely fixed in place once you\u2019ve finished.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">Professionals perform the above jobs for a reason. So if a task involves climbing up a ladder or working near power lines, be sure to get expert help.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">When a storm\u2019s approaching<\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">If a storm\u2019s on its way, there\u2019s no need to panic. There are still plenty of tasks you can carry out to help minimise the impact of howling wind and rain.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"unordered-list a-list-unordered\" style=\"color: #444444;\">\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Secure garden furniture<\/span><br \/>\nPut away ladders, garden furniture, children\u2019s toys or anything else that strong winds could send hurling around.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Close and fasten doors and windows\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nDon\u2019t forget to secure less frequently used entrances, like loft trapdoors.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Park vehicles in a garage<\/span><br \/>\nIf you have a garage, use it. If you don\u2019t have one, try to park well away from trees, walls or fences that could fall in the face of strong winds.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Keep pets indoors<\/span><br \/>\nMake sure pets are protected and small outside pets are brought indoors.<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: bold;\">Prepare a storm emergency kit\u00a0<\/span><br \/>\nBe prepared just in case you need to leave your home in the midst of the storm. Pack warm clothes, medicines, a torch and batteries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">It\u2019s also a good idea to ensure your home insurance documents are easily accessible \u2013 just in case you need to give us a call.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">During the storm<\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">Once the storm hits, stay indoors as much as possible. Only head outside when it\u2019s essential.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">If you do hear something in your home break, don\u2019t try to repair damage while the storm\u2019s still in progress. Property can be repaired, but it\u2019s more important to stay safe.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"color: #5c596d;\">After the storm<\/h2>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">If your home or belongings have been damaged, contact your insurer as soon as possible and let them know what\u2019s happened.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">List any damage to your property and don\u2019t throw anything away in case it\u2019s needed for the claims process. It\u2019s also a good idea to photograph or video the damage.<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">While you wait for the professionals to take care of any significant repairs, there are several things you can do to start the clean up once it\u2019s safe to do so:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"unordered-list a-list-unordered\" style=\"color: #444444;\">\n<li>Use a plastic sheet to temporarily patch up damaged parts of your home that you can get to safely and easily<\/li>\n<li>Check in on vulnerable neighbours or relatives and help them make any arrangements for repairs<\/li>\n<li>Remember to keep clear of electrical or telephone cables that have been blown down or are hanging loose<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"color: #444444;\">Finally, try not to panic. Insurance companies like us are used to dealing with events like storms and the damage they often cause. That\u2019s why we work with a large network of local contractors to make sure we can get help to you as quickly as possible when you need it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We all like a good joke about the weather, come rain or shine. But if your home has been damaged following a storm, dealing with the aftermath is no laughing matter. To help you avoid the worst, we\u2019ve put together a list of simple steps you can take to limit the damage caused by strong [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=566"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":567,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/566\/revisions\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gistinsurance.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}