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Most homeowners don’t always know how to respond to home emergencies when they happen the first time. However, the best solution depends on your current problem, which determines whether you require emergency assistance or can handle it on your own. Read on to learn how to handle 6 common home emergencies.

Kitchen Fire

When you lead a busy life and try to juggle everything at home, it’s easy to leave the stove unattended while you are doing something else. However, this can lead to the most common circumstance: kitchen fires. In most cases, when you cook and need to step out of the kitchen constantly, it might lead to devastating consequences, from burning the food to life-threatening fire.

If you are a victim of your kitchen burning down, you should consider these safety tips:

• Never use water to extinguish a cooking oil fire. Doing so can cause the oil to splatter, spreading the fire and making the situation even more dangerous.
• If you don’t have a fire extinguisher at home, you can put out the fire using bicarbonate of soda.
• If the fire escalates and becomes life-threatening, use the FREE-to-use iER App to connect to nearby fire rescue services.

Water Leak

Water leaks are mainly accidental and can be caused by excess water pressure, damaged pipe joints, or extreme temperature changes. They waste water and can damage your home. Moreover, if you can’t see where the leak is coming from, it might be difficult to know how detrimental it is.

This is what you can do while you’re waiting for a plumber:

• Locate where the leak is coming from
• Assess whether you have a slow drip or a constant stream.
• Turn off the water supply and empty the faucets to ensure the pipes are empty before any repair work is done.

Water Overflow

The amount of water that passes through pipes to your toilet or bathtub can overflow if there are disturbances with the water pressure. It’s important to act quickly to avoid any water damage in the surrounding area. Here’s what you can do if there’s water overflow in your home:

• Toilet overflow: You should find the water valve behind your toilet and turn it off to stop continuous water flow. Assess if any clogging is preventing the water from draining.
• Bathtub overflow: If you notice standing water when you drain your bathtub, you should shut off the main water valve and call your plumber to assess what could be the problem.

Flooded Home

As a homeowner, you should be prepared for house flooding even if you don’t live in an area that experiences large amounts of rainfall. Poor drainage systems, burst pipes, and structural damage are common factors that lead to a flooded home. The basic action is to stop the water at its source to prevent further damage.

Next, you should ensure that the electricity supply is turned off in case the water has affected the wiring. However, call an electrician immediately if the flooding affects the fuse box and you can’t access it without being electrocuted. It’s advisable to evacuate your home and find a dry spot while you wait for emergency services to help restore it and repair the damage to appliances and pipes.

Power Outage

Unscheduled power outages can inconvenience you after a long day at work. Sometimes, the issue might be caused by your main electrical supply. It helps assess your circuit breakers to see if a fault causes interruptions. If you anticipate that the power outage will last for days, you should consider these practical tips:

• Ensure you have alternative light sources, such as a flashlight on standby.
• Use the FREE-to-use iER App to alert the necessary municipality and related emergency services personnel.
• Prevent food from spoiling by not opening your freezer.
• Stay busy to avoid feeling restless.

Gas Leak

If your home relies on gas appliances, you should know safety procedures if you are a victim of a gas leak. There are significant health risks when you’re exposed to gas inside your home. However, these can be avoided when you know how to detect a potential leak with these safety tips:

• If you smell a foul, rotten egg smell, there might be a gas leak somewhere in the house.
• A hissing sound coming from your appliances.
• Physical symptoms such as sudden nausea, irregular breathing or dizziness.

Home emergencies can happen to you when you least expect them. Even if you can’t prevent an emergency, you should stay prepared to evacuate and follow safety procedures. The FREE-to-use iER App ensures your safety remains a priority by connecting you 24/7 to thousands of non-medical emergency responders to handle any home emergency you face.

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