Of course it is a given, that you have already made a "Disaster Relief Kit" with such emergency items like bandages, alcohol, and toilet paper. Although I seriously do not think bandages will be of much use when the roof caves in on you, but the alcohol taken internally will. Hoarding toilet paper however, is the first stage of that dreaded disease of Hoarding so will be skipping that.
Now on to the really serious issues at hand. There are a few simple steps that will help prevent any immediate
loss of real property, you know, those family treasures.
Simple measures like duct taping the flatscreen to the console or the plasma wall mount will save that very expensive item for certain. And now duct tape comes in so many delicious colors and patterns.
We all know we hear the pictures rattle, and items start sliding off the shelves. A simple decorating technique will save those pictures, and even a freight train won't budge them off the wall.
Instead of a regular nail, replace them all with these special picture hangars. Then use either twisty ties, or regular string to make loops on the backs of your pictures. This creates a swing action when the walls start to shake, and because of the special bend you did with the hangar, it will not slip off.
Of course we all know that pictures hung with string will never hang straight so here is where that wonderful teacher tool comes in handy. Get some Poster Putty from WallyWorld and put a glob on the back bottom corners of the picture. Mash that into the wall and it will be much easier to straighten pictures and keep them straight.
Now you know the secret of every fine art museum in the country. I dare you to get up close and peep under the pictures. Why do you think they have ropes in front of the display...yep to keep you from peeping. Notice the bright blue glob behind my picture that always sits kittywampus in the kitchen because it sits on the pantry door wall. Now it never moves.
Ok, so now we solved the picture problem, let's address those dainty trinkets on the shelves. Yep poster putty those to the shelf. This technique also makes dusting so much faster, just whip that cloth around stuff, because you won't tip or trash it.
Now, how about those loose items, keys, pencils etc, that are laying around everywhere. Here is where dollar store trays come in handy. Strategically placed, trays, again "ticky tacky" down, will keep everything where it needs to be. The second advantage of this technique is that when you need to throw an impromptu baby shower, just grab that tray and play that "Memory Game" that everyone hates. If you are like me, you will still have some baby things on there, along with their graduation tassel, and their 9th birthday card you forgot to give them.
Happy Disaster Decorating Everyone!