Do you remember the kid from elementary school who was accident prone? If there was a mishap on the playground, he was probably involved. If anyone broke a leg on a field trip, you could bet she would be the one. Maybe that kid was even you!

In recent months, the US has been disaster-prone, with flooding, tornadoes and wildfires. And this week? The Eastern US is the disaster-prone kid in the class, with the earthquake a few days ago and Irene now heading in this direction.

Generally, we don’t know when disaster will strike, so owners of Atlanta real estate may want to take recent and ongoing events as a wake up call to be prepared. There may be little you can do to the structure of your home in preparation for disaster. If you’re in an area affected by hurricanes, storm shutters might be a wise addition. If you’re building a new home, you may want to include a reinforced safe room where you can hide out during tornado warnings.

Then, in preparation for filing a claim, you will want to photo or video inventory your belongings. Linda Rey, insurance expert and author of the article, reports that only about one-third of policy owners have taken this step. You’ll also want to save receipts for large items and gather your insurance policies and reporting information in an easy-to-access place so you can grab them on the run. Having all of this information will expedite your claims in case of emergency.