Florida is vulnerable to a wide range of natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, severe thunderstorms and wildfires. Such disasters have caused billions of dollars in damage and disrupted lives.

There's no guarantee your home won't be damaged or destroyed in the event of a hurricane or other natural disaster. Howerver, there are several measures you can take to reduce the risk of damage and at the same time, reduce the cost of insurance.

The Florida Alliance for Safe Homes(FLASH) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and encouraging family and home safety (also known as mitigation). They can steer you in the right direction with FLASH fix-its and the Blueprint for Safety, an educational program designed to provide Florida's citizens and residential builders with accurate, current, and reliable information about how to make homes more disaster-resistant.

For one-stop shopping for home safety information, check out these web sites:

• Florida Alliance for Safe Homes-Flash, Inc.:
  http://www.flash.org/
• Blueprint for Safety:
  http://blueprintforsafety.org/
• Department of Community Affairs:
  http://www.floridadisaster.org/
• Federal Emergency Management Agency:
  http://www.fema.gov/
• NOAA/National Weather Service:
  http://www.noaa.gov