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Preparing a Building for Ashfall


If you have been advised that ashfall is a possibility, it is important to take steps to prepare buildings. Preparation will help mitigate the effects of ashfall to the building generally and specifically to interior and exterior areas.

  • Keep ash out of building interiors, intake vents, drains and sewer systems.
  • Ensure adequate supplies of necessary equipment (i.e. clean up equipment, disposal bags, etc.)
  • Check insurance policies to see if any actions undertaken to clean-up or repair damage would void the insurance policy, or, conversely, any inaction towards the roof or structure during or after an ash fall might void the policy as well.
  • Know what plan your community/authorities has developed for disposing ash that you collect.
  • Coordinate your clean-up efforts with your neighbors and community to prevent the need for more than one ash-removal project, especially from public streets.
  • Communities:
    1. promptly notify building owners to remove ash from roofs in a timely manner (or according to a specific schedule) to prevent streets from having to be cleaned many times.
    2. inform the public of effective methods for removing ash from roofs and property and preparing it for pick up by clean-up crews and organizing neighborhood cleanup activities (see cleaning up and disposal link below).
  • Protect buildings from corrosion.
  • If heavy ash fall is possible, learn about the design and load capacity of your building(s).