Mid-summer is when our homes work the hardest. It's a season of heavy use, and occasionally, hidden risk. Protecting your property right now means looking past the obvious hazards. You also need to rethink your backup plans.
A water heater that actually starts fires
The Justice Department is taking the unusual step of suing two Chinese companies to force a mandatory recall of immersion water heaters sold under the brand "Lakkzoom." As CBS News reports, these devices lack a basic safety feature that shuts them off when pulled out of the water. The heating element can burst into flames within minutes. The government received a flood of fire-related reports. One customer even noted the device somehow managed to set their bathtub on fire. Cheap online electronics often skip the internal safeguards we take for granted. If you bought one of these, unplug it and throw it away.
What drowning actually looks like
Out in the backyard, the risks are much quieter. Drowning remains the leading cause of death for young children, but it rarely looks like the loud, splashing struggle you see in movies. A child in trouble often just bobs vertically. They look like they're trying to climb an invisible ladder, as CNN recently reported. The best defense is entirely physical. Build a four-sided fence at least 4 feet tall with a self-closing, self-latching gate. You want a mechanical barrier that does the remembering for you, completely separating the house from the water.
The new politics of disaster relief
If a major storm strikes your property this year, the federal cavalry might not be coming. In February, Rhode Island was buried under three feet of snow in a single day. The storm caused massive local damage, well over the usual threshold for federal help. Yet the Trump administration denied the state's disaster declaration request this month.
Data from the U.S. Senate shows a clear pattern. The White House has approved 89 percent of disaster aid requests from Republican governors, while denying the vast majority from Democratic-led states. Two senators just introduced a bill to make the FEMA process impartial. Until that passes, homeowners everywhere need to recognize that federal emergency aid is no longer a reliable backstop. Your private insurance policy is now doing all the heavy lifting.
The bottom line for you
- Take five minutes to check your pool gates and latches today. Read up on physical layers of protection in our pools and hot tubs guide to keep your backyard secure.
- Do a quick scan of your online purchase history for off-brand electronics. If you need a replacement, our appliances guide can help you find models with verified safety shutoffs.
- Since federal help is unpredictable, review your private insurance limits. Build a solid backup plan with our home emergencies guide so you aren't caught waiting on a government check.