ASAP:
____ Establish a plan for escaping your home in the event of fire, smoke, etc., e.g.:
          - Primary escape route from each part of the residence
          - At least one alternate escape route from each part of residence
          - Designate location outside to meet after escaping from the stucture - to ensure everyone is out
____ Determine which items you would want to get out of your residence in the event of a fire, impending storm, flooding, etc., e.g.:
          - Pictures
          - Will
          - Insurance papers
          - Other important and/or irreplaceable documents

____ Install a carbon monoxide alarm with an audible alarm which is loud enough to wake you - carbon monoxide poisoning is often fatal
____ Determine if any plants in your yard are poisonous and have them removed or ensure your children and pets do not eat them
____ Determine the capacities of decks, balconies, etc.

____ Keep specific directions to your house next to each phone - so you can read them to visiting family or friends

To encourage community involvement:
____ Put up a mailbox for items other than U.S. Mail, e.g., notes from neighbors

To help protect against home invasions and burglaries:
____ Determine the non-emergency phone number to call to report suspicious people and/or vehicles to the police and keep it available
____ Install a security system (a hard-wired monitored perimeter alarm is probably most effective)
____ Post signs around your residence (e.g., in your yard, on your windows) stating that your residence is protected by a security system
____ Join your Neighborhood Watch program
____ Install deadbolt locks with full 1" bolts
____ For sliding glass doors, install a locking bar with a blocking device to prevent the bar from being lifted up off their tracks
____ Get a dog or just put a large dog food bowl outside your back door with "Killer", "Bruno", "Brutus", etc. on it

To get quick indication of an earthquake:
____ Place a bottle upside down on a foil or metal pie tin

Regularly:
____ Have your furnance, etc. checked (some utility companies perform inspections for free) - can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which is often fatal
____ Report suspicious people and activities to the police

If you have a monitored security system:
____ Keep it armed, especially when you're home

http://www.checklists.com/home.html#residence