We live in a tree-filled suburb north of New York City. The forecast was for severe thunderstormswith tornado warnings. At 4:00 p.m., my husband called to tell me a ferocious storm had hit, with very high winds, and the area was littered with fallen trees. Oh, and our electricity was off.

OUR ELECTRICITY WAS OFF!?!

To most, thats an extreme inconvenienceto us its a nightmare, since we have two sump pumps in the basement. The last time the electricity went out, six inches of water accumulated before we could find a plumber. That flood meant a lot of boxes full of various small appliances, pictures, bedding, clothing, books, records (remember vinyl records?) and other personal items had to be thrown out. And it meant submitting a claim to our insurer.

This is where risk management lesson number one came in: Develop a long-term plan to prevent another flood. First, we purchased a generator as a back-up, to keep both sump pumps running in case of a power outage. Next, we had three medium-size trees removed from the backyardwith shallow root systems and overhanging limbs that could damage the roof.

Another upgrade occurred by accident after a recent three-day rain. The constant amount of water being pumped caused the sump-pumps to shut down. Here was risk management lesson number two: Even when you think you have thought of everything, something else can go wrong. Luckily, we found a plumber in time, had very little water in the basement and a solid new pump.

So, with a contingency plan in place covering both wind and water, I was about to learn lesson number three. Now the power was out, and like many risk managers, I had a plan in placebut an untested plan. The generator had never been started. Would it start at all? Would we be able to hold off rising waters until the power was back? Stay tuned.

I hurried home, praying the generator would start. While en route, my husband called to say he had the generator going and had the pump plugged into it! When I got home, I plugged the refrigerator into it as well. What a relief! We were safethis time. I lit some candlestime to celebrate with a good game of Scrabble!

But I kept thinking about all the things risk managers of businesses and municipalities have to consider on a daily basis, projecting anything that could possibly go wrong. I also thought about the experts Ive spoken to, who caution about the importance of testing a contingency plan before an event occurswhere risk managers most often fall short.

Here brokers can play a key role. They possess much knowledge about how contingency plans can best be tested and what can go wrong. Agents, likewise, are in a position to help their homeowner clients minimize damageand reduce claims.

The dry run for our contingency plans was a real storm, but fortunately, everything worked out. And now for lesson number four: Get that Scrabble game finished before the lights come back on. Unfortunately, I missed my chance. All of a sudden the power was on and favorite TV shows took precedence (and I was ahead!).

NU Senior Editor Caroline McDonald invites readers to share their war stories by either posting her on Sam's blog, or by e-mailing [email protected].