PORTSMOUTH — Ever look at your own house number from the street? Can you see it?

Town officials are emphasizing the importance of properly displaying house numbers to ensure first responders can locate your home quickly during a 911 call, and to facilitate damage assessments following a disaster.

Displaying your home address number on your house, so that it is visible from the street, is important to a homeowner in that it helps emergency personnel quickly locate a property and it assists in documentation of post-disaster damage, according to The Portsmouth Emergency Management Agency (PEMA).

Performing damage assessments on impacted homes is required to determine if recovery assistance will become available. During Tropical Storm Ida in September 2021, most Portsmouth residents recall the damage from water around Fairview Lane, but inland flooding damaged 25 other homes not associated with the Fairview Lane flooding. 

To perform damage assessments following a disaster, different teams visit each home several times. For Ida, the Emergency Manager Ray Perry and the Department of Public Works accompanied representatives from the R.I. Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and finally the Small Business Administration, each assessing whether requirements for recovery assistance were met. 

Homes that were not properly numbered delayed the assessments, according to PEMA. With a town of approximately 8,700 homes, improper numbering can negatively impact damage assessments in the event of a significant disaster. Building owners may leave the area during destructive events, making identification even more difficult if not numbered. This delays recovery assistance, and diverts emergency resources needed elsewhere, PEMA says.

The size of your house number depends on the home’s distance from the street — the further the setback, the larger the numbers should be. Here’s a guide for the minimum size of the number based on its distance from the street:

• 0-89 feet: 3 inches

• 70-110 feet: 4 inches

• 111-132 feet: 5 inches

• 133-160 feet: 6 inches

• 161-300 feet: 8 inches

• 301-385 feet: 10 inches

Have any questions? Contact Town Emergency Manager Ray Perry at 401/477-2172 or rperry@portsmouthri.com.