Post-Storm Home Tips

Severe weather can strike at any time, leaving behind a trail of destruction in its wake. When your home is damaged by severe weather, it can be overwhelming and difficult to know what to do next. Here are some tips to begin the process of recovery while remaining safe:

• Ensure your safety: The first priority after severe weather is to ensure the safety of yourself and your family. If you are in immediate danger, evacuate your home and seek shelter elsewhere until it is safe to return. If there are downed power lines or other hazards, do not attempt to approach or touch them.
  

• Assess the damage: Once it is safe to do so, assess the damage to your home. Take photographs and document any damage that you see. This will be important for insurance purposes. Wear protective clothing and protect yourself against the elements.
  

• Contact your insurance company: Contact your insurance company as soon as possible to report the damage. Your insurance company will likely send an adjuster to assess the damage and determine what is covered under your policy. Talk to the adjuster to make sure they catch all the damage, such as leaning fence or water stains.
  

• Mitigate further damage: While waiting for the insurance adjuster, take steps to prevent further damage to your home. This may include covering broken windows or holes in the roof with tarps or plywood. Keep track of all receipts for materials or invoices for handyman work. Also keep track of how much time you spend on these measures.

• Hire a reputable contractor: If your home requires repairs, hire a reputable contractor to do the work. Be sure to check their credentials and references before hiring them. Ask family, friends, and neighbors for their recommendations (or who to avoid). Avoid anyone who comes directly to your door offering to help at low prices. Sometimes the insurance company has a list of reputable contractors they have worked with, but usually the effort of finding one is on the homeowner. Never give a contractor the full payment up front.
  

• Keep records: Keep track of all repairs and expenses related to the damage. This will be important for insurance purposes and may be tax-deductible. Keep everything in a dedicated folder to avoid losing receipts.
  

• Stay organized: Keep all of your paperwork and documentation organized in one place. This will make it easier to file insurance claims and ensure that you have all of the necessary information at your fingertips. I recommend keeping physical receipts and invoices in a plastic file folder or box, and also backing up these documents by scanning them onto your phone and saving them to a cloud such as Google drive. This will ensure you can quickly share or re-print any records.

• Take care of yourself: Recovering from severe weather damage can be stressful and emotionally taxing. Take care of yourself and your family by seeking support from friends, family, or a professional counselor if necessary. When a tornado hit my house, it was still livable but there were endless dripping noises. It was negatively impacting my sleep and mental health so I stayed with friends.

In conclusion, recovering from severe weather damage can be a daunting process, but by taking the steps above, you can begin to rebuild and get back to normal. Remember to prioritize safety, document the damage, contact your insurance company, mitigate further damage, hire a reputable contractor, keep records, stay organized, and take care of yourself and your family.