Where to begin, there are so many different things that you need to think about after a house fire to get your home and lives back to normal. However, looking at the damage can be enough to make anyone confused on what needs to be done next.
Securing your Family
After a house fire, you are immediately displaced from your home. Finding a place of shelter for you and your family is the first priority. There are places such as The Red Cross and other organizations that can help you in finding a temporary place to stay.
The Red Cross or any other local disaster relief agencies will help you with other items that you may be in need of, such as food, medication, clothing, and any other items you need immediately.
Contact your Insurance Provider
Once your family is safe, the next thing you need to do is contact your insurance agent. They will be able to tell you what is covered by your policy, and what steps you need to take next in returning back to your home.
If you are allowed back into the structure to collect personal items, or start the cleaning process of your home, do not throw anything away! Everything needs to be documented to correctly assess and process your insurance claim.
Once You Are Allowed Back Into Your Home
Once you are allowed back inside the structure there are certain things that you should gather and keep in a safe place outside your home. Some of these items include;
- ID’s including Social Security cards, passports, drivers’ licenses etc.
- Medications
- Prescription glasses
- Hearing aids
- Valuables
- Cash and Credit Cards
- Insurance Policy
- Other important documents
Having the important documents listed above can make filing your insurance claims a little bit easier and less stressful. Having your medications and medication information is also helpful in making the stay out of your home a little easier.
Assessing the Stability of Your Home
After the assessment of the stability of your home, you are then given the assessment that your home is a total loss, or that it is structurally sound and you can start cleaning up the mess left by the fire. If your home is a total loss, then you will have to rebuild the structure of your home. If it is structurally sound, you can start rebuilding the damaged part and cleaning up the smoke and fire damage.
Fire Restoration Services
When cleaning up after a fire, you will definitely want to call a professional disaster clean-up service. Most companies are really easy to work with and will answer all your questions over the phone, or thorough an e-mail. The experts at Bouchard Cleaning are especially great with helping you to assess your cleaning needs.
When a company comes in to clean up after fire and smoke damage they will first inspect your home to see what damage has been done, and what was lost in the fire. They then remove all of the debris and extract any standing water in your home. Next they will dry the structure of your home.
Once they finish the initial clean-up of your home, they will inventory the items that they were not able to restore, and pack and store items that they were able to save. After everything is removed from your home, they will remove the soot and deodorize your home to rid of the smoke smells.
After the clean-up service is finished, they move everything back into your home. Hopefully this never happens to you, but if it does, you now know the basics of what to do, and who to call.
By Chanelle Furner
Bio
Chanelle Furner enjoys writing professionally and especially in this industry. She has written for several different blogs related to cleaning and keeping your home a safe and healthy place to live.