Getting Your Home and Life Repaired After a Natural Disaster

Oklahoma City, OK, May 31, 2013–Crews with Samaritan’s Purse Disaster Relief help local residents with debris removal on private property. Cleanup continues throughout areas that were impacted by the May 20th tornado. Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA

Unfortunately, natural disasters are a part of life. No matter where you live in the world it is likely that a natural disaster whether it be a flood, earthquake, fire, or a tornado is normal there.

Natural disasters are unpredictable and most do not give you the chance to prepare or to protect your valuables. If you own a home a natural disaster could mean the total losses at home or damage to your property that is substantial. For those homeowners who find their homes damaged in a natural disaster, there are certain things that you need to do to make sure that you can recover as quickly as possible.

Call Your Insurance Agent

Once you understand that your home has been damaged in a natural disaster, the first thing to do is to call your insurance agent and coordinate next steps. You should do this before you attempt to go back into your home because your insurance agent will put you in touch with a professional home inspection company to examine your home and yard and get an understanding of the extent of the damage.

It will also let you know if your property is safe for your family to re-enter or what needs to be done so that it is safe. They will provide a detail report to your insurance company so that you’re clear about what needs to be done to get your home prepared.

In some cases homeowners do not have disaster insurance. In this situation, usually the government will have agencies that help homeowners to repair their homes. So if you do not have disaster Insurance, you need to contact the government about what has happened to your property and get their assistance.

Have Your Home Inspected

When your home is in a natural disaster, there will likely be visible damage to the yard, structure common garage, in any other buildings that might be on your property. They will also likely be damage does not visible that is both dangerous and costly. For this reason you need to have your home inspected by a professional inspection company who can do a thorough assessment your entire property and let you and your insurance company know the extent of the damage and what needs to be repaired.

If you own a home, there are the structures on your home and also your yard. You should also have the trees inspected in your property particularly after a flood or earthquake because quite often trees can be uprooted and disturbed causing them to fall over long after the natural disaster.

If you have large trees, Tree risk assessment may be necessary where you have a professional tree survey company examine the condition of the trees and if any need to be moved. Depending on where you live, certain trees may need approval from the government in order to be moved. A professional tree survey company will know which trees can be moved and how they need to be moved, so hiring them might be the proper legal road to take.

Tell Your Family That Things will be Fine

When your home is damaged in a natural disaster, it can be demoralizing and demeaning. Your family is likely in shock from the experience and is wondering if their lives will ever return to normal. One thing you need to do is to assure them that although it might take some time, things will get back to how they remembered it. Make sure that you walk them through the process that needs to be done in order to bring things back around.

Natural disasters are part of life, but there are ways to come through one will you and your family and your property will be okay.