4 Steps to Overcoming the Effects of a House Fire

 


A house fire can be a devastating experience for your whole family and can have an impact on you and other family members that is both physical and emotional. It is likely that after a fire, you are left feeling shaken and in shock. This often means that you are not able to think clearly. As a result, it can be difficult to put your thoughts in order and work out what your next best step should be. This guide is here to help you by outlining the steps you should take after a house fire, so that you can focus on recovering, safe in the knowledge that you have done all you can to begin the process of getting your home back.


  1. Contact Your Insurance Company


As soon as you possibly can, contact your insurance company. You should not try to clean anything up or move anything from the site until an insurance rep has been and evaluated the situation. Nobody should set foot on the site until a firefighter has cleared your house and marked it as safe. Make sure you take pictures of the damage and tread lightly around the house, doing as much as you can to prevent more damage (e.g. covering a hole in the wall or roof with tarpaulin). Your insurance company will reimburse you for the damages caused by a fire. If you have any deductibles, this will be taken off the settlement – for more information about how home insurance deductibles work, see KBD Insurance.


  1. Find Somewhere Safe to Stay


You now need to find a safe place to stay. Have a conversation with your insurance company and you will find out if they will cover you to stay at a hotel. If that isn’t possible, often people move in to live with relatives while the home repairs are taking place.


If you have kids in school you should contact the school and explain the situation. They will be able to give you guidance on what happens in terms of your kids continuing their classes if you have to move out of the district temporarily – most districts are fine with kids doing this for acts of god like a fire.


Make sure you track all your costs with receipts, as your insurance company might allow you to claim some of your expenses back.


  1. Allow Time for Emotional Recovery


A home fire can be highly traumatic, so you need to allow yourself some time to heal, and if necessary you should seek counseling if you are finding it particularly troubling. Signs that you need that extra care are if you have some trouble sleeping, concentrating or relating to others after the fire. Try to get your family back to their normal routines as much as possible, and make sure you talk with children about how they are feeling; they will need a bit of guidance to help them process what has happened.


  1. Check the Damages


Your insurance company will want you to make an inventory of everything that you have lost in the fire. If the only way you can do this is by reconstructing a list just through your memory, you might find it helpful to scour through any photos and videos you have, as well as bank records to help you work out how much things cost.


There you are, some top tips to help you through this testing time.


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