Contact a rē:network partner–they will help you begin the process to help you get back to normal. Many times insurance will cover these losses but it is not required that you choose their preferred vendor.
Please keep in mine, you are free to choose any restoration company and they will handle the discussions with your insurance company for you.
If you have access, these resources can be very helpful during a storm.
If you need to prepare for evacuation–move items to a safe area and secure the home.
Turn off utilities and unplug electrical appliances.
If you have to evacuate, do not drive around a barricade–Turn Around, Don’t Drown and go the other way.
Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and stalling.
If your vehicle stalls, leave it immediately and seek higher ground.
If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL for help.
Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke-stay low and crawl under it.
Close the doors on your way to slow the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape to an outdoor meeting area.
Check-list
Contact your family, friends, church and anyone else in your support network.
Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army. They can help you find shelter,food, replacement medicines etc.
Contact a rē:network partner to begin the process of restoration of your home.
If you have insurance, contact your insurance company. Ask what you should do to keep your home safe until it is repaired. If you leave your home, call the local police department to let them know the site will be vacant.
The fire department will tell you if your home is safe to enter and if utilities (water, electricity and gas etc) are safe to use.
Locate your home inventory list.
Contact your family, friends, church and anyone else in your support network.
Contact a rē:network partner to help you navigate the next phase of finding a place to stay, keeping your home safe and restoring your home.
Contact your local disaster relief service, such as the Red Cross or Salvation Army. They can help you find shelter,food and replacement medicines etc.
If you have insurance, contact them and ask what you should do to keep your home safe until it is repaired. If you leave your home, call the local police department to let them know the site will be vacant.
If a fire occurs in your home, GET OUT, STAY OUT and CALL for help.
Smoke naturally rises, so if there is smoke-stay low and crawl under it.
Close the doors on your way to slow the spread of fire, giving you more time to safely escape to an outdoor meeting area.
Yes, document recovery is possible depending on the level of damage and other factors involved. Recovering your important papers and photos after fire, smoke or water damage requires specific techniques and expertise.
Many of your photos and documents can be saved from fire, smoke, water and moisture damage including:
Photos,legal documents and personal papers, books, CDs/DVDs and storage media
For the best results on restoring your home , call a rē:network specialist and let them handle everything!
Photo Credit: Justin Ide
Keys to a successful contents restoration process:
-Know what you own—have an accurate home inventory BEFORE you suffer damage
-Make wise choices—determine what to save and restore and what would be best to replace.
-Contact one of our rē:network partners and allow the professionals to handle everything for you.
-We can help you choose the right restoration company here
Steps of professional contents restoration:
-Complete an inventory of your items (a home inventory list you have previously completed makes this easier!)
-Pack up and storage of your items until your home is ready
-Restoration of items (electronics, textiles, book and documents etc)
-Return of the items to your home
Photo Credit: PLUS IM
After a fire, the contents of your home may need to be repaired, restored or replaced. In addition to the ravages of fire, smoke and water may have damaged your possessions. Some items will require replacement. But many items just need the proper methods of restoration to return them to their former glory. It’s imperative that your items receive the appropriate treatment in a timely manner if they are to be saved.
Contact one of our partners and allow the professionals to handle everything for you.
Electronics and Appliances
The moving or removal of these items must be done by a professional, do not attempt to handle these on your own. Due to the delicate nature of electronic equipment and devices, cleaning and drying must be done under specific conditions and with care by a professional. Soot can infiltrate far beyond what is visible and cause damage at a microscopic level so any cleaning method must also reach those areas.
Fabrics
If items made of fabric (ex: clothes, bedding and other linens) have survived a fire, they may still be unusable because of smoke or water damage, but they might be salvageable. Some items just need to be professionally cleaned while others may require more intercession to return them to their pre-fire condition.
Hard surfaces
In the restoration industry, much of traditional restoration methods involved removing walls, ceilings and flooring surfaces and replacing them. While this removed damaged surfaces, the process was costly, messy and time consuming.Technology allows many of these surfaces to be restored in place, saving time by eliminating the removal and replacement period as well as saving the cost of new materials.Many surfaces can be saved if cleaned and completely dried out with these methods. Example: Dry wall; plaster,hard wood floors; tile floors and countertops; cabinetry; doors and windows
A thorough inspection by a ReNetwork specialist can help determine which surfaces can be saved and which must be replaced.
Photo Credit: Service Master of Salem
Your home may not be safe to enter so it is best to have professionals take a look at the area. Contact one of our partners and allow them to handle everything for you. A restoration team will come and dry the areas and remove contents during this time.
If your home is not livable at this time, your insurance may cover a hotel for you to stay at. Contact your support network to help you during this time as well. The resources here can help you with accommodations, food, clothing etc.
Photo Credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images