4 Essential Steps of Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery

6/28/2017 (Permalink)

Faster to Any-Sized Disaster

Natural disasters can be terrifying, especially if they affect your home and your loved ones. Although it’s scary to think about, there are a wide variety of different catastrophes that could strike your home, including floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, fires, and more. If one of these unfortunate events does happen, you don’t want to find yourself unprepared!  Discover the most important steps to take following a major disaster so you and your family are able to recover quickly and safely.  

1.     Assess the Situation

As soon as the calamity has died down, check yourself and any family members to make sure no one is hurt. If you have any nearby neighbors, see if they are in need of any help. Turn off the gas and electricity in your home if it safe to do so, and avoid entering your home for a while, as there could be damage to your floors or ceilings that could cause them to collapse.

2.     Finding Food and Shelter

Food and water are vital for keeping your strength up, so start your search for necessities as soon as you can. If your home no longer has running water, you can obtain it through emergency sources, such as rainwater, your hot water tank, your toilet reservoir, or ice cube trays. If you have food that needs to be cooked, you can cook it over a fire in your chimney or use a grill outside. Shelters are usually assembled by the American Red Cross in emergency situations for those whose homes are too damaged to stay in; look for one of these if you feel your home is dangerous. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, as well as local churches and community services, are also good resources for any needs you might have in these dire situations.

3.     Be Cautious

Disasters always leave a trail of destruction behind; be wary of contaminated floodwaters, fallen power lines, or any criminals taking advantage of all the chaos.  Don’t turn the gas back on in your home, as there could be a leak, and make sure your house is ventilated if you’re cooking over your fireplace.

4.     Recovering Important Information

One of the last steps of disaster rehabilitation and recovery is to salvage as many of the important documents from the wreckage, such as your insurance policies, birth certificates, driver’s license, deeds, wills, financial statements, and any other precious information. Although these procedures might be difficult, it will help you and your family recover from this crisis as quickly as possible.

Call SERVPRO of The Beaches/Ponte Vedra with all Your Disaster Rehabilitation Needs!

If a disaster has affected your home, call SERVPRO of The Beaches/Ponte Vedra for all your cleanup needs! Our disaster restoration services are available 24/7, 365 days per year; they include water and flood damage cleanup, mold remediation, odor control, reconstruction services, trauma cleanup, and fire and smoke damage cleanup.  Don’t wait another moment if your home has been devastated; call us today at 904-246-6118.