 TIPS
& HELPFUL HINTS |
| |
| The
following helpful hints and tips cover a variety of disaster
recovery and preparedness related areas.
Recovering
from a disaster may take a long time. Many of the
things you have to do will be new to you. After incurring
water, fire, smoke, mold or other type of property damage
resulting from a natural or man-made disaster or incident,
it is natural to want to take matters into your own
hands and start cleaning the damaged property yourself.
While quick response is important, often times, improper
action can make the cleaning and property restoration
and rebuilding process more difficult, extensive and
costly.
This
is why it is important to contact a certified cleaning
and restoration company, like 3D Disaster Kleenup of
Columbus, immediately after property damage is incurred.
We will guide you through the proper safety and cleaning
protocols specific to your circumstance until our professionals
can arrive on scene. If you want to learn how you can
be more proactive in planning for disaster recovery,
read about our
“Disaster Recovery Program.”
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IMPORTANT
THINGS TO DO AND NOT DO AFTER A DISASTER
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| DO: |
 |
Contact
your insurance representative immediately. |
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Make
sure the damaged structure is secure before you leave
the scene. |
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Board-up
all damaged and first floor windows. |
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Check
all window and door locks. Secure them. |
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Ask
an experienced technician to turn off all utilities. |
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Know
that safety is your first priority. |
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Create
a personal inventory list. |
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Interview
and check your builder’s qualifications and references
before hiring. |
| DO
NOT: |
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Enter
a home or business after damage has occurred. |
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Remove
any items from the scene until given permission from responders
and insurance representatives. |
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Immediately
commit to further repairs with the board-up contractor.
|
|
Use
food items exposed to excessive damage. |
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Use
electronic appliances until are cleaned or checked. |
| WATER
DAMAGE AND FLOODING |
| Important
Things To DO and NOT DO After Incurring Water Damage
|
| DO:
|
|
|
Make
safety your first priority. |
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Turn
off the electrical breaker. Unplug and remove all small
electrical devices that are in contact with wet carpet.
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Place
aluminum foil under legs of wood furniture in contact
with wet carpet. |
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Remove
any furniture items to prevent rust or other stains and
expedite restoration work. |
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Place
draperies on coat hangers and hang on rod. |
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Pin
up upholstered furniture skirts. |
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Remove
potted plants in contact with wet carpet. |
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Remove
books, shoes, paper goods (especially newspapers) and
all else that may stain the carpet. Check under beds and
in closets. |
|
Make
plans for restoration crew to remove and store large articles
of furniture on dry carpet, linoleum, garage, or other
areas unaffected by water damage. |
| DO
NOT: |
|
Use
vacuum cleaner. |
|
Place
newspaper in traffic areas to walk on. |
|
Walk
on carpet any more than necessary. |
| FIRE,
SMOKE, AND SOOT |
Important
Things To DO and NOT DO
In the Event of Incurring Fire or Smoke Damage |
| DO: |
|
|
Make
safety your first priority. |
|
Stay
calm and don’t panic. |
|
Keep
children, elderly adults, individuals with asthma and
pets away from the affected area |
|
Open
windows for ventilation, if outside conditions are favorable. |
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Empty
freezer and refrigerator completely if electricity is
off. Prop open doors. |
|
Remove
pets to safe environments. |
|
Tape
a double layer of cheesecloth over air registers. |
|
Contact
a certified fire restoration contractor, such as 3D Building
Systems. Remember, handling a fire loss requires special
training and knowledge. |
| DO
NOT: |
|
Attempt
to wipe off or wash walls, ceilings, or other absorbent
surfaces with household cleaners. |
|
Use
upholstered furniture if possible. |
|
Eat
food goods or canned goods that have been exposed to excessive
heat or damage. |
|
Use
televisions, stereos, or any other electrical appliances
until cleaned and checked by a professional. |
|
Use
home carpet cleaner sprays. |
| VALUABLE
DOCUMENTS AND RECORDS |
| Who
to Contact When Valuable Documents and Records are Destroyed
or Damaged |
| ITEM |
WHO
TO CONTACT |
| Driver's
license |
Local
department of motor vehicles |
| Bank
books |
Your
bank, as soon as possible |
| Insurance
policies |
Your
insurance agent |
| Military
discharge papers |
Local
Veterans Administration |
| Passports
|
Local
passport office |
| Certificates
of birth, death or marriage |
State
Bureau of Records in the state |
| Divorce
papers |
Circuit
Court where decree was issued |
| Social
Security or Medicare cards |
Local
Social Security Office |
| Credit
Cards |
The
issuing companies, as soon as possible |
| Titles
to deeds |
Records
department of city or county in which the property
is located |
| Stocks
and bonds |
Issuing
company or your broker |
| Wills
|
Your
lawyer |
| Medical
records |
Your
doctor |
| Warranties |
Issuing
company |
| Income
tax records |
The
Internal Revenue Service Center where filed or your
accountant |
| Auto
registration title |
Department
of Motor Vehicles |
| Citizenship
papers |
The
U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service |
| Prepaid
burial contracts |
Issuing
company |
| Animal
registration papers |
City/County
animal registration department
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|
| DAMAGE
TO MONEY, COINS, OR U.S. SAVINGS BONDS |
| Paper
Money
|
|
Handle
burned money as little as possible. |
|
Attempt
to encase each bill or portion of a bill in plastic wrap
for preservation. |
|
If
money is only half-burned or less (if half or more of
the bill is intact), you can take the remainder to your
local Federal Reserve Bank for replacement. Ask your personal
bank for the nearest one. |
|
Mail
the burned or torn money via
FIRST CLASS REGISTERED MAIL to:
U.S. Treasury Department
Main Treasury Building, Room 1123
Washington, D.C. 20220 |
| Coins |
|
Mutilated
or melted coins can be taken to the Federal Reserve Bank,
or mailed via FIRST CLASS REGISTERED MAIL to:
Superintendent, U.S. Assay Office
32 Old Slip
New York, NY 10005 |
| U.S.
Savings Bonds |
|
If
your U.S. Savings Bonds have been mutilated or destroyed,
write to:
U.S. Treasury Department
Bureau of Public Debt
Division of Loans and Currency
537 South Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60605
Attn: Bond Consultant |
|
Include
name(s) on bonds, approximate date or time period when
purchased, denominations and approximate number of each.
|
| INSURANCE
RELATED OR LOSS CLAIMS |
|
Your
Obligations Following A Disaster or Loss
If
you are insured, your insurance will be perhaps most
important single component in recovering efficiently
from a loss. A number of coverages are available to
residential and commercial property owners. Your insurance
policy is a contract between you and the insurer. The
insurer promises to do certain things for you and in
turn, you have certain obligations to them following
a loss such as:
|
|
Provide
immediate notice of the loss to the insurance company
or the insurer's agent. |
|
Protect
the property from further damage by making sensible or
necessary repairs such as covering holes in the roof or
walls. Take reasonable precautions against loss, such
as draining water lines in winter if the property will
be unheated for some time. The insurance company may refuse
to pay losses that occur from not taking such reasonable
care. |
|
Make
an inventory of damaged personal property. Show in detail,
the quantity, description, original purchase price, purchase
date, damage estimate and replacement cost. |
|
Cooperate
with the insurer or his/her adjuster by exhibiting the
damaged property. |
|
Submit,
within a stated time period (usually 30 - 60 days), a
formal statement of loss. Such a statement should include:
the time and cause of loss; the names and addresses of
those who have an interest in the property (i.e. mortgage
holder, a separated or divorced spouse or a lien holder);
building plans and specifications of the original home
and a detailed estimate for repairs; the damage inventory
mentioned above; and receipts for additional living expenses
and loss of use claims. |
| ADJUSTING
THE LOSS AFTER A DISASTER |
|
"Loss
adjustment" is the process of establishing the
value of the damaged property. This is a joint effort
among a number of parties to the process such as the
property owner or occupant, the insurance company and
its representatives.
The owner or occupant is required by the insurance contract
to prepare an inventory and cooperate in the loss valuation
process. An insurance agent may act as the adjuster
if the loss is small. The insurer may send an adjuster
who is a permanent member of the insurer's staff, or
the company may hire an independent adjuster to act
in its behalf. It is the insurance adjuster's job, as
a representative of the insurance company, to monitor
and assist in the loss valuation process and to bring
the loss to a just and equitable settlement.
Either
you or the insurer may hire the services of a restoration
and cleaning company like 3D Building Systems. These
firms provide a range of services that may include some
or all of the following:
|
|
Securing
the site against further damage |
|
Estimating
structural damage |
|
Repairing
structural damage |
|
Estimating
the cost to repair or renew items of personal property
|
|
Packing,
transportation, and storage of household items |
|
Securing
appropriate cleaning or repair subcontractors |
|
Storing
repaired items until needed
Rebuilding your property |
3D
Building Systems provides all these services. It is important
to coordinate with the insurance adjuster before contracting
for any services. If you invade the insurer's responsibility
area by contracting without its knowledge or consent,
you may be left with bills to pay that otherwise would
have been covered by the insurer.
|
| KEY
TERMS TO KNOW WHEN VALUING YOUR PROPERTY AFTER A LOSS
|
|
A
pre-fire inventory along with a videotape of all your
property could prove to be a valuable record when making
your claim. When adjusting your fire loss or in claiming
a casualty loss on your Federal income tax, you will
have to deal with various viewpoints on the value of
your property.
Some
terms used for this process are listed below:
|
|
Personal
valuation - Your attachment to and personal valuation
of your property lost in a loss. Personal items have a
certain sentimental value. This term is not meant to belittle
their value to you, but is used to separate feelings about
the value from objective measures of value. It will be
objective measures of value that you, the insurer, and
the Internal Revenue Service will use as a common ground.
|
|
Cost
when purchased - This is an important element
in establishing an item's final value. Receipts will help
verify the cost price. |
|
Fair
market value before the loss – This is also
referred to as "actual cash value." This is
what you could have gotten for the item if you had sold
it the day before the fire. Its price would reflect its
cost at purchase and the wear it had sustained since then.
|
|
Depreciation
– The formal term to express the amount of value
an item loses over a period of time. |
|
Value
after the fire – This is sometimes called
the item's "salvage value." |
|
Replacement
Cost - The cost to replace the item with a like,
but not necessarily identical item. |
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