Home Emergency Cover Guide
What To Do After A Home Incident
A house fire or incident that forces us out of the home can be devastating. The thought of losing sensitive information, sentimental belongings or, even worse, the life of a loved one can be mentally damaging and stressful. However, it’s important that you try to remain calm following the situation. In the event that something happens to you or someone you know, here are some simple steps on what to do following a devastating home incident.
Ask When It’ll Be Safe To Enter
Depending on the type of damage, your home might not be safe to enter even after the accident. If it was a fire, there might still be harmful chemicals in the air due to batteries or other similar objects being burned. The structure of your home might also be damaged and it could potentially collapse at any time, making it a health hazard and thus, making your home unsafe to live in or even enter. Always talk with emergency services and consult them before moving back into your home.
Initiate Home Restoration Services
A service like ServiceMaster Restoration by Zaba will be worth every penny if the damage to your home was severe. Restoration services can help you repair the damage done to your home from fires, flooding and even remove persistent annoyances such as mould. It’s a good idea to contact them as soon as possible so that you’re not forced out of your home for too long. Give them enough time to completely restore your home and you’ll be surprised at how quickly you can fit back into your normal life.
Prepare Backup Solutions
Although it might already be too late, you should always have backup services ready for sensitive information. Paper records are undoubtedly not as safe as digital ones, so whenever possible keep things backed up with digital records instead of paper ones, make sure you utilize cloud storage for important photos and documents and keep sentimental belongings safe in external storage solutions.
Seeking Help and Reassuring Children
A house fire could be damaging to you or your children’s mental state. It’s normal for people to be petrified of sources of fire following a home fire accident, but it’s a temporary mental state that can be overcome with counseling and professional help. Children might be affected more than adults, so reassure them and comfort them if they’ve lost something valuable. Consider replacing their toys and games as a priority if you have the money, and keep an eye on them for a couple of days following the incident.
Contact Your Home Insurance Company
If you have insurance on your home or belongings, then it’s a good idea to contact your home insurance company and look for compensation on your various belongings, electronic devices, and furniture. With some luck, you’ll be able to cover the majority of the costs to replace your items, but even if you’re unsuccessful with all your claims you’ll get a substantial amount of money to put towards improving your home after the accident, or to pay for repairs and restoration services.
If you found this article any helpful, or you would like to add some more tips to it, or maybe you have gone through all this yourself please don’t hesitate to tell us about. Feel free to leave your comment below.