There aren’t many events that can disrupt your life more than a flood or fire in your home. Your home is a haven – a place to feel safe and secure. So if something happens that takes it all away from you — even temporarily — it’s normal for you and your family to feel hopeless and overwhelmed afterwards.

You want everything to be back to normal and you can’t do it alone. You need reassurance and advice that will make things better, quickly.

You might turn to your insurance company and the agent you have been faithfully paying premiums to for many years. All you ask for is for the valuable items you lost in the disaster to be replaced. But then you find out about the hassle of proving what what was in the home and what their condition was. You may eventually get replacements for all your lost belongings, but the process of haggling with the insurance adjuster can take a lot of time and energy.

How to avoid this

Now is the time to prepare. There are some simple steps that can ensure that if the unthinkable does occur — even if it is just a flooded bathroom or a kitchen fire  — you are prepared.

Step 1:  Ask your insurance agent if they have a worksheet available so you can create an inventory of all your belongings. There are also sites that that can assist with that, and some insurance companies even have a “digital vault” where you can catalog your home.

Step 2: Create the list of all your valuables, even those that mainly just have sentimental value, and take video or photographs of everything. Be sure to scan or take pictures of all your paper receipts.

Step 3: Protect your documentation. All of your lists, your photos, and your scanned documents need to be put in a safe location. Many people use the “cloud,” – an online file system that can be accessed from any computer.If you do that, make sure you have the username and password, so all your data is safe.

Protect yourself. Have the proof you need in the event of a disaster. And if you have fire damage in Houston TX or other disasters that require restoration, call DRYMORE first. We will help you through the process of dealing with your insurance and make the process much quicker and simpler.