Comments on: Disaster Uncluttering: Aftermath

By: Gary DuVall

Gary DuVall — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:01:58 +0000

If you had to “air it out”, it’s dieing.

The LCD was a bit distorted at first, but that night it aired out completely. I was aware of the potential issues involved with the chemical mixture making its way into the traces, but in fact we still have it to this day and it works just fine. (One of the few things, along with the aforementioned Mag-Lite…)

By: cerrissa

cerrissa — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 15:53:04 +0000

these posts about losing everything in a fire is really hitting close to home. there was a fire in my apartment building about a month ago. thankfully my apartment only had water damage (no fire or smoke damage) but it was still so stressful and scary. Coming home after work seeing people from the apartments where they lost everything wrapped in blankets outside and seeing water pour out of your ceiling onto your belongings makes it really easy to freak out and have no idea what to do. Then after dealing with all the cleaning up you have to do, dealing with the insurance people and landlords can be even worse. i was lucky and didn’t lose very much (most everything that got wet was washable), but it could have been way worse. i was one of those stupid people that didn’t have renter’s insurance, but i’m now changing my ways. i don’t want to have to depend on luck any more.

i tried to make the best of the situation by using it as an opportunity to make changes and get my spring cleaning done. the uncluttering hint of ‘what would you really miss if you lost everything’ became very real. when black smoky water poured into my closet and got most everything wet and smelly what did i really want to spend time and money washing, dry cleaning, or replacing??? i realized how many things i had that i didn’t really care about.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 19:06:12 +0000

Also, remember to check the coverage limits when purchasing the insurance in the first place. We almost bought insurance at twice the price because we have three computers in the home, then read the fine print. No matter the total loss amount, the insurance would only cover the first $2000 of electronics.

By: Louise

Louise — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:35:43 +0000

In the first few hours and days after a disaster like this, many people are provided shelter and clothing for free by the Red Cross. As part of your preparation, may I gently suggest a donation to this hard-working and important charity?

It sounds like Gary’s insurance paid for a hotel, but not all insurance does and of course not everyone has insurance. Family and friends are not always nearby. Who would you turn to in a case like that?

Full disclosure: I am a Red Cross volunteer. My skills are not used after house fires, but know lots of folks who give their time to help out in that way. After the fire trucks drive away, they are the ones who give a teddy bear to a frightened child and hug a relieved and shaking parent. Like all good work, cash is needed to maintain the structure of the organization, so your donation is always welcomed. http://www.redcross.org

By: Ruth Hansell

Ruth Hansell — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 16:04:21 +0000

Excellent advice, but I’d add this to the first item. Go over your fire or renters insurance policy when you get it,make notes of anything you don’t understand, and ask your insurance agent to explain these things to you. In person is best. Any good agent will be happy to do this with you. Take notes and make sure you’re clear.

Trying to understand your policy, which is written in legalese and not easy to decipher at all, the day after you’ve been through a disaster, only adds a lot of stress. Get clear beforehand and if disaster happens, you’ll be much better able to cope.

Ruth

By: John of Indiana

John of Indiana — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:07:46 +0000

Save the camera for the claims adjuster, but buy a new one to use. If you had to “air it out”, it’s dieing.
The chemicals and fumes present in a fire literally EAT the circuit traces right off the board in electronic stuff.
I worked my way through school in a furniture repair shop that did a lot of insurance work, and no matter how contained the fire itself, all the electronics were always written-off and dumpstered after inventory. I acquired some stereo equipment that way that lived maybe 6 months maximum after the fact.

By: Suki

Suki — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:05:41 +0000

If you rent, please get renter’s insurance. You’d think that would be a no-brainer, but a co-worker’s daughter was displaced by a fire in her apartment complex. He admitted he’d told her she did not “need” renter’s insurance! His reasoning: she didn’t have that much stuff. Once she tallied up clothes, electronics, cosmetics, accessories, furniture and such, it was well over $6K.

By: Taylor at Household Management 101

Taylor at Household Management 101 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 14:01:30 +0000

Insurance adjusters, in my opinion, based on LOTS of experience as an attorney, are trained to be complete jerks. That is unfortunate since they are dealing with their customers during especially stressful times when they esp. don’t need someone to be a jerk to them, even more so because you are paying premiums so this person will supposedly help you.

Although it is unfortunate that you were told to just stay put until Monday, and then chastised for not mitigating the damages more, this is also very typical. Your advice on how to avoid that situation is also completely spot on.

I don’t always think it is wise to hire an attorney right away when you have a devastating loss, because I think this puts an insurance company on guard and more suspicious. However, I do think speaking with an attorney who will read over your policy and discuss your rights and responsibilities with you can be very helpful and let you feel more confident when the adjuster tells you one thing, but the policy says something else, to tell the adjuster that they are wrong and to (politely) call them on it.

Also, if you get the SLIGHTEST (sorry to yell, but I really mean just slight) suspicion that your insurance company is considering calling it arson or fraud, or something like that, lawyer up FAST, and immediately hire your own expert fire investigator to say what the cause of the fire was. The longer the fire scene sits, the harder it will be for an investigator to say what caused it, and you have got to have someone on your side. The insurance company will hire their own “neutral expert” who will basically come to whatever conclusion the insurance company wants, so you need a highly qualified fire scene investigator of your own. It costs thousands of dollars that you will not be able to get it back from your insurance company, but it is better than waiting years to get your money after your claim is denied and then you must file a lawsuit. (I speak from experience, as an attorney who has represented multiple clients who allegedly set fire to their homes (none of whom really did) where we had to sue the insurance company to get them to pay the policy.) By the way, when you have to hire an attorney they money is not paid back by the insurance company generally (there are exceptions but they are quite rare) so you want to get them to pay your claim and not deny it, because you will basically lose 1/3 or more to attorneys fees otherwise.

By: Tabitha (From Single to Married)

Tabitha (From Single to Married) — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:49:47 +0000

Wow, it’s so good to read this because it’s something we don’t think about often but need to be prepared for just the same. I even forwarded it to my husband so we can discuss our own plan.

By: Mo

Mo — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:40:04 +0000

Before we met, my husband lived in an apartment house that burned down.

One of the inspectors he dealt with afterwards was a real jerk, didn’t know what he was talking about, etc., etc. But my husband wanted to stay calm, figured it could be sorted out later, etc., etc. Turns out that that guy’s report was used to deny all sorts of claims that the tenants had and they got almost nothing from the building’s policy. My husband had just moved in and hadn’t yet set up his own renter’s policy. A letter detailing his disagreements with the inspector and the reasons why and his knowledge of buildings and construction and how fires start could have made a big difference.