After It's Over

Imagine this: you're awakened early one morning by the incessant beeping of your home's smoke detector and you realize your home is on fire! Take the scenario a little further and, a short time later, you're sitting in the back of a Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicle. The Red Cross volunteer tells you that they can provide temporary shelter and funds to replace some of your damaged clothing, but then they ask the question you've been dreading - what are your immediate recovery plans? I am that Red Cross volunteer and I'm writing this article to help you learn what to do . . . when the time comes to pick up the pieces.

Immediately after the fire

Your recovery begins, literally, while the fire department is still on the scene mopping up hot spots and rolling up their hoses. By this time any minor injuries you might have sustained have been attended to by the Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). If the wound was bandaged, ask for some additional bandaging material and replace the bandage if it becomes soiled, damaged, or water-logged.

As difficult as this sounds, one of the most important parts of your recovery - especially right after the fire - is to stay calm and pace yourself. You may find yourself in the position of taking charge of other people (especially if your spouse or other family member(s) were injured). Listen carefully to what they, firefighters, or Red Cross volunteers might tell you and deal with the urgent situations first. Two things should rank high on the list of important things to be done: 1) notify your insurance carrier that you've had a fire; and 2) notify your utility company(s) that you've had a fire. The reason behind this being that, even though utility service might have temporarily been disconnected, they will continue to bill you even if you aren't able to occupy your home.

Before re-entering your home, check with the fire department to make sure that it is safe to do so. Do not cut or walk past "Fire Line" or "Caution" tape that has been placed to cordon off damaged areas or the fire scene as a whole. Also, if the building inspector came out and placed a color-coded sign on your home, do not enter until you get more information about what the sign means and whether they think it's safe for you to re-enter your home.

Recovering emotionally

Yours and your family's emotional well-being and recovery as healing physical injuries or rebuilding your home following a fire. Many people are surprised at how they - and others in their family - feel after experiencing a disaster such as a fire. They can stir up many different thoughts and feelings - such as fear for their own safety or the safety of a loved one. Additionally, they may feel shock, disbelief, grief, anger, and guilt much the same as a person feels when grieving over the death of a loved one. Besides strong emotions, a person who has experienced a fire can suffer from memory problems, anxiety and/or depression.

A disaster is an upsetting experienced for all who had to face it . . . but especially so for children, senior adults, and people with disabilities. Children particularly might seem more afraid than usual because their view of the world as a safe and predictable place has temporarily been lost and they might be afraid that the fire - or other disaster - will happen again and that family members could be injured or killed. How a parent (or other adult) reacts following any traumatic event can help a child recover both more quickly and more completely.

The American Red Cross (ARC) offers these tips to meet emotional AND physical needs following a fire:

Try to return to as many of your personal and family routines as possible.

Get rest and drink plenty of fluids. Even the most daunting tasks doesn't seem quite as bad if you're well rested.

Limit your exposure to the sights and sounds of the disaster. Attempt, instead, to focus on the positive.

Recognize your own feelings. As I mentioned earlier, feelings of shock, disbelief, and grief are normal and it's important to come to terms with them.

Realize that, sometimes, recovery can take time.

Recovering financially

As I mentioned earlier in the article, one of the most important things you can do following a fire is to contact your agent, broker, or insurance company as soon as you can. Provide them with a report of how, when, and where the damage occurred. Also, as best as possible, provide a general description of the damage. You might also consider either photographing or videotaping the damage - and where it occurred - to support your claim.

Remember to make copies of all documents and pictures that you provide to your claims adjuster or insurance company. In addition to insurance, there are many questions related to taxes, expenses, and determining just how you can recover from a personal finance perspective. For helpful advice, you can check out "Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues " which is available from your local Red Cross chapter or, on-line, at www.redcross.org