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It is hard to recover from a home disaster. Larry Mayer/Creatas/Getty Images Although you usually have some warning before your home is flooded, and a house fire is an unexpected event, there are some similarities between the two devastating events. You can prepare for both awful possibilities by creating plans to escape either disaster, and knowing how to recover and restore a damaged home once the event is over and danger has passed.
Prepare for the Worst
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Keep important documents such as birth certificates, a list of all credit cards and other irreplaceable papers in a safe that is both fireproof and waterproof. Buy homeowner's insurance or renter's insurance. Have your chimney cleaned, your electrical system checked for worn or outdated wires and your foundation examined for cracks or holes that could let water in faster.
Be Ready to Leave
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Keep two changes of clean clothes per family member, blankets, non-perishable food and toiletries in the trunk of the car. Make an escape plan for both a fire and flood and practice them often with the entire family. The time to try out your emergency evacuation plan is not when the house is on fire. The time to think of alternative routes out of town is not when most roads are under water.
Cleaning Up
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Whether your home and treasured possessions have been damaged by fire or flood, the emotions you will feel the first time you return to your house are the same. Make sure the authorities have determined your place is safe to enter before you do so. While cleaning up and trying to salvage what you can, be aware of physical and emotional fatigue --- do not exhaust yourself. Look for cracks in the foundation, chimney or roof; they can indicate that your home is not safe. Be aware that raccoons or other wildlife may have tried to move in in your absence.
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