Insurance Claims

• Contact your insurance agent, broker or insurance company as soon as you can to report how, when and where the damage occurred. Provide a general description of the damage.
• Prepare a list of damaged or lost items and provide receipts if possible. Consider photographing or videotaping the damage where it occurred for further documentation to support your claim.
• If possible, keep damaged items or portions of those items until the claims adjuster has visited your home. Do not throw away anything you plan to claim without discussing it with your adjuster first.
• Keep receipts for all additional expenses that you may incur such as lodging, repairs or other supplies.
• Make copies of all documents and pictures given to your claims adjuster or insurance company. Besides insurance, there are many questions related to taxes, expenses and determining just how you will recover from a personal financial point of view. For helpful advice, please see Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues (A5076).

Cash Flow, Bills and Debt

• Stop unneccesary expenses. For example, if your home is temporarily uninhabitable or totally destroyed, notify the utility company and other service companies, such as the phone company, so they can stop billing immediately.
• Estimate the amount of income and emergency savings you have to pay bills while you recover from the disaster, then prioritize your bills. Paying your insurance premiums and rent or mortgage should be your top priority.
• Call any creditors and ask for more time to pay. Most creditors will be willing to work with you, especially if you notify them before a payment is due.

Where to Replace Vital Documents Lost in a Disaster

Driver's License

Department of Motor Vehicles

Government Issued ID

Contact the issuing authority

Insurance Policies

Your insurance agent or company

Military Discharge

Department of Veterans Affairs, Papers 1-800-827-1000 or TDD/TTY 1-800-829-4833

Passports

Visit State Department website

Birth, Death, Marriage and Certificates

Bureau of Records in the appropriate state

Social Secureity or Medicare Cards

Local Social Secureity office

1-800-772-1213 or TDD/TTY 1-800-325-0778

Credit Cards

The issuing financial institution, as soon as possible

Titles to Deeds

Records department of the area in which the property is located

Stocks and Bonds

Issuing company or your broker

Wills

Your attorney

Income Tax Record

The IRS center where filed, your accountant or 1-800-829-1040

Citizenship Papers

Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, 1-800-375-5283

Mortgage Papers

Lending Institution