When my family's house in western PA was flooded by hurricane Ivan, the Red Cross's assistance was a JOKE. MADR is real people doing real work. Help them help people.
The thing about "just move away from areas where natural disasters are likely" this time around is I feel like "the mountains flooded" isn't really registering with people.
some more tips: bsky.app/profile/livy...
United Policyholders is a nonprofit for navigating insurance in a disaster. check them out! they have resources by state.uphelp.org/recovery/state-by-state-help/north-carolina/
6. I could honestly go on forever, but this is the biggie: figure out a way to connect with your community! leaders in our fire community set up a Slack instance that we used to share information about the endless legal and insurance tangle. get connected, organize, and get home faster.
5. as soon as you start feeling able, get a friend, ask them to start writing in an excel sheet for you. every time you mention âoh, I miss that thing I hadâ - it goes on the sheet. again, sort it out later.
4. KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS. for every tiny damn thing. you wonât have the wherewithal to deal with them right now. thatâs okay. go to the dollar store, buy a plastic tub, put the receipts in there. deal with them when you feel less insane, which may take a long, long time.
3. along with that - for large losses they will often forward you a chunk of your personal property coverage. this amount is negotiable. you can basically ask for emergency funds to get through the next couple weeks. ours was $5K, and it was 100% necessary. ASK.
2. file a claim early, especially if the flooding is so intense that you have a near total loss. you can get to a way better settlement the earlier you involve the insurance company.
some more home insurance tips for evacuees: 1. stay at a hotel when you first evacuate. your Additional Living Expenses coverage will cover restaurants, and your lodging, but if you rent a place / stay with a friend, and you have a kitchen, itâll be harder to recover funds.