Recovery and Rebuilding
Practicalities First
Your survival strategies for the first one to two weeks will vary greatly depending on how much damage your property sustained, whether you were forced to evacuate, or are now stranded at home and cut off from power and other basic services.
If you had to bug out, hopefully you're somewhere safe and (relatively) comfortable, like a friend's or hotel, and your biggest concern is what shape your house is in. You need to try to be patient and remember that whatever damage there is has already likely been done, and returning home before the area is re-secured won't accomplish anything– except possibly putting your family in danger.
If you sheltered in place and are dealing with extended utility outages or extensive damage to your home, your concerns are apt to be a lot more basic– and pressing. A handful of key resources are there to help.
Food, Shelter, Clothing
The Red Cross specializes, as it likes to say, in "the first three days." Services can range from putting you up in a hotel or one of its own shelters to providing a stipend for meals or extra changes of clothes. The organization is also a good clearinghouse for other charities that can provide slightly longer-term aid.
In a highly localized disaster like the flooding of a neighborhood, the Red Cross will usually come find you, but if you need to find them you should make your way to the nearest FEMA or other governmental command center and just look for the big red cross or a representative who can point you in the right direction. (Depending on space, sometimes the Red Cross will set up in the same facility as the governmental authorities, and sometimes in a nearby school or public building.) If you have access to phone or the Internet, you can also contact your local Red Cross chapter.
Finding FEMA
For all the criticism FEMA has come under (much of it deserved), the agency is still an important recovery resource at your disposal. After a major disaster, like a hurricane or earthquake, the local FEMA Recovery Centers will typically serve as a hub of activity for all sorts of relief organizations and services. To find the center, look for the fliers or listen to the radio or TV announcements broadcasting location. Or check the bulletin board at the Your Survival List area. [insert link]
Patching Your Roof
So many disasters cause roof damage that our federal government has a specific– and surprisingly fast and efficient– program dedicated to helping you temporarily keep the elements out of your house. If the damage isn't too extensive, you can get free "FEMA blue" roof tarps at your local FEMA Disaster Recovery Center. You can also have the US Army Corps of engineers install sheets of a slightly more durable plastic material (in a similar shade of blue) through Operation Blue Roof . Sign up at the same centers or by calling 1-888-ROOF-BLU.
Managing Your Water Supply
Most people have no idea how much water they use until they're in a situation where the faucets don't work, they're subsisting on dried food and high-sodium canned goods 24/7, and all there is to drink for the next several days is whatever cans, bottles, and jugs they've stockpiled in their own home. Unless you went in for 55-gallon water drums, you could soon find yourself running low, but there are some simple things you can do to stretch your supply. The best primer we've found on tapping and purifying the hidden sources of water around your house– from stream beds to your own hot water heater– is in the Survival Guide section at the popular survivalist website captaindaves.com.
A Note About Notifying Your Insurance Company
As soon as your phone is working again, you should contact your insurance agent or the claims hotline listed in your policy to report the damages to your home. You don't need specific information about the extent or cost of the damages– the company will arrange for one of its representatives, known as an "adjustor," to come out later and do a thorough inspection. But the company won't start the process until you have a claim number, and you can't get a claim number until you make that initial call.