Please send this to your brother. I'm so very sorry for your horrible loss. I lost my home (along with approx. 3500 other homes) in the September 2020 Almeda Fire and offer this help, and any other help, that I can give. For those of you who lost your home: *Get a notebook to start making lists of to dos, phones numbers, policy numbers and other things like this list. Your brain is going lots of directions and it will help you start to get on the right track. *Call your insurance company immediately to get a claim going. Get them to send you emergency Loss of Use funding to cover you over the next few days. They can usually get an initial amount to you within a day. *Call your mortgage company to put your payment on hold. *Get a mailing company mailbox like UPS or FedEx. They went quickly after the fire, but these companies can take all deliveries, not just mail. It’s a horrible feeling to not know where to send the things that will help you put your life back together. *Allow a friend or family member to put together an Amazon wish list for you to send to people who ask. *Get a storage unit immediately. These went fast. We lived in seven locations in three weeks. People offered us furniture and other things that we needed once we found a stable place. *Go with the insurance adjuster to your site and make sure they understand completely what was there. Ours came from out of state, and we didn’t go, so he put rebuilding our house at only $130 a square foot (comically below Rogue Valley averages). Help them understand if you can how much it will cost to rebuild. If they do come in low, get a competing bid and fight them for every penny. *Your insurance has many “buckets” including personal property, debris removal, landscape, dwelling, other, and so much more. Ask them for a list of all your buckets and coverage amounts. My buckets were loss of use, personal property, landscaping, structure, driveway, debris removal, other structures, and code upgrade. The questions for your insurance company are at the end of this post. You’ll need this as you try to get your coverage amounts paid out. Some insurance companies were better than others for paying out claims easily. *Reach out to the Red Cross, FEMA, and other agencies that help fire survivors. Helping Hands International sifted my house last and found small treasures that I’ll be forever grateful for. They also grieved with us. When I tried sifting on my own, I cut myself and needed a tetanus shot. There are so many entities willing to help. Don’t hesitate to ask for it. * Don’t hesitate to ask the companies that you bought things from if they will replace or give you a discount on replacing items. It reminds me of the importance of registering my products. My daughters reached out to several and I was shocked what they sent. One incredible company sent us a whole grill and everything that went with it. Also, stores in the area gave us incredible, sacrificial discounts. *The decision to buy or rebuild is a hard one. We chose to rebuild after we realized our mortgage didn’t go away after a fire. If you have 12 years left on your house, you still have 12 years and eventually have a new house. If you buy after a wildfire, demand and prices are high (Almeda Fire lost 3500 homes). While building was really hard, we were better off financially. For some people, buying and getting settled quickly is worth the extra cost. * If you have insurance, go forward with Debris Removal even though FEMA is willing to do it for "free." You have no control what they take or leave behind like your driveway and you sign away your insurance proceeds for debris removal if you use FEMA. If you need to move your driveway, then your insurance proceeds are gone and you still have debris to remove. Lastly, it takes time (up to a year) that you don't have since building costs go up. 🧵 1 of 3