What to do after a house fire

在经历了一场房屋火灾之后，可能很难决定下一步该做什么. These tips may help you get back on your feet:

• Find a 安全 place to stay. 根据损坏的程度，你可能无法呆在自己的家里. If staying with friends or family isn't an option, talk to your local disaster relief agency, such as the American Red Cross or Salvation Army. 这些组织可以帮助你找到一个临时住宿的地方.
• Let family and friends know you’re 安全. 当你的房子着火的消息传出去时，家人和朋友可能会担心. Try to reach out to them when you have time.
• 联系 your pp王者电子官网代理人. 你需要 提出索赔 and address your immediate needs. 如果需要, 你的代理人可能会从你的pp王者电子官网单中预支一笔“丧失使用能力”的费用，以支付你的生活和其他日常开支. If you receive an advance on your claim, save all receipts and keep a detailed record of all purchases. 你的 pp王者电子官网代理人 还应该能够帮助您保护您的财产，并提供清理或恢复可利用物品的建议.
• If you rent, call your landlord. 如果房东还不知道房子着火了，就通知他们. 他们可能需要采取一些行动来帮助解决损失.
• 保护你的家. 即使你的家被毁了，你可能无法呆在那里, 作为业主，你通常有责任帮助保护它免受进一步的风险——比如天气和非法进入.
• Take care of your pets. 考虑让你的宠物在火灾后接受兽医的检查. 你的宠物的肺部可能会被烟雾损害，烧伤可以隐藏在皮毛下.
• Get a copy of the fire report. You can usually get fire reports from your local fire department. 该报告可能有助于为您的pp王者电子官网代理机构提供信息.
• 拍照. When it is 安全 to do so, take pictures of your damaged property. 这可以帮助你在它可能被进一步损坏或从家里搬走之前记录需要更换的东西.
• Address your finances. 即使你的房子被毁了，你也可能需要继续支付抵押贷款. 你可能还需要继续支付汽车贷款，更换在房屋火灾中被烧毁的信用卡或借记卡.
• Replace lost documents. 如果你没有机会拿到像护照这样的重要文件, birth certificates and marriage licenses beforehand, they will need to be replaced. If the documents are in a 安全, try to check it as soon as you’re allowed back in your home.
• Throw away damaged items. As you try to determine what to throw away, focus on items like plastics, canned/boxed food, medicine and hygiene products, 这些可能已经暴露在火中，可能被烟雾和烟尘污染. 把你丢弃的东西拍下来记录下来.
• Recover your possessions. Items destroyed in a house fire may be covered by insurance. Typically, the homeowners 政策 is a 重置成本 政策. When that's the case, 损失发生了, 您将在结算时收到损坏物品的实际现金价值，并可在物品被更换后收回重置成本. To see that everything is accounted for, consider a 家里的库存 of your possessions. A complete inventory generally includes the date of purchase, cost at purchase and description of each item.
• Keep records of repairs and notes written along the way. 在你修缮房屋的过程中，会涉及到很多信息. You might also have many receipts along the way. 使用活页夹或文件夹可以帮助您跟踪这些类型的文档.
• Update your mailing address. If you know you’ll be away from your home for a while, consider changing your address with the post office. 这可以帮助确保你在这段时间仍然会收到邮件.
• Take care of your family's mental health. Disasters can make it difficult to cope. This is particularly true of children. 在应对火灾造成的压力时，对自己要有耐心. If you or others in your family are having difficulty coping, 寻求支持.

Before you find yourself dealing with a loss, it can be helpful to understand your insurance 政策 and its pp王者电子官网. 提前回顾它可以帮助你知道如果发生损失会发生什么——以及你的责任是什么.