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 Recovering
from a fire may take a long time and many of the things you have to
do will be new to you.
If you are not
insured, your recovery from a fire loss most likely will be
dependent upon your own resources. The WVFD may be able to help you.
Call (336) 595-2121. Private organizations that can help include the
American Red Cross and the Salvation Army. You also could talk with
your church or synagogue. Local civic groups such as the Lions or
Rotary Clubs may also be of help.
Insurance Information
If you are
insured, your insurance will be the most important single component
in recovering from a fire loss. A number of coverages are available
such as - homeowner's, tenant's or condominium owner's insurance
policies.
Your insurance
policy is a contract between you and the insurer. The insurer
promises to do certain things for you. In turn, you have certain
obligations. Among your duties after a fire loss would be to give
immediate notice of the loss to the insurance company or the
insurer's agent.
Protect the
property from further damage by making sensible or necessary repairs
such as covering holes in the roof or walls. Take reasonable
precautions against loss, such as draining water lines in winter if
the house will be unheated for some time. The insurance company may
refuse to pay losses that occur from not taking such reasonable
care.
Make an inventory
of damaged personal property showing in detail the quantity,
description, original purchase price, purchase date, damage estimate
and replacement cost. Cooperate with the insurer or his/her adjuster
by exhibiting the damaged property. Submit, within a stated time
period (usually 30-60 days), a formal statement of loss. Such a
statement should include:
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The time and
cause of loss. |
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The names and
addresses of those who have an interest in the property. These
might include the mortgage holder, a separated or divorced
spouse or a lien holder. |
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Building
plans and specifications of the original home and a detailed
estimate for repairs. |
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The damage
inventory mentioned above. |
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Receipts for
additional living expenses and loss of use claims.
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Valuing Your Property
A pre-fire
inventory along with a videotape of all your property could prove to
be a valuable record when making your claim.
When adjusting
your fire loss or in claiming a casualty loss on your Federal income
tax, you will have to deal with various viewpoints on the value of
your property. Some terms used are listed below:
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Your
"personal valuation" is your attachment to and personal
valuation of your property lost in a fire. Personal items have a
certain sentimental value. This term is not meant to belittle
their value to you but is used to separate feelings about the
value from objective measures of value. It will be objective
measures of value which you, the insurer, and the Internal
Revenue Service will use as a common ground. |
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The "cost
when purchased" is an important element in establishing an
item's final value. Receipts will help verify the cost price. |
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Fair market
value before the fire also is expressed as "actual cash value."
This is what you could have gotten for the item if you had sold
it the day before the fire. Its price would reflect its cost at
purchase and the wear it had sustained since then. Depreciation
is the formal term to express the amount of value an item loses
over a period of time. |
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"Value after
the fire" is sometimes called the item's "salvage value." |
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The cost to
replace the item with a like, but not necessarily identical,
item is the replacement cost. |
Adjusting the Loss
"Loss adjustment"
is the process of establishing the value of the damaged property.
This is the result of a joint effort among a number of parties.
Basic parties to the process are the owner or occupant and the
insurance company and its representatives.
The owner or
occupant is required by the insurance contract to prepare an
inventory and cooperate in the loss valuation process. An insurance
agent may act as the adjuster if the loss is small. The insurer may
send an adjuster who is a permanent member of the insurer's staff,
or the company may hire an independent adjuster to act in its
behalf. It is the insurance adjuster's job, as a representative of
the insurance company, to monitor and assist in the loss valuation
process and to bring the loss to a just and equitable settlement.
Either you or the
insurer may hire the services of a fire damage restoration firm or
fire damage service company. These firms provide a range of services
that may include some or all of the following:
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Securing the
site against further damage |
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Estimating
structural damage |
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Repairing
structural damage |
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Estimating
the cost to repair or renew items of personal property |
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Packing,
transportation, and storage of household items |
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Securing
appropriate cleaning or repair subcontractors |
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Storing
repaired items until needed |
It is important
to coordinate with the insurance adjuster before contracting for any
services. If you invade the insurer's responsibility area by
contracting without its knowledge or consent, you may be left with
bills to pay that otherwise would have been covered by the insurer.
Replacement of Valuable Documents and Records
| Item |
Who to Contact |
| Driver's license |
Local department of motor vehicles |
| Bank books |
Your bank, as soon as possible |
| Insurance policies |
Your insurance agent |
| Military discharge papers |
Local Veterans Administration |
| Passports |
Local passport office |
| Birth, death, marriage certificates |
State Bureau of Records in the state of birth, death or marriage |
| Divorce papers |
Circuit Court where decree was issued |
| Social Security or Medicare cards |
Local Social Security Office |
| Credit Cards |
The issuing companies, as soon as possible |
| Titles to deeds |
Records department of city or county in which the property is
located |
| Stocks and bonds |
Issuing company or your broker |
| Wills |
Your lawyer |
| Medical records |
Your doctor |
| Warranties |
Issuing company |
| Income tax records |
The Internal Revenue Service Center where filed or your
accountant |
| Auto registration title |
Department of Motor Vehicles |
| Citizenship papers |
The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service |
| Prepaid burial contracts |
Issuing company |
| Animal registration papers |
Society of registry |
Salvage Hints
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Clothing
- Smoke odor and soot sometimes can be washed from clothing. The
following formula often will work for clothing that can be
bleached:
4-6 tbsp. of
Tri-Sodium Phosphate
l cup Lysol or any household chlorine bleach
l gallon warm water
Mix well, add
clothes, rinse with clear water and dry well.
Be aware that
Tri-Sodium Phosphate is a caustic substance used as a cleaning
agent. It should be used with care and stored out of reach of
children and pets. Wear rubber gloves when using it. Read the
label carefully. To remove mildew, wash the fresh stain with
soap and warm water. Then rinse and dry in sun. If the stain has
not disappeared, use lemon juice and salt, or a diluted solution
of household chlorine bleach. |
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Cooking Utensils - Your pots, pans, flatware, etc., should be washed with
soapy water, rinsed and then polished with a fine-powdered
cleaner. You can polish copper and brass with special polish,
salt sprinkled on a piece of lemon or salt sprinkled on a cloth
saturated with vinegar. |
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Electrical Appliances - Appliances that have been exposed to water or steam
should not be used until you have a service representative check
them. This is especially true of electrical appliances. In
addition, steam can remove the lubricant from some moving parts.
If the fire department turned off your gas or power during the
fire, call the electric or gas company to restore these services
- DO NOT TRY TO DO IT YOURSELF. |
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Food
- Wash your canned goods in detergent and water. Do the same for
food in jars. If labels come off, be sure you mark the contents
on the can or jar with a grease pencil. Do not use canned goods
when cans have bulged or are dented or rusted.
If your home
freezer has stopped running, you still can save the frozen food.
Keep the freezer closed. Your freezer has enough insulation to
keep food frozen for at least one day - perhaps for as many as
two or three days. Move your food to a neighbor's freezer or a
rented locker. Wrap the frozen food in newspapers and blankets
or use insulated boxes. Do not re-freeze food that has thawed.
To remove
odor from your refrigerator or freezer, wash the inside with a
solution of baking soda and water, or use one cup of vinegar or
household ammonia to one gallon of water. Some baking soda in an
open container, or a piece of charcoal can be placed in the
refrigerator or freezer to absorb odor. |
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Flooring and Rugs - When water gets underneath linoleum, it can cause odors
and warp the wood floor. If this happens, remove the entire
sheet. If the linoleum is brittle, a heat lamp will soften it so
it can be rolled up without breaking. If carefully removed, it
can be re-cemented after the floor has completely dried. Small
blisters in linoleum can be punctured with a nail and
re-cemented if you are careful. Dilute regular linoleum paste
thin enough to go through a hand syringe and shoot adhesive
through the nail hole. Weigh down the linoleum with bricks or
boards. It usually is possible to cement loose tiles of any
type. Wait until the floor is completely dry before beginning.
Rugs and
carpets also should be allowed to dry thoroughly. Throw rugs
then can be cleaned by beating, sweeping or vacuuming, and then
shampooing. Rugs should be dried as quickly as possible. Lay
them flat, and expose them to a circulation of warm, dry air. A
fan turned on the rugs will speed drying. Make sure the rugs are
thoroughly dry. Even though the surface seems dry, moisture
remaining at the base of the tufts can quickly rot a rug. For
information on cleaning and preserving carpets, call your carpet
dealer or installer or qualified carpet cleaning professional. |
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Mattresses and Pillows - Reconditioning an innerspring mattress at home is very
difficult, if not impossible. Your mattress may be able to be
renovated by a company that builds or repairs mattresses. If you
must use your mattress temporarily, put it out into the sun to
dry. Then cover it with rubber or plastic sheeting. It is almost
impossible to get smoke odor out of pillows. The feathers and
foam retain the odor. |
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Leather and Books - Wipe leather goods with a damp cloth, then a dry cloth.
Stuff purses and shoes with newspapers to retain shape. Leave
suitcases open. Leather goods should be dried away from heat and
sun. When leather goods are dry, clean with saddle soap. You can
use steel wool or a suede brush on suede. Rinse leather and
suede jackets in cold weather and dry away from heat and sun.
Wet books
must be taken care of as soon as possible. The best methods to
save wet books is to freeze them in a vacuum freezer. This
special freezer will remove the moisture without damaging the
pages.
If there will
be a delay in locating such a freezer, place them in a normal
freezer until a vacuum freezer can be located. |
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Locks and Hinges - Locks (especially iron locks) should be taken apart,
wiped with kerosene and oiled. If locks cannot be removed,
squirt machine oil through a bolt opening or keyhole, and work
the knob to distribute the oil. Hinges also should be thoroughly
cleaned and oiled. |
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Walls and Furniture - To remove soot and smoke from walls, furniture and
floors, mix together:
4 to 6 tbsp.
Tri-Sodium Phosphate
1 cup Lysol or any chloride bleach
1 gallon warm water
Wear rubber
gloves when cleaning. After washing the article, rinse with
clear warm water and dry thoroughly.
Walls may be
washed down while wet. Use a mild soap or detergent. Wash a
small area at one time, working from the floor up. Then rinse
the wall with clear water immediately. Ceilings should be washed
last. Do not repaint until the walls and ceilings are completely
dry.
Wallpaper
also can be repaired. Use a commercial paste to repaste loose
edges or sections. Contact your wallpaper dealer or installer
for information on wallpaper cleaners. Washable wallpaper can be
washed like an ordinary wall, but care must be taken not to soak
the paper. Work from bottom to top to prevent streaking.
Do not dry
your furniture in the sun. The wood will warp and twist out of
shape. Clear off the mud and dirt by scrubbing with a stiff
brush and a cleaning solution. You can also rub the wood surface
with a 4/0 steel wool pad dipped in liquid polishing wax, wipe
with a soft cloth and then buff. Remove the drawers and let them
dry thoroughly so there will be no sticking when you replace
them. Wet wood can decay and mold, so allow it to dry
thoroughly. Open doors and windows for good ventilation. Turn on
your furnace or air conditioner, if necessary. If mold forms,
wipe the wood with a cloth soaked in a mixture of borax
dissolved in hot water. To remove white spots or film, rub the
wood surface with a cloth soaked in a solution of a half cup of
household ammonia and a half cup of water. Wipe dry and polish
with wax, or rub the surface with a cloth soaked in a solution
of a half cup turpentine and a half cup of linseed oil. Be
careful because turpentine is combustible. |
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Money Replacement - Handle burned money as little as possible. Attempt to
encase each bill or portion of a bill in plastic wrap for
preservation. If money is only half-burned or less (if half or
more of the bill is intact), you can take the remainder to your
local Federal Reserve Bank for replacement. Ask your personal
bank for the nearest one. Or you can mail the burned or torn
money via FIRST CLASS REGISTERED MAIL to:
U.S.
Treasury Department
Main Treasury Building, Room 1123
Washington, D.C. 20220
Mutilated or
melted coins can be taken to the Federal Reserve Bank, or mailed
via FIRST CLASS REGISTERED MAIL to:
Superintendent,
U.S. Assay
Office
32 Old Slip
New York, NY 10005
If your U.S.
Savings Bonds have been mutilated or destroyed, write to:
U.S.
Treasury Department
Bureau of Public Debt
Division of Loans and Currency
537 South Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60605
Attn: Bond Consultant
Include
name(s) on bonds, approximate date or time period when
purchased, denominations and approximate number of each. |
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