After the Disaster: Recovery & Cleanup at Home

What to do once the emergency is over

The storm has passed, the water has gone down, and now you have to go back. After the Disaster picks up where emergency guides stop: the first careful visit home, the hidden hazards, the photographs and paperwork that decide what insurance and FEMA will pay, the cleanup, and taking care of the people who went through it.

It is written for ordinary households, in plain language, and built on current guidance from FEMA, the National Flood Insurance Program, CDC, EPA, and the FDA. Every chapter ends with one small thing you can do tonight.

What's inside

• Ten chapters: Is It Safe to Go Back? · Hazards You Can't See · Document Before You Touch Anything · Working with Insurance · Getting Help · Avoiding Recovery Scams · Flood Cleanup Basics · Mold · Food and Water After · Taking Care of People
• Eleven printable worksheets: First-Visit Safety Checklist, Hazard Report Log, Room-by-Room Damage Inventory, Receipts & Expenses Log, Insurance & Agency Call Log, Claim & Application Tracker, Contractor Quote Comparison, Cleanup Plan by Room, Protective Gear & Supplies Checklist, Food & Water Decision Card, and a Support Contacts Card
• Sources & Limits page listing every agency source, with the review date

Format

Digital PDF, 50 pages, US Letter size. The worksheets print cleanly on a home printer, and they can also be filled in on screen in a PDF reader that supports form fields. Your download link is delivered right after checkout.

Limits

General guidance for households, drawn from official sources. It is not a substitute for instructions from local officials or for a licensed electrician, plumber, structural engineer, remediation professional, doctor, insurance professional, or lawyer. Assistance programs and deadlines change; confirm them with the agency.

Part of the House & Provision Practical Guides. Get all six in the Complete Practical Guide Bundle, or start with The Household Readiness Workbook.

By Daniel Hartwell. Published by House & Provision. Digital files are for your own household's use.