Don’t give up!!! You can do this! You are stronger than you are feeling! You must restructure, re-plan & re-do your world. This is not easy but you CAN do this! You are making a new life of re-arranging everything in in it. This is one day at a time baby, moment to moment. Do you need to scream, cry, yell? Then scream in a towel, in the shower, in the car, at the wind but not at anyone or any of your loved ones or pets. Are you angry, frustrated,pissed off at the world & what has happened? You bet you are & you have every right to be, that’s okay, you’re okay, you will get through this, I promise you that. Who’s fault is this anyways? It doesn’t matter. Let me say that again, it doesn’t matter! It has happened and that is your reality. Find a way through the battle right now & come back to the name it blame it game. It doesn’t do you any good right now to dwell on that, I know, I’ve been there.
Make your other important calls; calling the utility companies, phone, tv & internet, entertainment providers, gas & electric, water, garbage. Let them know of your situation & cancel service at your address.If you have satellite or equipment, ask to not be charged for destroyed equipment. Keep your accounts, you will need these for your new place of residence.
You need to find a new home to rent, sad to say, it will not be home, but you will need to make it one, especially if you have kids or pets. They feel your pain & loss & they too have lost everything, Be diligent in looking for a place. Craigs list, FaceBook, Realtors, on line, newspaper, your support group & connections. This is your goal, to find a new home because yours is gone and its not coming back unless you make a new one!
Contact your mortgage company. You can call but I thinks its better to go in so they can put a face to your loan & loss. Ask for a deferment, they are usually very accomodating to this but ask! You still have to pay your mortgage later but hopefully your insurance will come through and then it wont be such a burden to pay on a home that was lost. Take a breath, breathe. You will have many, many emotional moments, that’s okay, you’re okay & you WILL get through this!
Call your insurance carrier, 800 # is fine. You will need the date of Camp Fire and let them know your status: Evacuated, property is inaccessible due to the condition of the damage to YOUR town. Until the authorities declare the area is stable & safe no one is able to assess the damage or condition of your home. Get your policy #, claim #, person of contact and if you need to get a cash advance, now is the time to request it. If you have not set up an online account, do so now. Write all info down including your password. This will enable you to look at your policy and keep track of any information from your carrier. READ your policy, over& over till you know what it means. You may have to google what a term or code is, do it! Become familiar with what you have been paying for!
You will have some major decisions to make in the very near future. Now is the time to seek the advice & guidance of your support system. You will have to make a choice of whether you want to rebuild or just get paid out for your loss. DO NOT take the adjusters 1st offer to cut you a check! You are vulnerable right now and they know that! Be patient! Evaluate what your options are.
Check on the status of your home. As soon as your area is accessible, you will want to assess the damage. Take pictures & save your photos for future, you may need to submit. It may take time time for your home to be evaluated. If your home is not accessible, check on social media sites, media, news & on line. Closure is important. The sooner you know the facts the sooner you can move forward.
Find a safe & comfortable temporary place to stay. You will need this to be your base camp as you work to finding a permanent place.
If you do not have a cell phone, get one. This will be your lifeline to contacts, connections, references & resources.
Stay connected with family & friends. This is your support system! People want to help, let them! This is important not only for you but them as well. You will need them for emotional & mental support as well as helping you make decisions.
Keep paper, sticky pads, pens & pencils on & near you at all times. Get a pocket notebook & expandable folder to use for important info & receipts. You will not remember everything & your simple decisions will become most difficult. Make lists on paper, not in your head!
If you journal, start writing! If you don’t, start! You will need to vent and sometimes writing down, “this sucks!!” is better than verbalizing. You will feel up & down, sad, angry, emotional, stressed and you will be amazed at all the many blessings that you will be touched by. Put the pen to the paper and push through the pain. 💔
….next, important #s to call
Found this in my photos. This is the 2016 Saddle Fire that took our home & 2 others homes. It was terrifying watching the fire consume just 1000 acres. Our life has never been the same…💔
No words can express the devastation of having to leave your home, we know this all to well after losing our home 2 years ago to the Saddle Fire. This is a most fragile & difficult time. I am making a list of resources, connections & helpful aides that I hope will make it easier for all of you going thru this. We can all get thru this, together. Thank you for all the support you gave us. I hope to give back to those who need it now. My heart is broken again for all of us 💔
As I passed the burnt & scorched fields along 99 thru Durham Pentz Rd., I came to the sight of blackened trees & burned down homes. I stopped & gazed upon the darkened landscape that now lined the charred terrain. There were widow trees & brush that still defaced the surrounding hills, from the 2016 Saddle Fire, that destroyed our previous home. We had just rebuilt & moved in, celebrating being home again, before the Camp Fire hit. It changed our lives & nothing has been the same. As I returned on this Thanksgiving day, I looked around in dismay & wondered at what I saw. For 360′ around our home & property, there were new remnants & evidence of the Camp Fire that surrounded us. But it did not touch us! It’s as if Heaven’s Army of Angels encamped around us & sheltered us under their wings. I could not hold back the tears as I realized what I saw. This was a miracle before my very eyes! I don’t deserve this gift, but I’m so very grateful to God for it! Though we were protected this time from the flames, it has left a scar upon our hearts & souls. We feel it, but this we know, we are alive because God’s grace still abounds. He is our shelter & I am trusting in Him! “But You are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm & a shelter from the heat”. 26 Angels & more…. Isaiah 25:4
