Disaster Assistance Checklist

Summary. Everything, in the order it has to happen.

Part 1 — Before you clean up anything

Photograph:

• Every room, wide shots showing the whole space

• Close shots of every damaged area

• Something for scale in each shot — ruler, shoe, person

• The water line on the walls, in every room

• Exterior, all four sides

• Roof from the ground

• Model and serial numbers on appliances and electronics before removal

• Refrigerator and freezer contents before discarding food

• The debris pile at the curb before collection

• Video walkthrough, narrated, date stated aloud

• Physical sample kept of destroyed flooring, drywall, or insulation (if safe)

• Only then begin removing what must go for safety

Start the receipt envelope today. Everything goes in:

• Hotel and lodging · meals in the first days

• Cleaning supplies, gloves, masks, trash bags

• Generator and fuel · tarps and plywood

• Tools, chainsaw, pump and dehumidifier rentals

• Storage and moving costs

• Contractor deposits and payments

• Disaster-caused medical costs

• Replacement of essential items

• Mileage for disaster-related travel

• Notebook started: every call — date, time, name, what was said, what was promised

Part 2 — Same day: register and file the insurance claim

Both, today. Not one after the other.

Registration — have ready:

• Social Security number for one household member

• Pre-disaster address exactly as it appears on the tax bill or utility account

• A mailing address that works — not the destroyed house

• A phone number you will answer, including unknown numbers

• Email address you can check

• Insurance company, policy number, agent contact

• Bank routing and account number

• Household composition — everyone who lived there, and relationships

• Registered

• Registration number written in three places

• Online account created for status and uploads

• Weekly status check calendared

Insurance:

• Claim filed by phone and in writing; claim number obtained
• Complete policy requested — declarations page and all endorsements
• Policy read for: flood exclusion · earthquake · named-storm deductible · replacement cost vs. actual cash value · ordinance or law coverage · loss of use
• If flood damage and no flood policy: written denial requested — it is the key appeal document

Do not skip registration because:

• "I have insurance" — register anyway, deadlines run
• "My damage isn't that bad" — that assessment is not yours to make

Part 3 — The inspection

• Present, or an adult who knows the property is present
• Registered phone number working; unknown numbers answered
• Photographs available on a phone or printed
• Inspector walked through everything, unprompted
• Non-obvious damage pointed out: crawlspace · attic · behind walls · under flooring · HVAC · water heater · electrical panel · well and septic
• Destroyed personal property shown, or photographs of it
• Anything the inspector did not examine noted
• Inspector's name and date written down
• Same-day note written on what was shown and observed

Part 4 — Verification documents (gather NOW, not after a denial)

Occupancy — any combination:

• Utility bill in your name at the address
• Lease, or rent receipts including handwritten ones
• Signed landlord letter confirming tenancy dates
• Bank or credit card statement
• Pay statement showing the address
• Driver's license or state ID · voter registration · vehicle registration
• School records for a child at the address
• Medical or pharmacy records showing the address
• Letter from a public official, social service organization, or shelter
• Self-declarative statement where documents cannot be obtained

Ownership — any combination:

• Deed or title · mortgage statement

• Property tax records in your name

• Homeowner's insurance policy

• Manufactured home certificate of title and lot lease

• Bill of sale

• Will, estate documents, or death certificate showing the chain

• Receipts for major repairs and improvements you paid for

• Self-declarative statement — for heirs' property and similar situations

• If records were destroyed by the disaster, said explicitly in writing

Part 5 — The decision letter

• Specific stated reason underlined
• Appeal deadline calendared the day the letter arrives, with reminders at two weeks and three days
• Award category and amount noted
• Reason translated:

Part 6 — The appeal

• Name, registration number, disaster number, and damaged address ON EVERY PAGE
• The decision being appealed, quoted from the letter
• Why it is wrong — addressed to the stated reason and nothing else
• Each enclosure listed with what it proves
• The specific relief requested
• Signed, with a statement that the information is true
• Signed authorization included if someone writes on your behalf
• Sent with proof: certified mail · fax confirmation · portal confirmation number screenshotted
• Logged in the notebook
• Receipt confirmed by follow-up call one week later; call logged

Strongest supporting documents:

• Contractor's written itemized estimate
• Photographs taken before cleanup
• Insurance denial letter and the policy exclusion page
• Landlord's signed statement
• Property tax records
• Reinspection request

Part 7 — Apply for everything else

• SBA disaster loan — homeowners AND renters. Complete the application even if you do not want a loan; for some assistance the referral must be done first

• Disaster Unemployment Assistance — including self-employed and independent contractors. Short window

• Disaster SNAP — broader eligibility, simpler rules. Window often only days — watch for the announcement

• Disaster Legal Services — free. Call early

• Crisis Counseling Assistance

• Disaster Case Management

• State and local grants, tax relief, fee waivers

• Long-term recovery group — funds unmet needs for years afterward

• Voluntary organizations for cleanup and rebuilding labor

• Mortgage forbearance — request it; it is not automatic. Get terms in writing: lump sum, added to the end, or spread across payments?

• Utility forbearance and arrearage programs

• Tax relief — casualty loss, filing extension, and the option to claim the loss on the PRIOR year's return for a faster refund

• Asked a case manager or recovery group "what else is there?" more than once

Part 8 — Contractors

• Licensure and insurance verified with the state board before signing anything
• Three written, itemized bids
• No large cash deposit — check or card only
• Nothing signed on the doorstep — take it inside, read all of it, sleep on it
• Right to cancel checked for your state
• Assignment of benefits form read completely — it transfers your insurance claim rights
• "We'll waive your deductible" refused — generally fraud, and it exposes you
• Lien waivers obtained as you pay
• Completion certificate not signed until work is complete and inspected
• Insurer informed before signing anything affecting the claim
• If defrauded: state attorney general · licensing board · Disaster Legal Services · every document preserved

Part 9 — Ask again (where the unclaimed money is)

Continued rental assistance:

• Requested before the current period expires
• Proof of continuing need — still uninhabitable, or the market has not permitted a permanent solution
• Rent receipts showing prior assistance was spent on housing — the most common reason continued assistance is denied
• Written permanent housing plan — steps taken, applications submitted, obstacles

Also:

• Additional home repair assistance where damage was discovered later — contractor's estimate attached
• Reconsideration where the determination rested on incomplete information
• Reopening after a missed deadline on good cause — hospitalization, displacement, notice to a destroyed address, language access failure

Part 10 — Insurance claim management

• Present at the adjuster's inspection; walked through with them
• Independent contractor's estimate obtained
• Personal property inventory built room by room — item, age, cost, condition
• Inventory sources used: old photographs (background objects count) · card statements · email receipts · store loyalty history · warranties · delivery confirmations · current retail prices
• Categories not forgotten: clothing by person · bedding and linens · kitchen items · tools for a trade · school computers and books · medical equipment · children's items · seasonal storage · lawn equipment · food · pet supplies · assistive devices
• Loss of use / additional living expense claimed — hotel, rent, meals above normal, laundry, pet boarding, extra commuting
• Replacement cost holdback understood and claimed after repairs are documented
• Policy deadlines calendared: proof of loss and suit limitation (flood policies are strict and short)

If the settlement is inadequate:

• Adjuster's itemized estimate requested in writing
• Compared line by line to your contractor's estimate; specific lines disputed
• Appraisal clause invoked if the dispute is about amount rather than coverage
• State insurance department complaint filed — free and effective
• Public adjuster considered for a large claim (check licensure and the percentage fee)
• Attorney consulted on a large disputed claim

Part 11 — Recoupment (may arrive years later)

• Not put in a drawer
• Response deadline calendared
• Basis requested in writing — exactly which payment, for what, and why it is now improper
• Appealed if the determination is wrong
• WAIVER OF THE DEBT REQUESTED — available where you were not at fault and repayment would be against equity and good conscience or create hardship. The provision nobody knows about
• Compromise requested — settlement for less than full
• Payment plan requested if the debt is valid
• Hardship documented: income, expenses, medical costs, circumstances
• Disaster Legal Services or legal aid called

Part 12 — Document replacement

• Driver's license / state ID — motor vehicle agency (fees often waived after a declaration)
• Social Security card
• Birth and death certificates — vital records of the state of the event
• Marriage and divorce records
• Passport · immigration documents (fee waiver available in defined circumstances)
• Military discharge records
• Deed and mortgage — the county recorder holds the legal record; a destroyed deed does not affect ownership
• Vehicle title
• Insurance policies — from the insurer or agent
• Bank records · tax transcripts (free)
• Medical records · pharmacy medication history
• Wills, trusts, powers of attorney — from the drafting attorney
• Diplomas and transcripts · professional licenses

Part 13 — Before the next one (three afternoons)

Inventory:

• Phone walkthrough of every room, closet, drawer, cabinet, garage, shed, attic, basement
• Serial and model numbers photographed
• Images stored OFF-SITE — cloud, or a relative in another region
• Repeated annually (fifteen minutes)

Documents:

• Scanned: deed · mortgage · insurance policies with declarations · titles · birth and marriage certificates · Social Security cards · passports · immigration documents · military records · wills and powers of attorney · prescription list · school and license records · tax returns
• Copy stored off-site
• Small grab-and-go folder: ID copies, policies, contact list

Insurance conversation — ask the agent in writing:

• Does this cover flood? (Almost certainly not — it is a separate policy, and it has a waiting period)
• Earthquake? Named-storm wind and hail, at what deductible?
• Is dwelling coverage enough to rebuild at current construction costs?
• Replacement cost or actual cash value — dwelling and contents?
• Ordinance or law coverage — rebuilding to current code?
• How much loss of use, and for how long?
• Deductible — flat amount or a percentage?
• Gaps fixed

Also:

• Utility shutoff locations known
• Evacuation route known
• Small amount of cash accessible — card systems fail when the power does

Related documents

• Disaster Assistance and FEMA Appeals: Applications, Denials, and Recoupment
• Applying for Disaster Assistance and Appealing a Denial
• Disaster Recovery Toolkit
• First-Party Insurance Claims and Bad Faith
• Applying for and Keeping Public Benefits

Educational only, not legal advice. Rules and deadlines vary by declaration. Framework: 42 U.S.C. § 5174 · 44 C.F.R. Part 206.