Wildfire Home Restoration Checklist

After a wildfire has damaged or impacted your home, it’s important to work with a professional team like Lawton to safely restore the condition of the property. 

Few natural events are quite as powerful and potentially devastating as a wildfire. Not only do these fires present extreme danger to anyone in the area, but they can also destroy homes and other structures. The firefighters who battle these blazes do incredible work, but sometimes the raw power of Mother Nature is simply too much. 

With this article, we’d like to provide you an outline of how you can move through the process of dealing with a wildfire in your area. This is something no one wants to go through, of course, but it’s best to be prepared rather than having to scramble in an emergency. Of course, if you have already been affected by a fire and you need professional help with the restoration process, simply reach out to Lawton Construction & Restoration today for assistance. 

1. Safety is Your Top Priority

As a wildfire moves nearer to your area, you should be focused first and foremost on protecting yourself and your family. You don’t want your home to be damaged or destroyed, of course, but homes can be rebuilt. Make all of your decisions from the perspective of avoiding any physical harm to yourself, family members, and friends in the area. 

If you suspect that evacuation may become necessary, start planning immediately by packing up some of the essentials that you would not want to lose in a fire. These things include personal documents, valued belongings like pictures or jewelry, and anything else you’d like to save that is modest in size. Package everything up in a box or two by your door so it is ready to go at a moment’s notice.

2. Follow the Orders

At some point, you may be notified by officials that your home needs to be evacuated. This is difficult news to hear, of course, but those working on the situation only have your best interests in mind. Evacuate right away when told to leave by first responders and find a safe area to stay until the threat of the fire has passed.  California Fire Season Outlook 

3. Your First Steps

At some point, you will be told that it is safe to go home once again. You may not know the fate of your home at this time, or you may have been told that there has been fire damage. Either way, you are going to be incredibly anxious to visit your property and examine the outcome for yourself. 

Patience will be hard to come by at this time, but it is important to slow down and make logical decisions. If there has been any fire damage at your home, one of the best things you can do is call in professional help to get started on restoration work right away. Call Lawton at 1-866-990-5150 to talk about your needs. Not only do we have all the experience necessary to perform quality restoration work, but we also know how to deal with insurance companies in this difficult time. 

4. A Proper Assessment

Before any actual restoration work can be performed, it will be necessary to perform a thorough assessment of the damage. Is the structure safe to enter? How much of the home was burned, and what about the rest of the property? You’ll need to worry not only about the house itself, but also any trees in close proximity to the house that have fire damage. Those trees, or parts of those trees, could come down later – creating an extremely dangerous situation. 

As you might imagine, doing this kind of assessment on your own would be challenging. You won’t have the knowledge or experience in this field to do a proper review of the situation, and the stakes are high given the potential for physical harm if dangerous conditions exist. Trust the team at Lawton to assess the situation and advise you on how to proceed. 

5. Filing a Claim

It will be important to get your insurance company involved in this process as soon as possible. That’s one of the many ways we can help in this process, as we deal with insurance companies constantly in our line of work. We understand how to document the damage that your property has suffered so we can present it to the insurance company correctly. The sooner you file a claim, and the more information you provide along with that claim, the better your chances will be at getting the money you need to start rebuilding or restoring the property.

6. Seeing It Through

With Lawton on your side, you won’t have to worry about your claim getting lost in a pile of paperwork at the insurance office. We follow up with the insurance company regularly and make sure progress is being made in the claim. Our experience with this side of the restoration process shouldn’t be overlooked, and you’ll be glad you have us to stand up for your rights. 

7. The Restoration Work

With the insurance matters taken care of, the time will arrive to do the work necessary to make your house a home once again. This will likely include some demolition of what was damaged, and we will take care all along the way to make sure the finished product is a home that is safe and comfortable for you and your family. Our goal is simple – to get your life back to normal as soon as possible. 

8. Contact Lawton Immediately for Assistance

Wildfires can easily devastate entire communities, and this dramatic event is sure to stretch resources in the area thin. To get started on your home restoration project as soon as possible, be sure to contact Lawton right away. A member of our professional team will be happy to speak with you about the project and discuss how we can get started. Thank you for your time and we look forward to serving you soon. 

You can download the checklist by clicking the link below