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Recovery Tips For Hurricane-Battered Homeowners
Important Basics of Clean-Up & Recovery

If you were in the path of a hurricane, the damage that the winds and water left behind can seem impossible to fix. Getting back to normal will take some time and effort, but there are plenty of people around to help.

The first thing you need to do is begin to heal emotionally. Get in contact with counselors who can help you sort through the mixed feelings of surviving a natural disaster while losing many of the meaningful things you treasured. Living through a destructive event like a hurricane can lead to depression and other post-traumatic effects if you try to ignore it.

Before you begin clean up, take inventory with a camera so you have documentation for any insurance or other damage claims. Try to be ready for the impact of seeing many of your personal items, furniture and your home disturbed or distroyed by the storm and flooding.

These tips from Lowe's Home Improvement Stores will help you get busy with the clean-up and started on the way to returning to your normal life:

• Keep battery-powered radios or televisions at hand for important flood or power updates

• Check the home's exterior and hose down debris and mud left by floodwater
  Open interior doors with caution - doors that stick at the top could indicate a ceiling ready to fall.

• Use fans, dehumidifiers and products such as calcium chloride pellets and cat litter to get rid of excess moisture.

• Remove wet wallpaper - damp wallpaper paste is a prime location for mold to grow.

• Ask a contractor or building inspector to check for mold damage after a flood.

• Scrub all interior surfaces that were in contact with floodwaters with bleach or a household disinfectant containing bleach.

Getting back to normal will take some time, but taking the right steps will make it easier and speed up the process

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also see -> Top Ten Hurricane Tips | Getting Hurricane Ready

How Do Hurricanes Get Their Names?

For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.

Related Web Sites:

Hurricane Weather Center

American Red Cross Disaster Safety: Hurricanes

About the Author
Katrina Cramer-Diaz is a working mom with a background in education and plenty of experience in Christian parenting. She lives in Virginia with her husband, their four children and Bear... the dog.