Checklist: Inside the home

Protect your family, home

• Don't call police, emergency or utility officials unless you have a life-threatening emergency.
• If you must call loved ones, be brief to keep lines free.
• Use cell phones sparingly. They may be the only working phones, and a limited number of cells will be operating.
• Expect to redial several times before completing a cell call. If you find regular phone service is unsatisfactory, try your cell phone's text messaging or walkie-talkie features.
• Keep children away from debris or dangerous areas.
• Plan to wear old clothes you don't mind throwing away. They might well be stained or torn during cleanup.
• Wear sturdy shoes, such as construction boots, if you have them. NEVER walk barefoot! The ground likely will be littered with broken glass and other sharp debris.
• Watch your step. You easily can twist an ankle, or worse, and medical help likely won't be easily available.
• Wash hands regularly and treat injuries promptly. Wear construction gloves if available. You'll be handling dirty and perhaps contaminated or even toxic materials.
• Keep a flashlight handy. Even during the day you might be in dark spots.

CLEANUP/REPAIRS

• If water remains in your house, try to rent or borrow a pump or bail by hand. Then shovel out mud, sand or silt. Disinfect floors.
• Make only temporary repairs. Take photos of the damage before any repairs.
• Hose off wet upholstered furniture to remove dirt. If plaster or plasterboard walls are wet, do not rub them. Let them dry, then brush off dirt and wash walls with a mild soap solution.
• Wipe iron and steel furniture with a kerosene-soaked cloth to ward off rust.
• Don't throw out damaged papers or art. Professionals might be able to restore them.

Cox Media Group