(Photo Credit: Brandon Morgan)

It’s a fact of life, emergencies happen. Storms happen. Accidents happen. As much as we’d like to, we can’t control Mother Nature’s mood or bad luck, but we can do our best to fix the damage that strong winds, fire, hail, and water can produce. With patience, persistence and know-how, we can turnaround a bad situation, and make it better. Having a plan of action can help lessen the inevitable stress and help you to respond quickly in order to mitigate additional damage. Here are a few tips to consider:

Before a crisis occurs, prepare an emergency list with names and links of resources that you may need. Include information about resources such as: homeowner’s policy, home insurance policy, bank and credit card accounts, and any medications. Also include contact information for people such as: family, friends, your work, church, Red Cross, and a trusted restoration contractor. Create a pre-existing detailed inventory of your home’s items. Having all this information in one place can take an enormous burden off your shoulders in a crisis situation.

Have a financial nest egg put aside for emergencies. The University of Illinois estimates that homeowners should expect to spend between one and two percent of their home’s purchase price on house repairs every year, and that’s just for regular maintenance.

Put this information in a secured document online, so even if your home is damaged, you can access this information online. You could also keep with a copy with a trusted friend offsite.

First, take a deep breath and calm yourself. Reassure yourself that everything will be ok and step-by-step you will get through this. If your home is no longer inhabitable and you need lodging, the American Red Cross can provide families with temporary aid and shelters.

After you are safe, start contacting people to document the damage. Immediately contact your insurance provider. Contact the police or fire department and request the official damage report. Create an inventory of damaged items, being as detailed as possible. Having a pre-existing inventory list will be invaluable at a time like this. Take photos of the damage to further document the damage. The financial burden of rebuilding can be overwhelming. Emergency grants and loans and resources for rebuilding are available.

It is times like these that the importance of working with a fair, compassionate general contractor with extensive experience working with insurance companies and adjusters really stands out. An experienced contractor is able to quickly access the damage and offer a comprehensive restoration plan that can handle hail damage, fire restoration, flood damage, tornado or storm damage, or a combination to get you back in your home ASAP. Time is of an essence when disasters strike – quick action facilities quality recovery. Working with insurance companies can be complicated and frustrating. A professional restoration contractor will know exactly what to look for and work with you to insure your assets and interests are protected. Their expertise can help minimize further property damage that water and time can cause and are an invaluable team member in returning your life back to normal.

Kelley Construction has extensive experience in restoration construction that includes roofing, siding, basements, and more. We are licensed, insured, and bonded to do residential and commercial projects. With three locations in Central Illinois, we are here to help you when you need us most. Call us at: Pekin: 309-346-6604; Peoria: 309-676-1709; Bloomington: 309-452-0900; or reach us online: https://kelleyconstructioninc.com.