by Joseph Malek

Created on: August 30, 2008   Last Updated: October 07, 2008

Besides dying, I can't think of a worse thing that can happen to a person. So too, the death of a loved one also causes a whole lot of grief, as does the loss of your home or mode of transportation as a result of an accident, fire, flood, hurricane or a tornado.

Each of those life changing events may or may not be soon forgotten. As for me, I'll never forget the events both during and after the time when a violent storm flooded my home and caused tens of thousands of dollars of damage to it and my personal property. Most of my furniture, personal keepsakes, appliances and electronic equipment was damaged or destroyed.

I did the best that I could to save what was still usable, as I struggled to hold back the tears and make countless phone calls to insurance providers, building contractors and those other people who could help me restore my life to what it once was. My neighbors were no better off than I was, as dozens of people drove into the area to see the resulting destruction that was caused by that violent storm.

Among that group of people were the claims adjusters sent by my insurance providers, the people from F.E.M.A., local Public Officials, the news media and a host of Red Cross volunteers. Each was most helpful.

There is no doubt within my mind that criminals and other such looters also came into the area to see what they could find or take from within the hundreds of now abandoned flooded homes. You see, the rush of the water, both into and out of those buildings caused doors and windows to be washed away, making it easy for any person to simply walk into those homes.

So too, those unprotected properties allowed the rain and the wind to cause more damage to whatever property that still was within those buildings. As a result, it is important to close each and every hole in the structure, by means of boarding up those openings to the elements.

It might be many days or even many weeks before your home can be repaired. During that time anything can happen that could cause even more loss and damage to what you still have left of your life. Boarding up those open access ways into your home should be one of the first things that you do soon after you return to your home and see the damage.

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