[MR] after sandy....

[Gwyn]

First of all, if you are in the area effected by hurricane sandy, all of your SCA brothers and sisters wish you well.  If you are not effected, but want to help, two very good organizations to donate to are salvation army, https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/ who stays longer than the red Cross and having been a disaster victim, and having worked Katrina,  I know.  The other is Samaritan's Purse.  The same folks who send shoeboxes of toys to children all over the world. http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/hurricane_sandy/
 
If you were effected, get ready to apply for disaster aid with FEMA. even if you don't think you qualify, still apply and you can appeal.  You will be able to apply online, and if you have questions or need help, once the disater recovery centers open, you can go there.  get all your insurance papers together, and pictures of pre damage and after damage, can help your insurance claims.  If you buy things like generators, chain saws, dehumidifyers, after the disaster, keep the receipts. sometimes FEMA will reimburse for them.   if you are displaced, keep those receipts,  you can apply for temporary housing reimbursement with FEMA.  Say you were renting a room, or you split rent with roommates. you will need to have proof that you paid rent, and how much. if three of you give the same address and apply for rental help, it may hold up your application as a duplicate.  This is where going to a recovery center, or calling FEMA's hotline, will help
 with that before it happens. 
 
give FEMA good phone numbers. If they need to call you for a property inspection, or have a question, you need to be available.  Also if you rent, and your personal property was damaged or destroyed,,you can apply for help with that, but the inspector has to see it,  so don't throw it out.  keep it somewhere.   show receipts if you have them.  take pictures.  If you don't like your inspection, you can appeal that too.  Remember these folks are going to have to inspect a ton of properties and this will all take a lot of time.  
 If you are going to be out of your home for a long time, you might want to think of your long term housing needs, and start looking for rental property before everyone else does, and the landlords raise the rent.  After Katrina, and seeing folks out of their homes for over a year, I tripled my out of home coverage on my homeowners. 
  in any large disaster like this one, you might wait months before a contractor can even come out to your home, and months more before work starts/ Also remember that slimy so called contractors will flock to the disaster to steal from you. take huge downpayments, and leave work unfinished.  Heed what the BBB suggests you do. 
 
don't forget that you may qualify for disaster unemployment, and apply for it as soon as it is available. 
 
Don't be ashamed or timid to accept help.  Don't be afraid to ask questions.