The Tea Fire is out but many of our neighbors are just beginning the process of putting their lives back together from the ashes that remain. Montecito Rotary Club President-elect shared the following information
from Karen Reimus, who has experience in the aftermath of fire destruction and has become very active in helping others to rebuild their lives.
Disaster Recovery Handbook
“The Disaster Recovery Handbook and Household Inventory Guide”, affectionately known by thousands of disaster survivors as “the little yellow book” that guided them through the process of recovering from the loss of their homes. The Handbook is written by survivors for survivors, along with expert advice from trusted consumer advocates and personal finance professionals.
If you have lost your home and would like a free copy of our book, please e-mail the address of your destroyed home to:emily@unitedpolicyholders.org,
or call us at 415) 393-9990.
If you are not a disaster survivor, but would like to purchase a copy or copies of the handbook, you can place your order by calling 1-888-894-8621 or order online at: http://www.malloybooks.com/UnitedPolicy-Holders.html. Volume discounts bring the $14.95 single copy price down to as low as $6.47 per book.
Free online information
United Policyholders’ California Roadmap to Recovery:
http://unitedpolicyholders.org/disaster/roadmap_ca.html.
Included in the Roadmap to Recovery are:
Claim Tips
Forms to help document your loss and get paid in full and on time
Resources for overcoming obstacles
Government help information and links
Tax information for wildfire survivors
Disaster Recovery Mentor Program
Previous catastrophic loss survivors are available to provide emotional support and “real-life” insight about recovering from a catastrophic property loss. For more information and/or to receive a copy of the Disaster Recovery Mentor list, contact UP Outreach Coordinator Karen Reimus by e-mail at karen@unitedpolicyholders.org or by telephone at 858)414-9756; Free confidential answers to individual questions: We have opened our secure online “Ask an Expert” forum to all 2008 Fire Survivors. The forum, previously only available to 2007 SoCal Fire Survivors, is a confidential place for survivors to ask direct questions to attorneys, claims professionals and previous disaster survivors who serve as UP
volunteers. To join the forum, please write “forum invite” in the subject line and e-mail:emily@unitedpolicyholders. org.
“Survivor to Survivor Listserve”
A restricted listserve for ‘08 Firestorm Survivors only. It provides a convenient means of sharing valuable information with others who are similarly situated. For more information and/or to receive an invite to the listserve, contact UP Outreach Coordinator Karen Reimus by e-mail at karen@unitedpolicyholders.org or by telephone at 858)414-9756;
Other Resources
Locate qualified professional claim and legal help via the “Find Help” section of our website: www.uphelp.org.
California Department of Insurance: An important resource for getting help and information:www.insurance.ca.gov.
UP Exec. Dir. Amy Bach chairs the CDI Consumer Advisory Task Force and UP
staff work closely with the Department.
The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: http://www.oes.ca.gov/
American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/
FEMA: http://www.fema.gov/news/event.fema?id=10207
SBA Disaster Loans: http://www.sba.gov/services/disasterassistance/index.html