While Hurricane Irene is behind us, many homeowners are still left with quite a mess to clean up.  Between power outages, fallen trees and missing roofing shingles, knowing where to start can be overwhelming.

Here are a few tips on how to safely clean up after a hurricane:

Survey the Damage       

After a storm, it is always important to go outside and check for any damage to your home.  Due to the hurricanes fierce wind and rain, there are certain areas you should pay close attention to.  Inspect your home’s roof for lifted for missing shingles.  Damaged roofing shingles that are left unrepaired can compromise your home’s entire roof, leading to water damage in your home.  Siding and windows are another area that could have been damaged.  Look for cracked and missing siding and cracked or broken windows.  Be sure to repair any shingles, siding or windows, or if the damage is extensive, you may need to invest in replacing it on your home.

Be sure to check your basement for flooding as well.  Water should be cleaned up quickly and properly in order to prevent mold growth.  Be sure to check out our previous post on basement flooding in RI and MA for how to recover after a flood.

File an Insurance Claim

If the damage to your home is extensive, it may be worth filing a claim with your homeowner’s insurance company.  Be sure to look at all areas of the home before filing so your claim contains all damages to your home.  The insurance company will send out an insurance adjuster to the property to look at the damage and take pictures.  If possible, wait to clean up until after the adjuster comes to your home.  If that is not possible, be sure to take lots of pictures so you can provide these to the insurance company.  It is important to note that you should take a look at your homeowner’s policy before filing to see if the damage warrants paying the deductible.

Safely Clean Up Yard Debris

With all of trees down, there is a lot of debris to be cleaned up.  Keep in mind that broken glass, nails and other sharp objects may be hidden in the debris.  For this reason, it is important to keep children away from the clean up and to use gloves while picking up the debris.  Leaves, branches, and other organic materials make for some great composting so try adding the yard debris to your compost pile to capitalize on all that yard work.

Report all Down Wires

If there is a down wire near you home, please report this to your electrical company.  Never touch a down wire.  You should treat each wire as if it is live electricity.  Many homeowners in RI and MA have National Grid.  To report a down wire or a power outage to National Grid, please call: 1-800-465-1212.

Dealing With No Electricity

With the high winds and fallen trees many homeowners are still without power.  National Grid also allows you to receive text updates on restoration of power by texting Irene to 50101 or you can tweet them at @nationalgridus.

Be sure to check on your friends, family and neighbors to ensure they are ok.  If you have power, offer a hot shower or hot meal to friends and family.  Or, offer to deliver ice to their home so they can keep some fresh food from spoiling until power is restored.  Any little gesture will be much appreciated.

We hope everyone is safe after Hurricane Irene and we wish you all a speedy recovery and clean up.

Photo Credit: Flickr member El Defenestrated