Hurricane Katrina: initial salvage, recovery and insurance advice The US Institute for Business & Home Safety has issued the following advice for business owners beginning the salvage and disaster recovery process after Hurricane Katrina. * Protect yourself. Always be careful when entering a damaged building. If there is serious structural damage, contact local officials before entering. Report downed power lines or gas leaks. Keep electricity turned off if the building has been flooded. * Protect your property. Take reasonable steps to protect your property from further damage. This could mean boarding up windows and salvaging undamaged items. Your insurance company can tell you what they will pay for regarding protection. * Report the loss as soon as possible. Contact your insurance agent or insurer as soon as you can. Provide a general description of the damage and have your policy number handy if possible. Write down the adjuster's name, phone number and work schedule as soon as you have them. * Prepare a list. Keep damaged items or portions of them until the claim adjuster has visited, and consider photographing or videotaping the damage to document your claim. Prepare a list of damaged or lost items for your adjuster. * Keep receipts. If you need to relocate, keep records and receipts for all additional expenses. Most insurance policies cover emergency living arrangements. * Return claim forms. After your insurance company has been notified of your claim, it must send you the necessary claim forms within a certain number of days (time period varies by state). Fill out and return the forms as soon as possible. If you do not understand the process, be sure to ask questions and write down the explanation. * Cleanup. When starting the cleanup process, be careful, and use protective eyewear and gloves if available. Adjusters may tell business owners to hire a professional cleaning service. * Build stronger next time. When you're ready to rebuild, carefully consider where you should rebuild, and work with your contractor to make the new structure disaster-resistant. http://www.disastersafety.org/ Advice on salvaging food products from The Food Marketing Institute: 1) Water for Drinking, Cooking or Cleaning 2) Non-Refrigerated Foods * Discard the following items if they came in contact with flood water or if contamination is suspected: - All glass/jarred foods, including those that were never opened such as mayonnaise and salad dressing. (This is necessary because containers with cork-lined, waxed cardboard, pop tops, peel-off tops or waxed seals are nearly impossible to clean around the lid/opening.) - All foods in cardboard boxes (e.g., juice boxes), paper, foil, cellophane, cloth or any other kind of flexible container. - Canned goods that are dented (on lids or seams), leaking or bulging. - Canned goods that are rusted unless the rust can be easily removed by light rubbing. - Home canned foods. - Spices, seasonings and extracts. - Opened containers and packages of any kind. - Flour, sugar, grains, pasta, coffee and other staples stored in canisters. * Save and clean canned foods Cleaning method for saved canned foods - Mark contents on the can with a permanent ink pen. - Remove paper labels as they can harbor dangerous bacteria. - Wash cans in a strong detergent solution with a scrub brush. Carefully clean areas around lids and seams. - Soak cans in a solution of two teaspoons of chlorine bleach per quart of room temperature water for 15 minutes. - Air dry cans before opening. 3) Refrigerated foods Do not rely on the appearance or odor of a food to determine if it is safe. Bacteria that cause foodborne illness can multiply rapidly on perishable foods that have been at room temperature for more than two hours. * Discard Perishable Food Items - Raw or cooked meat, poultry or seafood. - Milk/cream, yogurt, soft cheese. - Cooked pasta, pasta salads. - Custard, chiffon, or cheese pies. - Fresh eggs, egg substitutes. - Meat or cheese-topped pizza, luncheon meats. - Casseroles, stew or soups. - Mayonnaise, tarter sauce, and creamy dressings. - Refrigerated cookie dough. - Cream-filled pastries. * Save foods if they have been protected from contamination - Butter, margarine. - Fresh fruits and vegetables. - Dried fruits. - Opened jars of peanut butter, jelly, relish, taco sauce, salsa, barbecue sauce, ketchup, mustard, olives, oil-based salad dressings. - Fruit juices. - Hard or processed cheeses. 4) Cleaning up the kitchen / food handling area - Scrub kitchen counters, pantry shelves, refrigerators and stoves with warm, soapy water. Rinse and wipe with a solution of two teaspoons of chlorine bleach to one quart of water using a clean cloth. - Sanitize dishes and glassware the same way. To disinfect metal pans and utensils, boil them in water for 10 minutes. - Discard wooden spoons, wooden cutting boards, plastic utensils, and baby bottle nipples and pacifiers. These items may absorb or hide bacteria, making them difficult to clean and sanitize. - Wash all kitchen linens in detergent and hot water. Use chlorine bleach to sanitize the linens following directions on the bleach container. http://www.fmi.org/foodsafety/disaster.htm
•Date: 31st August 2005 • Region: US • Type:
Article •Topic: Salvage |
