Lessons Learned

[lcwallis]

Now that things have settled down a little, I am going to share some lessons learned from our experience....

1. Look at all your insurance and make sure you are covered how you want or need... $ amount for outbuildings, see how fence is covered, if they provide assistance for cleanup, trailers, boats.....

2. Try to keep an updated list of all your animals on your phone or something you have with you... I never have been so brain dead in my life, I guess panic and age will do that... I kept coming up with different numbers trying to account for everyone.

3. This one is very tough to think about but if you ever go to a shelter, take a gun or rifle with bullets. You don't know what you will be returning to. The police are too busy to worry about animals because they have to account for all the people which is understandable. This one will haunt me for a while

4. Every few years, take pictures or video of things you have in every building you have. Filling out the personal property loss is very overwhelming. You account for everything you would take if you move.. They want the item description, brandname, serial # if have one and model #, when you bought it, where you bought it, how much you paid, what it would cost to replace it, if it was new or used when you bought it... The insurance adjuster told me make your best guess. I can't even begin to remember everything we lost...

5. Have a backup plan for possibly a truck and trailer if you need to send horses to the vet.. Our truck was ok but our trailer is bent.. our neighbor and son have stock trailers so we were able to borrow one of those.

I've lived in Oklahoma almost all my life and stuff like this always missed us.... Just saying be prepared..

Lynda

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Thank you for sharing the lessons you've learned from this horrible experience. I know after my trailer accident there were quite a few things I realized I should have done in case of emergency, but they simply didn't occur to me until I jack-knifed and almost flipped the rig!

You may save someone else a lot of heartache.

Leia

 

[Bess Kelly]

I am so very sorry for your losses and the stress and dispair you are certainly experiencing now -- and for a long, long time. But I commend you for bringing some of this very important side of such disasters to everyone's attention. We somehow "never think it wil be us".

A video is perfect for helping with memory, you can take the entire farm, barn, house, rooms, animals, tools, equipment and the like. Photos of all our registry papers, titles, insurance and phone numbers, etc. Can now be save on a little tiny disk! (Not so yrs ago) We all hate to pay insurance as we feel we are not getting anything "in our hand" at each payment (but the receipt, LOL) BUT -- when you have it happen, it is PRICELESS!!

I'm certain I share the sentiments of all the forum members when I say that I wish I could come and help you with this situation you find yourself in. Prayers raised to help you through the long road ahead.

Can I relate? Yep, hurricane Andrew in FL. House & business in FL, although we lived in VA (more house & business there) -- 6 months in a camper trying to recover from the "bulldozer hurricane". Thankfully, no animals there, only real estate & personal property. Yep, insurance a huge factor and salvation as it was good coverage.....but, life was a shambles for a while. I still remember well.

 

[Kilkenny Farms]

Thank you Linda,

For keeping us up to date on your progress during this terrible time. I have been hanging on each post that you made. We live pretty close together and it is amazing how much damage there was in your area and again in Newcastle. Thanks for the disaster tips. Living in tornado country my husband has already done most of those, but I never thought about how to transport horses IF my trailer is damaged....I definately need to come up with a back up plan.

Barbara

 

[little lady]

Thank you so much for sharing this info. It impresses me so much after all you have been and still are going through to think of us!!! ((HUGS)) Will continue to keep you and yours in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[Becky]

Thanks, Lynda, for the excellent advice. Experience is the best teacher, unfortunately.

While we may think it will never happen to us, any catastrophic event is possible. From tornadoes, to hurricanes, floods and wildfires. None of us are immune.

So sorry you are having to go through this. (((((HUGS!)))))

 

[sedeh]

Thank you Lynda for sharing your experience with us. I know I would be at a loss to report to an insurance agent what all I have in my barn should something happen to it!! I have been remiss in keeping up with documentation and with digital cameras, videos and flash drives it's really much easier to do. So thanks again for the reminder. I only wish I lived closer and could come over and give you a hand with clean up! Take care.

 

[targetsmom]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. I store almost everything on my computer and have an online backup which I highly recommend.

Also, I gained from your experience already: When the tornadoes came through our area this week (I am just south of Springfield, MA), I made sure our outside minis had their fly masks on to help prevent eye injuries. We were very fortunate that we escaped damage.

 

[lcwallis]

Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us. I store almost everything on my computer and have an online backup which I highly recommend.

Also, I gained from your experience already: When the tornadoes came through our area this week (I am just south of Springfield, MA), I made sure our outside minis had their fly masks on to help prevent eye injuries. We were very fortunate that we escaped damage.

Wow, I never thought of fly masks... that's a great idea.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

We have a large safe that is bolted to our foundation. I wonder if it would survive? All our important papers, including computer back up and receipts are in it. I just added the receipt of my Jerald cart, which was simply in my misc horse file, not in the safe.

We were broken into once several years ago (in a different state). For days, weeks, I kept remembering things that were missing. One cannot possibly think of it all at once. We went back through some old home movies, looking for things and to prove we had owned them.

 

[lcwallis]

Now that things have settled down a little, I am going to share some lessons learned from our experience....

1. Look at all your insurance and make sure you are covered how you want or need... $ amount for outbuildings, see how fence is covered, if they provide assistance for cleanup, trailers, boats.....

2. Try to keep an updated list of all your animals on your phone or something you have with you... I never have been so brain dead in my life, I guess panic and age will do that... I kept coming up with different numbers trying to account for everyone.

3. This one is very tough to think about but if you ever go to a shelter, take a gun or rifle with bullets. You don't know what you will be returning to. The police are too busy to worry about animals because they have to account for all the people which is understandable. This one will haunt me for a while

4. Every few years, take pictures or video of things you have in every building you have. Filling out the personal property loss is very overwhelming. You account for everything you would take if you move.. They want the item description, brandname, serial # if have one and model #, when you bought it, where you bought it, how much you paid, what it would cost to replace it, if it was new or used when you bought it... The insurance adjuster told me make your best guess. I can't even begin to remember everything we lost...

5. Have a backup plan for possibly a truck and trailer if you need to send horses to the vet.. Our truck was ok but our trailer is bent.. our neighbor and son have stock trailers so we were able to borrow one of those.

I've lived in Oklahoma almost all my life and stuff like this always missed us.... Just saying be prepared..

Lynda

Adding to the list... if you have old halters and lead ropes put some in your storm shelter...