How to List Approximately 5,314,891 Flooded Items for Insurance
Believe it or not, we are still sorting through things one year after our flood. In the haze of chaos immediately afterward, we put things away that we thought were “dry” or “dry enough” or could be salvaged.
My old record albums were one of the things I finally got to sorting through this past weekend. The vinyl is okay on most, just needs cleaning. The album covers for the most part are goners. The albums that were stacked on top of the core group were all in perfect condition, leaving me with a dozen old, old albums that I can still hold on to. In the meantime, I tossed the formerly wet album covers and ordered sleeves and will keep the old vinyls hanging around a bit longer.
It’s pretty amazing that one year later, we still have so much to do with our “stuff.” Hopefully by November or December, we will muddle through everything and pare down even more.
(And this, my friends, is while I am working on two weddings, and picking out every little piece of plumbing hardware, electrical hardware and fixture and every other tiny detail that you must choose when building a new house.) Yeah, I am still working full time, so you could say I am a bit busy. It’s okay because it is almost time for my summer escape to Margate – my annual trek each late June to early August.
But speaking of contents, I found this unpublished blog that I wrote as part of my series of blogs on the flood. It was about the daunting task of listing every single item that flooded. (A nearly impossible task.) So if I think I am busy these days, I just have to read the below, and remember what has already passed. Besides, I am happy busy these days.
Here then, is how we got through the contents portion of our insurance claim:
Dateline June 2015. In order to claim contents coverage on the flood, we have to itemize all flooded items for insurance adjusters. Not only do we have to list, we have to provide comparable items, the age of the item and other information including photos, and receipts if available (um, no, they flooded) – making this a tedious and monumental task. So here is how it went:
1. Too busy in first days rescuing what was left – skip this task for the time being.
2. Spreadsheets at the ready, photos taken, still too busy. Helper comes for one afternoon. Other things beckon.
3. Looking at trash heap outside, heart stops for a minute thinking of the monumental task of listing of that formerly valuable stuff. Put off due to pending heart attack.
4. Trash Heap picked up, house packed up, time to get started. How long has it been since we’ve watched a TV show? Shouldn’t we take a few hours off?
5. Daunted because everything else is pulling you in a million directions, and you are just trying to stay afloat, this gets put on the back burner.
6. Further procrastination because after all, it’s not due yet, is it?
7. Study spread sheets, get one room completed, then avoid task for another week.
8. Don’t worry, we have 60 days! Are you sure?
9. Roll up sleeves and try to get it done while you can. When exactly is that?
10. Recruit friends to help. (GRATEFUL!)
11. Escape from all the madness to go to your summer escape, and leave it to your husband who does a stellar job, even if you are convinced 2,589,600 items were left off.
