I've got experience with this, both from the insurance perspective and the damage perspective.
The first step is grieving. You have got to let yourself hurt for what has happened.
The next step is acceptance. You have got to accept that fact that this has happened. It's going to be better, but this is a marathon, not a sprint. For a while, things will be unsettled, but you and your pets (and hopefully your loved ones) are not hurt and everything else is just stuff.
Now on to the logistics of the insurance:
1. Take photographs of EVERYTHING. Do it systematically - one room at a time, one side of the exterior of the house at a time. Take multiple angles of the same thing that is damaged.
2. Get a friend (at the risk of being non-PC, a FEMALE friend) with good handwriting skills, and a notebook. Every single item that you are pitching (has damage), dictate to your friend: Name of item, room it was located, damage to item, approx. age of item, original cost of item, WAG for replacement cost of item. She/he will form a table for you.
3. Make sure you have a photograph(s), then pitch it in your yard at the front street.
4. Do the same for building materials - "10 feet x 10 feet of carpet, living room, near kitchen"
Steps 1-4 cannot be understated - this will make a HUGE difference in your settlement from your insurance with respect to your contents.
5. Talk to your adjuster about:
- If you don't already have it (and still have an undamaged copy), get a copy of your entire policy terms, conditions, and declarations. Read it three times forward and backward. Anything you don't understand, ask the adjuster to explain. Don't be surprised if he/she can't explain it - if so, ask him/her to get you an underwriter's opinion. Trust me - that little exercise will likely be worth thousands to you.
- do you need an architect or engineer to render the house structurally safe? They pay for that.
- contractors they have on retainer that have been vetted, are licensed and bonded and insured, and are under obligation to work for their customers (you)
- Temporary housing while your house is being repaired (they pay for that), including per diem for meals and other incidentals.
- renting a POD or other storage to hold your salvageable stuff while you are rebuilding.
6. File your FEMA claim and make sure your FEMA adjuster is in direct contact with your insurance adjuster.
7. keep receipts/invoices/estimates/etc for EVERYTHING you buy. Down to this morning's donuts. FEMA is going to pay for some of that stuff.
You are entitled to do any of the work yourself as long as the work you do meets building and municipal codes. I'm saying this because you very likely have a strong wind storm deductible on your homeowners policy. Maybe 2-5%, which means if your house is worth $300,000.00, your deductible might be $6K - $15K. You can certainly offset that by doing some of the work yourself. The insurance company would cut you a check for what they believe are contractor prices, and you use that to buy materials for work you do your self, hopefully saving yourself money. There is NOTHING illegal or immoral about doing that. The chance you take here is 2 fold:
a. getting a supplemental claim settled for hidden or unforeseen damage is VERY difficult.
b. For matters or warranty and workmanship in which some work is contracted and some is not, this can be a bitch. Too many cooks in the kitchen and it will always be somebody else's fault. If you hire one general contractor to do everything, that comes with a cost, but at least if something goes wrong, you only have to look in one direction.
8. Even if your insurance or FEMA pics the contractor, when he/she arrives for the first time with tools, INSIST that they present you with a copy of their Certificate of Insurance and Contractors License that is applicable and current for Florida. You want to see no less than $1 million per occurrence commercial general liability insurance, $1 million claims made coverage for auto liability (any auto), and workman compensation insurance in accordance with Florida statue. There are some (VERY FEW) possible exceptions to this, and I can help you work that out if need be.
9. YOu need to buy a moisture meter. One like this:
https://www.amazon.c...ure meter&psc=1
All structural wood in the house has to read no more than 10%, and hold that over a 48 hour period or you will end up with a mold problem behind your new walls. Seriously - do NOT take this lightly. Your insurance policy has a mold exclusion in it. If the work is done shitty, the next re-build will be on you.
This ought to get you a couple weeks into the future.
One more thing - the speculators are going to show - offer to buy your house as is. Cash on the spot. IGNORE THEM!!!!! You bought and paid for insurance. You are a US citizen and under an area with a Presidential Declaration (FEMA declared). You are entitled to your benefits and once your house is fixed, and you have gotten whatever you have coming to you, by THEN you will be mentally ready to think about where you will go from there.
I'll check in to this thread.
I'm available to help you in anything - PM me if interested.
Head up, man. You're gonna be OK.