After The Disaster Skill
In the hours after a disaster, shock and urgency make people do things in the wrong order —
re-entering an unsafe building, throwing out damaged items before documenting them (and
losing the insurance claim), or missing the aid window. There is a right order: people
and safety first, then documentation, then claims and recovery — and knowing it turns a
chaotic, costly aftermath into a sequence you can follow. This skill triages the first
hours and days, front-loads the safety non-negotiables, and flags the do-not-miss steps
(the photos before cleanup, the claim deadline, the aid you're entitled to) that quietly
cost people the most later. It routes emergencies to services and claims/aid to the
official bodies.
What This Skill Produces
- A triaged action plan in strict order: (1) safety & people, (2) document everything,
(3) notify insurance & register for aid, (4) immediate recovery — because doing these out
of order costs money and safety
- The do-not-miss list: the steps people skip in the chaos and regret — photograph
damage before cleaning up, don't discard items until documented, hit the claim/aid
deadlines, keep every receipt
- Where to get help: emergency services for danger, the insurer to start the claim,
and official disaster-aid/relief programs to register for (which have windows)
- A health & safety brief: the hidden post-disaster hazards — contaminated flood water,
structural instability, mold, carbon monoxide, downed lines — so recovery doesn't create
the next injury
Required Inputs
Ask for (if not already provided):
- What happened and the current situation — are people safe now, is the building safe,
is anyone hurt or missing
- The type and rough extent of damage (flood, fire, wind, evacuation with home intact)
- Whether they have insurance and their [[emergency-doc-kit]] (policy numbers, contacts)
- Where they are (country/area) so official aid/relief routes can be pointed to
Framework
- People and safety first — always. Before anything: is everyone accounted for and
uninjured? Injuries → medical help. Is the structure safe to be in (fire damage, flood,
gas, downed power lines)? Do not re-enter an unsafe building for belongings — this is
where post-disaster deaths and injuries happen. Contaminated flood water, CO, and
structural collapse are the immediate killers; the skill leads here, firmly.
- Document before you touch anything. The costly, universal mistake: cleaning up or
discarding damaged property before photographing it, which cripples the insurance claim.
Photograph and video everything — the damage, every damaged item, the waterline —
before any cleanup, and keep damaged items until the insurer says otherwise. The
[[emergency-doc-kit]]'s home inventory pairs with this.
- Notify insurance and register for aid — mind the windows. Contact the insurer as
soon as safe to start the claim (policy number from the doc kit), and register for
official disaster relief/aid programs, which frequently have application deadlines and
are missed in the fog. Keep every receipt from the moment of the disaster (emergency
accommodation, supplies) — many are reimbursable.
- Immediate recovery, in safe order. Prevent further damage where safe (tarp a roof,
stop water) since insurers expect reasonable mitigation, but not at the cost of safety.
Secure the property, sort temporary accommodation, and preserve the doc-kit records.
Guard against post-disaster scams — fake contractors and charities target disaster
victims ([[scam-message-decoder]]).
- Watch the delayed hazards and the human toll. Mold after flooding, ongoing
structural risk, contaminated water, and the CO risk from generators/pumps during
recovery. And the emotional reality: disaster recovery is a marathon of stress and
grief; name that support (disaster mental-health lines, community relief) is part of
the plan, not weakness.
Output Format
## FIRST: are people and the building safe?
[Everyone accounted for/uninjured? · is it safe to be in the building? · do NOT re-enter an
unsafe structure · the immediate hazards: flood water, gas, power lines, CO]
## Document before you touch anything
[Photograph/video ALL damage and every damaged item BEFORE cleanup · keep damaged items ·
the waterline/extent]
## Notify & register (mind the deadlines)
[Insurer — start the claim (policy # from your doc kit) · official disaster aid/relief —
register, note the window · keep every receipt from now]
## Immediate recovery (safe order)
[Prevent further damage where safe · secure property · temp accommodation · beware
disaster scammers]
## Delayed hazards & support
[Mold, structural, contaminated water, CO during recovery · disaster mental-health/
community support — part of the plan]
⚠ Emergencies → emergency services. This is not legal/insurance advice — route claims to
your insurer and aid to official relief programs, and follow the authorities.
Quality Checks
Anti-Patterns
Related
[[emergency-doc-kit]] supplies the records to start claims; [[insurance-claim]] and
[[claim-denial-decoder]] for the claim itself; [[scam-message-decoder]] for disaster
scams; [[grief-admin]] and [[stoic-setback-debrief]] for the human aftermath;
[[family-emergency-plan]] for reconnecting.
1---2name: after-the-disaster3description: Work through the first hours and days after a disaster — a fire, flood, storm, or evacuation — in the right order: safety and people first, then documenting for insurance and aid, then the immediate recovery steps, without missing the things that cost money or health later. Use when someone says 'my house flooded/burned', 'what do I do after the disaster', 'we just evacuated, now what', or 'the storm damaged everything'. Produces a triaged action plan (safety → document → claim → recover), the do-not-miss list, and where to get help. Not legal advice; routes to emergency services and official aid.4---5
6# After The Disaster Skill
7
8In the hours after a disaster, shock and urgency make people do things in the wrong order —
9re-entering an unsafe building, throwing out damaged items before documenting them (and
10losing the insurance claim), or missing the aid window. There *is* a right order: people
11and safety first, then documentation, then claims and recovery — and knowing it turns a
12chaotic, costly aftermath into a sequence you can follow. This skill triages the first
13hours and days, front-loads the safety non-negotiables, and flags the do-not-miss steps
14(the photos before cleanup, the claim deadline, the aid you're entitled to) that quietly
15cost people the most later. It routes emergencies to services and claims/aid to the
16official bodies.
17
18## What This Skill Produces
19
20- A **triaged action plan** in strict order: (1) safety & people, (2) document everything,
21 (3) notify insurance & register for aid, (4) immediate recovery — because doing these out
22 of order costs money and safety
23- The **do-not-miss list**: the steps people skip in the chaos and regret — photograph
24 damage *before* cleaning up, don't discard items until documented, hit the claim/aid
25 deadlines, keep every receipt
26- **Where to get help**: emergency services for danger, the insurer to start the claim,
27 and official disaster-aid/relief programs to register for (which have windows)
28- A **health & safety brief**: the hidden post-disaster hazards — contaminated flood water,
29 structural instability, mold, carbon monoxide, downed lines — so recovery doesn't create
30 the next injury
31
32## Required Inputs
33
34Ask for (if not already provided):
35- What happened and the current situation — are people safe *now*, is the building safe,
36 is anyone hurt or missing
37- The type and rough extent of damage (flood, fire, wind, evacuation with home intact)
38- Whether they have insurance and their [[emergency-doc-kit]] (policy numbers, contacts)
39- Where they are (country/area) so official aid/relief routes can be pointed to
40
41## Framework
42
431. **People and safety first — always.** Before anything: is everyone accounted for and
44 uninjured? Injuries → medical help. Is the structure safe to be in (fire damage, flood,
45 gas, downed power lines)? Do not re-enter an unsafe building for belongings — this is
46 where post-disaster deaths and injuries happen. Contaminated flood water, CO, and
47 structural collapse are the immediate killers; the skill leads here, firmly.
482. **Document before you touch anything.** The costly, universal mistake: cleaning up or
49 discarding damaged property before photographing it, which cripples the insurance claim.
50 Photograph and video *everything* — the damage, every damaged item, the waterline —
51 before any cleanup, and keep damaged items until the insurer says otherwise. The
52 [[emergency-doc-kit]]'s home inventory pairs with this.
533. **Notify insurance and register for aid — mind the windows.** Contact the insurer as
54 soon as safe to start the claim (policy number from the doc kit), and register for
55 official disaster relief/aid programs, which frequently have application deadlines and
56 are missed in the fog. Keep every receipt from the moment of the disaster (emergency
57 accommodation, supplies) — many are reimbursable.
584. **Immediate recovery, in safe order.** Prevent further damage where safe (tarp a roof,
59 stop water) since insurers expect reasonable mitigation, but not at the cost of safety.
60 Secure the property, sort temporary accommodation, and preserve the doc-kit records.
61 Guard against post-disaster scams — fake contractors and charities target disaster
62 victims ([[scam-message-decoder]]).
635. **Watch the delayed hazards and the human toll.** Mold after flooding, ongoing
64 structural risk, contaminated water, and the CO risk from generators/pumps during
65 recovery. And the emotional reality: disaster recovery is a marathon of stress and
66 grief; name that support (disaster mental-health lines, community relief) is part of
67 the plan, not weakness.
68
69## Output Format
70
71```
72## FIRST: are people and the building safe?
73[Everyone accounted for/uninjured? · is it safe to be in the building? · do NOT re-enter an
74unsafe structure · the immediate hazards: flood water, gas, power lines, CO]
75
76## Document before you touch anything
77[Photograph/video ALL damage and every damaged item BEFORE cleanup · keep damaged items ·
78the waterline/extent]
79
80## Notify & register (mind the deadlines)
81[Insurer — start the claim (policy # from your doc kit) · official disaster aid/relief —
82register, note the window · keep every receipt from now]
83
84## Immediate recovery (safe order)
85[Prevent further damage where safe · secure property · temp accommodation · beware
86disaster scammers]
87
88## Delayed hazards & support
89[Mold, structural, contaminated water, CO during recovery · disaster mental-health/
90community support — part of the plan]
91
92⚠ Emergencies → emergency services. This is not legal/insurance advice — route claims to
93your insurer and aid to official relief programs, and follow the authorities.
94```
95
96## Quality Checks
97
98- [ ] Safety and people are handled first, with a firm "do not re-enter an unsafe building"
99- [ ] "Document before cleanup" is prominent — the costliest common mistake
100- [ ] Insurance notification and official-aid registration are included with their deadline
101 windows and the keep-receipts rule
102- [ ] The delayed hazards (mold, structural, contaminated water, CO) are covered
103- [ ] Emotional/mental-health support is named, and scams are flagged
104
105## Anti-Patterns
106
107- [ ] Do not put property before people — re-entering an unsafe structure for belongings is
108 how the aftermath kills
109- [ ] Do not let cleanup happen before documentation — it destroys the insurance claim
110- [ ] Do not miss the aid/claim deadlines — they're real and easily lost in the shock
111- [ ] Do not ignore the delayed hazards or the mental-health toll — recovery is where the
112 second wave of harm lands
113- [ ] Do not give legal/insurance determinations — route to the insurer, official aid, and
114 professionals; watch for the scams that target victims
115
116## Related
117
118[[emergency-doc-kit]] supplies the records to start claims; [[insurance-claim]] and
119[[claim-denial-decoder]] for the claim itself; [[scam-message-decoder]] for disaster
120scams; [[grief-admin]] and [[stoic-setback-debrief]] for the human aftermath;
121[[family-emergency-plan]] for reconnecting.
Mohit Aggarwal