Update: Three weeks ago, fire totally engulfed my tiny house, my cute little Scion you’ve probably seen parked at a lot of tiny house events, as well as almost everything else I owned. My husband and I safely got out with the clothes on our backs. Friends and neighbors have kindly brought some things by and people have contributed to a GoFundMe page that was set up, which has been a help. And, of course, my family is pitching in big time. This happened at the worst possible time when everyone in the entire country is facing personal and professional challenges of their own. Clean up and rebuilding plans are all on hold because of those current challenges.

I want to give you some insight into a couple things that have caused me the most problems. This does not only pertain to fire, but includes hurricanes, tornadoes or any other kind of disaster.

I strongly suggest that you read your insurance policies carefully, including the fine print, and maybe have them reviewed by someone knowledgeable, because, in my case, my accessory building and all its contents were excluded on my policy. In addition, the fire that destroyed everything of mine also caused extensive damage to my neighbors’ property; and their insurance company is expecting me to reimburse them thousands of dollars, which is also not covered by my insurance.

Secondly, make sure to secure your important documents and titles, ideally in a fire-proof lock box or in a safe deposit box at your bank. Add to these your pictures, mementos and anything else you hold dear and can’t replace. Luckily by some miracle, some of my pictures were spared with just burned edges. How that happened when everything around them burned to the ground is a mystery.

Feel free to share my story with others and I hope it helps.