Recovery and Rebuilding
Replacing documents, notifying agencies, restoring utilities, and handling the administrative load that comes with every disaster. Step-by-step guidance for each task.
Replacing lost documents after a disaster is harder than it sounds, and it matters more than most people expect. A Social Security card, birth certificate, or driver's license is required for nearly every other recovery process: registering with FEMA, applying for an SBA loan, accessing medical care, enrolling children in a new school. The administrative recovery process often must happen before the financial recovery process can begin.
Each document type has a separate replacement process, a separate agency, and different requirements. Some require proof of identity to replace documents that prove identity, which creates a circular problem for people who lost everything. Federal agencies have processes designed specifically for disaster victims, and several states have disaster-specific expedited replacement programs. Knowing which door to go to first matters.
The utility restoration process is often more complicated than residents expect. Electric, gas, water, internet, and phone service may be restored on different timelines by different entities. Some require a property inspection before service can be restored to a damaged structure. Understanding what you need to provide to each utility company, and in what order, avoids delays and prevents unsafe situations.
Act first
Important first step
Set up USPS mail forwarding immediately if you are displaced from your home. Mail forwarding takes several days to activate, and FEMA correspondence, insurance documents, and government notices will be sent to your registered address. Go to usps.com or any post office to submit a change of address.
Go to the official resourceGuides in this section
Driver's license, state ID, and passport replacement after a disaster. State-specific processes and disaster expediting options.
Guide coming soon
Birth certificates, marriage licenses, death certificates, and Social Security cards. Who issues them and how to request replacements.
Guide coming soon
What each utility requires before restoring service, how to track restoration status, and what to do if restoration is delayed.
Guide coming soon
USPS mail forwarding, Social Security address update, employer notification, and school enrollment for displaced children.
Guide coming soon
Replacing debit and credit cards, notifying banks of address changes, and accessing funds when normal access is disrupted.
Guide coming soon
Accessing medical records, continuing prescriptions, and locating medical providers in a new area during displacement.
Guide coming soon
Before the next one
The administrative recovery process is significantly easier when vital documents are stored in a waterproof, fireproof container and digital copies exist in cloud storage. See our guide to building a household document kit before a disaster.
See the guideSources