As we drove down the quiet street in a clean, well-kept neighborhood, the GPS said, "You have arrived.
" However, we didn't need her telling us this; it was obvious! It was a cool, crisp morning.
Even though our windows were up, we could smell the sickening odor of burnt wood.
The smell consumed us.
And if that wasn't enough, the house was completely boarded up.
Every single window was covered with plywood.
The only openings were the front and back doors.
What total devastation! We had arrived to help the homeowners create a home inventory.
This is not an easy task to complete after a fire, because most of the contents are often destroyed completely or charred beyond recognition.
We entered the blackened house through the front door; the only other light was from our flashlights.
Even so, we could see there was little - if anything - left to salvage.
Every single item was completely covered with a layer of black soot.
As we walked from room to room, we could hear water squishing in the carpet beneath our feet.
We also walked over water-soaked clothes, bed linens, towels and stuffed animals.
We're told more than 40,000 gallons of water were needed to put out the fire.
Exiting through the back door, we found the back yard covered with clothing, toys, furniture and some items that could not be identified.
These had been thrown out the window in the hopes of saving items and also to give the firemen room to work.
Shattered glass covered the back patio and was throughout the yard.
The hot tub was full of household items as well.
What a disaster! The landscaping had been destroyed as well.
Flowers, bushes and shrubs were trampled.
What had been a recent and beautiful addition to their property was now mud and broken, dying plants.
Can you imagine how you would feel if this was your house? We wanted to cry, and it wasn't even our house.
A sense of loss overwhelmed us, and it wasn't even our house.
Complete sadness engulfed us, and it wasn't even our house.
Consider the emotion you would be going through.
And then you are told by your insurance agent that you need to list everything that was in your house so you can file your claim.
Everything! Each item that you lost and want your homeowners policy to replace - line by line, item by item! The insurance company needs a list! The homeowners were feeling despair, loss and a sense of being completely overwhelmed.
Having an inventory of your belongings will ease these emotions and will also help you remember and prove ownership.
The list-building will be easier, faster and more thorough.