The importance of pictures when making an insurance claim
With the news of the massive fires in San Diego this past week, I noticed some advice about the importance of pictures when making an insurance claim on television as I was flipping through the channels, most likely while I got bored watching the Carolina Panthers getting beaten up by the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday.
When you consider the many homes that were totally destroyed in San Diego, the question becomes where should you store the pictures you take of your personal property, certainly, they wouldn't be of any value to you when making a claim if you stored them in your house in the event of catastrophe.
The expert opinion offered was that you should store your pictures at the home of a friend or neighbor or at the safe deposit box you have at your bank. But I wonder whether either of those suggestions is really the best idea. First of all, while we saw homes totally destroyed on a street, amazingly there were others just a few feet away that were left untouched by the flames. But how would you know which neighbor's property would be spared and be a safe place to store your pictures. And couldn't the bank be destroyed as well.
If you haven't discovered Picasa by Google, you should. You can edit your photography but most importantly, you can store your photos online. I'm just surprised no one suggested that idea.
A few more suggestions. We keep a little portable safe in our house with our important documents including our insurance policies. If we should have to evacuate in a hurry, it is packed and ready to go with us along with my laptop. It's all in one place and when time matters, there isn't any need to gather and select what you may want to bring with you.
So whether it's fires, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes or whatever that could potentially ravage your home, take pictures of your possessions and store them safely. There are some very good photography tips from Kodak on how to take good pictures of your home and possessions. Click here.
I would be remiss if I didn't offer my prayers to the families and friends of those who lost their lives and properties in the San Diego fires as well as the college students from The University of South Carolina and Clemson who perished in the beach house fire this weekend in Ocean Isle NC.