What to Do in Lawton to Rebuild Your Home After is Destroyed in Severe Weather

While living in Lawton, OK we enjoy such luxuries as a beautiful open sky, exciting-to-watch sports teams, and some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, tornado season is one of Oklahoma’s less-endearing qualities. We all know natural disasters can’t be averted and that sometimes all the preparation in the world doesn’t help. If your home and family are the unfortunate victims of a tornado’s wrath, here are some tips for rebuilding your life and house!

After contacting friends and family to ensure their safety, your next phone call should be to your insurance company. You’ll need to be able to give the company a complete account of what happened in order to expedite the claim process.
As soon as possible after the tornado, begin taking pictures of and assessing the damage. You can also begin making temporary repairs at this point (as long as the house is safe), to prevent further damage to the home.
Next, make an inventory of the items that were lost or damaged. In addition, keep all receipts for supplies used in those temporary repairs, as well as meals and lodging if you stayed at a hotel. Many homeowners’ insurance policies include an additional living expenses clause that covers food and lodging if your house is unlivable. So keep your receipts in case this applies to you.
If you’re on your own in finding contractors for the necessary repairs, be sure to get detailed estimates from licensed contractors.

There are some things you can do to prepare yourself and your home in advance, though. Before the next tornado outbreak:

Ensure that your furnace and hot water heater are attached securely to your home, not unmounted in a utility closet.
Know how to shut off the gas, water, and electricity.
Make sure your fencing is secure.
Remove hazardous and flammable materials.
Check your roof, windows, and siding to make sure they’re secure.
Keep trees and shrubs trimmed.

Losing your home is devastating, but following these safety tips and precautions can help make the process of rebuilding and recovering more manageable. In case of tornado here are the shelter locations in Lawton:

Cameron University Burch Hall - Basement

Address: 2800 W Gore Blvd

MacArthur High School

Address: 4400 E. Gore

Shoemaker Center, Lawton Public Schools

Address: 753 Ft. Sill Blvd.

(north side of Lawton High)

YMCA

Address: No. 5 SW 5th Street

Galilee Missionary Baptist Church

Address: 7 N.E. Bell (Dr. L.K. Jones) Avenue

Do you have any tips for us that you think we should add to the post? Let us know and will update our list!