Oregon Homeowners: What to Do If Your Home Is Damaged or Destroyed by a Disaster

Your safety comes first. If your home was destroyed, do not return home unless emergency officials say it's safe.   

Refer to this page for help with temporary housing, food, or other needs after a disaster.

Before you clean up or remove anything, take time to document the damage. This will help with insurance claims, disaster assistance, and repairs.  

• Take photos or videos of all damaged areas inside and outside your home.
• Make a list of what was damaged or destroyed, including furniture, appliances, and personal items.
• Save receipts for emergency repairs, hotel stays, or supplies.
• Write down dates and details while the experience is still fresh.  

Tip: Back up photos and documents to the cloud or email them to yourself.  

Start the insurance process as soon as possible.  

• Call your insurance company or agent to report the damage.
• You may have more than one type of coverage (homeowners, flood, earthquake). Ask your insurer what your insurance covers and review your insurance policies.
• Ask how to file a claim and whether an adjuster will come to your home to assess the damage.
• Keep records of your conversations.

Refer to this article for more help navigating insurance after a disaster.

Let your mortgage company know what happened.    

• Ask about disaster forbearance, which may pause or reduce your mortgage payments.
• Ask what options you have if your home is a total loss or you need to move.
• Keep notes and copies of all communications.  

Caution: Even if your home is destroyed, you will likely still owe your mortgage payments. Always check with your lender before stopping payments.  

You may qualify for government help, even if you have insurance. Disaster assistance can help you pay for:   

• Temporary housing.
• Moving expenses.
• Replacing lost property.
• Disaster clean-up.
• Rebuilding your home.   

Refer to our guide to disaster financial assistance to understand your options.

Once you know what insurance will pay for, how bad the damage is, and whether you qualify for financial assistance, you'll need to decide:  

• Do you repair or rebuild your home?
• Or do you sell the land and move on?  

If you want to repair or rebuild  

• Contact your county or city about building permits to understand the requirements and process.
• If you hire a contractor, make sure you hire a licensed contractor. You can check contractor licenses at search.ccb.state.or.us/search. 
• For more help with hiring a contractor, visit the Consumer Tools section of the Oregon Construction Contractors Board website.  

If you want to move on  

• You may be able to sell your home. You may also have other options.
• Talk to a lawyer to understand your options. After a disaster, you may be able to get free legal help.
• Call Oregon's lawyer referral service or your local legal aid office to get connected with legal help.   

Sadly, you need to be on the lookout for scams after a disaster. Here are two tips for avoiding scams:   

• Be wary of businesses that contact you: Watch out for people trying to sell you services, like disaster clean-up, re-roofing, "free" inspections, repaving, or contractor services. Most reliable companies don't do door-to-door or phone sales targeting disaster survivors; they wait for you to call. 
• Watch out for fake government scams: Sometimes scammers pose as government workers. They may try to steal your personal information, charge you an unnecessary processing fee (or other fee) for disaster relief, or try to get you to pay for something by cash or wire transfer.   

This Oregon Department of Justice guide offers more tips on spotting, avoiding, and reporting scams after a disaster. To report a disaster scam, call the Oregon Department of Justice Consumer Complaint Hotline at 877-877-9392 (toll-free).  

Disasters can be traumatic. It's common to feel scared, tired, or overwhelmed. There is help:  

• 211info: 211 is Oregon's statewide referral service. You can call this number to access local help, such as food pantries, shelters, legal services, counseling, and other support. 
• David Romprey Oregon Warmline: This 24-hour peer hotline provides support in English and Spanish. Call 1-800-698-2392 or visit ccswebsite.org/warmline/ for more details. 
• Disaster-related legal help: Contact Oregon's Lawyer Referral Service or your local legal aid office. You may qualify for free help with these issues.  

Don't wait to ask for support. You're not alone. There are people and organizations in Oregon who can help. Start with the steps above, ask for support when needed, and take things one day at a time.