Taking care of your basic physical needs is important to ensure no one in your family becomes sick or injured from unsafe food, water, structures, or facilities. You can also take appropriate steps to protect your property from further damage by having professional contractors, inspectors, or appraisers review the extent of damages. Then, you should contact a lawyer, who can review your policy and help you to determine your coverage and policy terms. The attorney may send notice to the insurance agency about your damages. Sending a notice letter to the insurer on your own can potentially harm your ability to make a successful claim. Insurance companies may use the contents of that letter to deny your coverage.