When she evacuated the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles earlier this month, one wildfire survivor managed to save a few things, including the architectural drawings of her house.
What are architectural drawings?
Suze Yalof Schwartz (@suzeyalofschwartz), a meditation and life coach, posted a video of the things she saved, including one crucial item.
She said: "I actually saved something that's important. So if you ever do have to evacuate, if you have the plans of your house … that is a good thing to save."
She noted that the insurance company can hire someone to create them, but having the architectural drawings is better.
Why is saving architectural drawings important?
Wildfires erupted in California on Jan. 7. According to NPR, the fires have burned "more than 40,000 acres" as of Jan. 18.
NPR also reported that 10,000 homes have been destroyed. So grabbing the architectural drawings of your house could be vital for helping you rebuild in the aftermath of a tragedy like this.
Unfortunately, Frontline Wildfire said you are still on the hook for your mortgage even if your home burns down. The good news is that you still own the land and could rebuild, hopefully with the help of an insurance company — though, as many have reported, several home insurance providers have been canceling policies in climate-affected areas such as California and Florida.
The website also noted that "the Contractors' State License Board (CSLB) verifies licensed contractors who can help you."
Having those original plans will be integral to rebuilding your home. You could take more precautions in hopes of not losing your home in another fire. According to NPR, many homes survived the blazes, and experts are investigating how to better prepare homes.
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Move somewhere else 🌎 Forensic analyst Steve Hawks found some things homeowners did to protect their homes before the fire. For example, people removed vegetation from around the house. Space between buildings also played a factor; in one instance, a detached garage was burned, but the home was spared.
He said: "Our research is saying at 10 feet or less, that's so close together that when one ignites and is burning, even good materials have a hard time withstanding that much exposure."
Some of the homes were also fire-resistant. One house had a fire-resistant roof, metal gutters, and "double-paned tempered glass" windows, all of which helped it survive the fires.
Hawks said the home was new and likely complied with California's codes for wildfires.
He said: "We're not going be able to keep fires out from every community under every situation, so we need to prepare communities, and that's at the parcel level."
Wildfire victims will need help rebuilding. Many people have been donating clothes, but The New York Times reported that charities have enough clothing. What the victims really need is money.
You can donate money — or your time, if you are local — to the charities helping the wildfire survivors rebuild. You can find a great starting list here.
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