# How to Document Storm, Flood, or Fire Damage for FEMA and Insurance > What to photograph after a hurricane, flood, tornado, or wildfire, before you clean up: FEMA's own advice, a room-by-room shot list, what to keep, and how to avoid the contractor scams that follow disasters. *Published: 2026-09-19* ยท *6 min read* Canonical URL: https://timestampcamera.net/photo-guides/document-storm-flood-damage-fema-insurance Before you move anything, take pictures. That's the single most important thing to know about documenting disaster damage, and it's the thing people get wrong most often, because the urge to start cleaning is overwhelming. FEMA puts it plainly: take photos of the damage before you begin the clean-up process, including the outside and inside of the building and damaged personal property, and label them by room before you remove anything. Once that's done, you don't have to wait. FEMA's advice is not to wait to clean up or make repairs. Document first, then get to work. This guide walks through what to photograph, what to keep, and how to organize it so your insurance claim and any FEMA application go as smoothly as they can. **Safety first.** Only go back into a damaged building when local officials say it's safe. Watch for downed power lines, gas leaks, and weakened floors and ceilings. No photo is worth an injury. ## Why the photos matter so much Your insurance adjuster and any FEMA inspector will see the property after the fact. Your photos show what it looked like before anything was moved, dried, or thrown away. Once the wet carpet is on the curb and the fridge has been emptied, that moment is gone. Photos also protect you when a claim is questioned later. A dated photo of water standing in the living room is hard to argue with. ## Outside first Walk the whole property, if it's safe, and take wide shots from every side. Then get closer: - **The roof**, from the ground. Don't climb up. Zoom in on missing shingles, holes, and damaged flashing. - **Siding, windows, and doors.** Broken glass, dents, cracks, and gaps. - **The water line.** After a flood, photograph the highest mark the water reached on the outside walls, fences, or garage. - **Fallen trees and debris**, especially anything that landed on the house, a car, or a fence. - **Vehicles**, from all four corners, with any damage up close. - **Outbuildings, fences, pools, and yard equipment.** ## Then every room, before you touch it Go room by room, and take both photos and a slow video. FEMA's guidance includes a few details that are easy to miss: - **Label everything by room.** Say the room name at the start of each video, or start each set of photos with a shot of the doorway. - **Open closets and cabinets.** FEMA specifically reminds people to photograph the insides of closets and cabinets. That's where a lot of value is hiding. - **Photograph appliances and their labels.** Get the make, model, and serial number of washers, dryers, water heaters, kitchen appliances, TVs, and computers. The label is usually on the back, inside the door, or underneath. - **Show the water line inside too.** A tape measure held against the wall at the water mark shows the depth at a glance. - **Photograph damaged belongings** where they are, before you move them. Then, if you have time, lay out smaller items and photograph them together. If you made a home inventory before the disaster, this is when it pays off, because you can compare what was there with what's damaged. If you didn't, our guide to [home inventory photos](/photo-guides/home-inventory-photos-for-insurance) covers how to rebuild one. ## What to keep, and what to throw away **Keep samples.** FEMA suggests that, where possible, you keep samples of damaged carpet, flooring, wallpaper, and drapes, and of upholstery and window treatments. A small cut piece shows the material and quality better than any photo. **Throw away health risks, after photographing them.** Once they're documented, FEMA says to throw away flooded items that pose a health risk right away, like perishable food, clothing, cushions, and pillows. **Keep every receipt.** For cleanup supplies, repairs, temporary housing, and replacement items. FEMA's advice is simply to save all repair receipts. Photograph them the same day, since receipts get lost in the chaos. Our guide to [keeping photos of receipts](/photo-guides/can-you-keep-photos-of-receipts-irs) covers how to make those photos readable. **Don't wait on mold.** FEMA also notes that National Flood Insurance Program policies won't cover damage from mold, which is one more reason not to leave wet materials sitting while you wait for someone to come out. ## Talk to your insurer before you sign anything Contact your insurance company as soon as you can, with your policy number, and tell them what happened. The time you have to report a claim varies by state, so don't put it off. FEMA also advises consulting your insurance adjuster or company before you sign any cleaning, remediation, or maintenance agreement. Your adjuster can tell you what your policy covers before you commit to anything. To apply for federal help after a declared disaster, FEMA points people to DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA app, or 800-621-3362. ## Watch out for disaster scams Unlicensed contractors and scammers show up quickly after hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and tornadoes. The Federal Trade Commission lists the warning signs. Be wary of anyone who: - says you'll get a discount only if you sign right away, - tells you to sign your insurance check over to them, - wants everything paid up front, - insists on payment by wire transfer, gift card, payment app, cryptocurrency, or cash, - asks you to sign a blank contract, - claims they can help you qualify for FEMA money, for a fee. The FTC recommends getting estimates from more than one licensed and insured contractor, getting everything in writing, and never signing your insurance check over to a contractor. FEMA doesn't charge application fees, so anyone asking for money to help you apply is running a scam. ## Make the dates and places hard to argue with Your phone stores the date, time, and location inside every photo, as long as location is turned on for the Camera. That's useful, but the information is invisible and can be lost when photos are forwarded or uploaded. A timestamp camera prints the date, time, and address on the photo itself. The [TimeStamp Camera app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timestamp-camera-gps-photo/id6760574630) does this as you shoot, which makes each photo self-explanatory when it's printed or attached to a claim months later. It also works without a signal, which matters when cell service is down after a storm. ## Organize it once, send it many times You'll probably need to send the same photos to more than one place: your homeowners insurer, a flood insurer, FEMA, your landlord, a contractor. Organize them once: - **One folder per room**, plus one for the outside and one for receipts. - **Keep the originals.** Copies sent through messaging apps can lose their date and location data. - **Make a report.** The [photo report generator](/photo-report-generator) turns a set of photos into a single dated PDF with each photo's date, location, and address, in your browser. - **Back up to the cloud.** If your home and devices were damaged, the photos need to be somewhere else too. ## If everything was lost After a wildfire or a total loss, there may be nothing left to photograph. The NAIC, the organization of state insurance regulators, suggests working from memory and looking through photos on your phone, or photos from family and friends, taken in your home. Old holiday and birthday photos often show rooms, furniture, and electronics in the background. Those pictures can help rebuild a list of what you owned. Sources: FEMA, "How to Document Damages After Severe Weather Events" and "Don't Wait to Clean Up or Make Repairs"; Federal Trade Commission, "How To Avoid Scams After Weather Emergencies and Natural Disasters"; National Association of Insurance Commissioners, "What You Need to Know When Filing a Homeowners Claim."