While going through old e-mails last night, I came across a missive from DJ Xerox. He lives adjacent to Otto's Shrunken Head on 14th Street, and was temporarily displaced after the fire there back in October...
Given the number of fires of late... I appreciate his advice... not to be a definitive guide, but a good place to start.... Per DJ Xerox:
I would urge you to remind your readers to make sure they have renters' insurance, as your possesions are not covered, just the facilities. I would also say it would be a good idea to keep an envelope of important info ready to go near the fastest exit. And also, take the time to think about two possible escape routes, wherever you are.
jdx took the photo at top last night during the fire on First Avenue...
14 comments:
Hey EV, I want to give you a personal thank you for your posting of this story. I've recently become a bit...addicted to this website and check it multiple times a day, and happened upon your original posting of the fire around 9 PM last night. I quickly recognized the building as my friends, called him (he was at dinner and had no idea about it), and we were able to rush over and save a number of his precious items from his apt as the ceiling continued to collapse from water damage. It was incredibly stupid of us to do it, but he had no renters insurance and I couldn't get him out of there unless we took care of everything we could. Anyways thanks again helping make a terrible situation a little better for us!
EV, any interest in Chez Manufigue sign changing? Blue for black? Lemme know if you wanna pic... not really EV, but perhaps CV>>
@ Spike
Thanks for the comment... Glad to hear that your friend was able to salvage some valuables... ANy word on how long he'll be out of his place?
@Ken Sure!
grieve98@gmail.com
Not yet. The super was saying the building's insurance people we're coming by this morning as well as a crew to clean the debris. My friend went to stay at sister's in Long Island and haven't heard from him yet. Water was still dripping steadily from above four hours later when we left last night.
great photo. and even better advice! thanks for posting.
This is great advice. If you have a pet, I would recommend adding it's records to that stash too.
Keep a couple of fire extinguishers handy (especially in the kitchen), so in case the fire starts in your place you can at least try and stop it before it spreads. Have a 'Save My Pets' sticker on your door so if the firemen go in they know to rescue your animals.
Good info..also get replacement insurance..so when you have to replace all the things that were lost you can still afford them at current prices.
there seem to be a lot more fires down here this year.
are there any records?
thanks for the good reporting.
That's a really cool photo!
Yes, keep a fire extinguisher by the door as well as a box/bag with your keys, ID, meds, etc in it so you can quickly grab it and run. It's also a good idea to keep a collapsible pet carrier near the door that can be quickly accessed. I learned these things that hard way...when it's a fire, every second counts.
If you do have a few seconds to spare, it's can be helpful to quickly cover any electronics with a plastic tarp or garbage bag in case water comes through the ceiling.
When I've looked at renters insurance it doesn't seem to cover things like electronics, media (ie books and records) - so I can't see the point -
I bought one of those fireproof ironbox briefcase things at Brickman and Sons a few years ago for my passport and birth certificate, etc. Also makes it easier for someone to find and steal.
Renter's insurance is often a good idea, but keep in mind that landlords, and even government officials often misstate that you have no recourse if your belongings are destroyed in a fire etc...If the landlord was negligent in the upkeep of the building i.e. if it's a facility where sprinklers are required, or extinguishers were required to be on hand and weren't, or even if the building was constructed in a way that violates the building or fire codes and could have contributed in any way to the spread of the fire, the landlord could be liable for the loss of your belongings (and most of that boilerplate language in your lease purporting to relieve your landlord of liability for such things is completely void and unenforceable).
For a single individual, it's probably cost-prohibitive to hire a lawyer to get paid back for a couple of thousand dollars worth of stuff, but when the whole building gets trashed, the tenants should really consider banding together and hiring an attorney. It's 2010 - I'm always suspicious that corners were cut when, in this day and age, a building is burnt to a crisp so rapidly. I had a friend in Chicago whose building was hit by lightning and literally exploded, she would have died if she hadn't been sleeping at her boyfriend's that night. That simply doesn't happen if a building is constructed according to code, and I suspect that is often the case with these sorts of catastrophic fires as well.
a lot of insurance policies require "extra" sub policies for expensive stuff - collectibles - and the like. it is rather costly.
i think it was something like $100 for $1,000 coverage, i never followed up.
it could be more now
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