Every chapter of this handbook opens with the same instrument: a gauge that weighs the real choices a wildfire forces on you. The needle moves between them, and the lit choice is the one in focus. Here are all eight, one per chapter.
The First 72 Hours
Safe re-entry, the people to call first, and the small actions in the first three days that protect your health, your family, and your future claim.
The needle weighs four choices:
- Stay out
- Gear up
- Call insurer
- Photograph
Your Insurance Claim, Start to Finish
How a California homeowner claim actually works, from the first call to your adjuster through advance payments, your contents list, and what to do when you disagree.
The needle weighs four choices:
- File
- Adjuster
- Advance pay
- Settle
Documenting Everything: Your Loss Inventory
How to rebuild proof of what you owned and lost, room by room, so your claim reflects the full value of your home and belongings.
The needle weighs four choices:
- Photograph
- Room by room
- List items
- Back it up
FEMA, Cal OES, and Disaster Aid
What federal and state disaster programs do, who they are for, how to apply, and how they fit alongside your insurance.
The needle weighs four choices:
- FEMA
- SBA loan
- Cal OES
- Call 211
Housing, Money, and Staying Afloat
Temporary housing, additional living expenses, mortgage and bill relief, and the practical money moves that buy you time and breathing room.
The needle weighs four choices:
- Living costs
- Mortgage
- Replace docs
- Benefits
Health, Mental Health, and Your Family
Smoke and ash exposure, returning safely, and caring for the emotional weight a fire leaves on adults, children, and pets.
The needle weighs four choices:
- Your health
- Mental health
- Children
- Pets
Rebuilding or Relocating
Permits, contractors, underinsurance, and avoiding the fraud that follows disasters, whether you rebuild on your lot or move on.
The needle weighs four choices:
- Rebuild
- Move
- Rent
- Travel
Understanding Wildfire Litigation
What a wildfire lawsuit is, how responsibility is decided in California, and how to tell, honestly, whether legal action might apply to your fire.
The needle weighs four choices:
- The cause
- Responsibility
- Your claim
- Deadlines
One instrument, every icon
The gauge doubles as the book's icon set. Wherever a single step matters in the chapters, you see the whole gauge with just that one choice lit, so you always know where you stand. The insurance claim, one step at a time:
This handbook is general recovery information for people affected by California wildfires. It is not legal, medical, financial, or insurance advice, and reading it creates no attorney-client relationship. Program rules and deadlines change and depend on facts specific to you. Confirm anything that affects a decision with the agency, your insurer, or a licensed professional before you act on it.