How to make a home inventory before a storm hits

A hurricane watch is up, or the fire season map turned red, and you are checking the policy. The wrong assumption is that the insurer already knows what was in the house. It does not. After a loss, the adjuster pays for what you can prove you owned, and FEMA's own guidance says an up-to-date inventory is what speeds a claim and supports any tax deduction for the loss. An hour with a phone tonight is the whole job.

Walk every room recording video on your phone

Start at the front door and film slowly through each room, then open every closet, cabinet and drawer on camera. Say out loud what you are looking at, where it came from and roughly what it cost. Do the garage, attic, basement, shed and the outside of the house. Triple-I recommends capturing whole rooms as well as important individual items, and a narrated video does both in one pass.

Photograph labels and serial numbers on the big items

Go back to appliances, televisions, computers, tools, bikes and anything else with a nameplate. Photograph the label showing make, model and serial number; it is usually on the back or bottom. Photograph jewelry, art, collectibles and instruments individually, next to a ruler or coin for scale.

Write the list while the details are fresh

Open a spreadsheet or the notes app and give each item a line: description, make and model, where you bought it, when, and what you paid. FEMA's fact sheet says photos and video help but to also write descriptions with year, make and model numbers. For anything valuable, note whether you have an appraisal; FEMA suggests one for items whose worth is unclear.

Gather receipts, appraisals and the policy details

Scan or photograph sales receipts, purchase contracts and appraisals and keep them with the list. Add the policy number, the insurer's claims phone number and its claim filing instructions to the same folder, as FEMA advises, so you are not searching for them with no power and no internet.

Store copies outside the house

Upload the videos, photos, list and receipts to a cloud account and copy them to a flash or external drive that goes in a waterproof, fireproof box or a bank deposit box. Leave a copy with a relative or friend. A paper inventory kept in the kitchen drawer burns or floods with everything else.

Check the list against your coverage

Read the personal property limit on the declarations page and compare it with the total on your list. Triple-I notes that jewelry, art and collectibles may need coverage separate from a standard policy, and FEMA notes that home-based business equipment may not be covered at all. Ask the agent about anything on the list that looks over the limit, and add each significant new purchase to the list the week you buy it.

If the storm is hours away. Skip the spreadsheet. Film every room, closet and drawer, upload the video to the cloud before the power goes, and do the written list afterward. A video shot tonight is worth more than a perfect list started next month.

If you rent. A renters policy covers personal property the same way, and the same inventory proves the claim. If you have flood coverage, the flood insurance claim guide explains the separate proof of loss deadline.

Sources. Ready.gov financial preparedness, FEMA P-1097 Document and Insure Your Property, Triple-I how to create a home inventory.