The American Institute of CPAs has published Disaster Recovery: A Guide to Financial Issues, in cooperation with the American Red Cross and the National Endowment for Financial Education.
The guide, written to help disaster victims regain their financial balance, advises among other things:
• Try and avoid making major financial decisions.
• If you need cash, contact the Red Cross, and if you are in a major disaster area, call the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help in locating sources of emergency cash assistance.
• If you don’t think you’ll be able to pay bills, contact creditors and request more time. If your residence is temporarily uninhabitable or totally destroyed, notify service companies – i.e. utility and phone – so they can stop billing immediately.
The guide is available free of charge from the AICPA Web site,
http://pfp.aicpa.org/NR/rdonlyres/2D814D5A-5634-4D2C-B436-2391490C15C9/0/Recovery.pdf
and at local Red Cross Chapters.
