Before you begin clean up, take inventory with a camera so you have documentation for any insurance or other damage claims. Try to be ready for the impact of seeing many of your personal items, furniture and your home disturbed or destroyed by the storm and flooding.

These tips from Lowe's Home Improvement Stores will help you get busy with the clean-up and started on the way to returning to your normal life:

• Keep battery-powered radios or televisions at hand for important flood or power updates
• Check the home's exterior and hose down debris and mud left by floodwater
  Open interior doors with caution - doors that stick at the top could indicate a ceiling ready to fall.
• Use fans, dehumidifiers and products such as calcium chloride pellets and cat litter to get rid of excess moisture.
• Remove wet wallpaper - damp wallpaper paste is a prime location for mold to grow.
• Ask a contractor or building inspector to check for mold damage after a flood.
• Scrub all interior surfaces that were in contact with floodwaters with bleach or a household disinfectant containing bleach.

Getting back to normal will take some time, but taking the right steps will make it easier and speed up the process.