How to get help, stay safe and protect your sanity after a devastating hurricane

The onslaught of stress, grief and hidden dangers can seem overwhelming. Here’s how to get help, protect your family and take the first steps toward recovery:

Hurricane victims returning to damaged houses face a torrent of challenges – if they’re lucky enough to have a home standing at all. Flooding. Mold damage. Insurance headaches. Deadly hidden hazards. The onslaught of mental anguish and post-hurricane dangers can seem overwhelming. Here’s how victims can stay safe, get help and take the first steps toward recovery: Just because the hurricane is over doesn’t mean it’s safe to drive. Residents should “return home only when local officials say it is safe to do so,” the Federal Emergency Management Agency says. If you see a flooded road, officials stress a life-saving but often ignored mantra: “Turn around, don’t drown.”