Returning home, recovery and wellbeing

Wait for permission to return and use the route advised. Check structural, electrical, gas, water and contamination restrictions separately. A restored power supply or a reopened street does not clear every hazard in a property.

Keep a simple record of the incident: official instructions, dates, damage photos taken safely, expenses and help requested. Contact your insurer, landlord and local authority as appropriate. Ask for support if you cannot stay at home. Do not sign a repair contract or pay an emergency 'official' from an unverified message without checking their identity.

Restarting safely: Obtain qualified checks for damaged utilities, follow food and water guidance and do not use equipment that was submerged or damaged until it is assessed. Leave hazardous dust, chemicals and radiation clean-up to properly instructed specialists. Do not give children or pets access to a suspect garden until the relevant restrictions have been addressed.

Emotional effects: Shock, disturbed sleep, distress, anger or difficulty concentrating can follow frightening events. Simple routines, suitable rest and contact with trusted people may help. Limit repeated exposure to graphic images and unverified news. Let children ask questions and give truthful explanations suited to their age; do not promise an event can never happen again.

Seek support from your GP or the relevant NHS service if distress is severe, persistent or interfering with daily life. Do not tell someone they must wait a fixed number of weeks before seeking help. Call 999 for an immediate threat to life, including a mental health emergency.

Review the household plan: Replace used supplies, note what did and did not work, check new care needs and update contacts. Make one useful improvement at a time. Avoid treating an upsetting experience as a reason for panic buying or assuming every future disruption will be the same.

For the site, keep recovery advice separate from live clearance decisions. An article can explain the recovery process, but it cannot authorise return to a building, drinking from a supply or entering a cordoned area.