Welcome to your final tip for Technical Tip Tuesday for CAT Preparedness. We’re closing this month’s series with John Reasoner, Senior Director of Catastrophe Services at Paul Davis Restoration and we saved one of the most commonly overlooked topics for last. We’re diving into one of the most missed items in CAT events. 

To no surprise, it’s organizing your documentation. You have to stay relentless; there is no room for error here. It sounds simple, but it’s a huge gap that we continue to work on filling. You can have the best customer service, flawless execution, and your team can guide the homeowner through the entire process, but if you don’t tell the full story, you will face problems down the road. You and your team are responsible for showing what happened, what the source was, what actions you had to take, and show the work you completed. 

John gives a good quick overview of what good documentation looks like:

• Document every day, not just at the end. You should include photos, notes, moisture readings, PPE usage, progress steps, every piece matters.
• Ensure the customer understands (and receives) what you completed. Signed agreements, job summaries, and copies of reports.
• Save everything, and stay organized. Homeowners may call a year later needing documents for reconstruction permits, FEMA requirements, or insurance requests.
• Don’t forget debris tracking. Where did it go? How was it handled? CAT events generate massive debris, and not all debris is disposed of the same way. Local, state, and even city‑level regulations differ. Restorers must stay aware of those statutes to ensure compliant disposal.

Remember: Gaps in your documentation = gaps in the story. Those gaps usually occur in the middle of the job, where most of your work occurs. 

A special thank‑you to John and the Paul Davis Restoration team for sharing their expertise throughout this month’s series.

We’ll see you next month for another round of Technical Tip Tuesday.

Take care!