Heed the warning! My soundsystem and records are a pile of ashes

I do pray. My prayers are with you and your family. I'm so sorry for your losses. 

It's difficult to plan for the "unthinkable". 

So happy to hear you got out of there alive.  

I feel for you in ways you cannot appreciate because you don't realize how much my situation parallels yours. My fire that robbed me of everything near and dear except my wife and my life occurred last april and it continues to be a long haul getting back to normal. Its a heartbreak that doesn't go away. I pray your experience with your insurance is better than ours has been. Hug your wife and kids and never forget to show them how much you love them...I feel your pain in a very profound way. Stay in touch.

In 2018 my house flooded and did extensive damage. My ausio system and record collection was in the top floor attic and was not affected but everything  else in the house was.

Because my wife is detail oriented and her sister is an insurance executive, she immediately began detailing everything about our loss and preserving every communication with our insurance company, the mitigation company and all the contractors. She also built a spread sheet listing evey item imanginable, what the insurance company offered for it and when payment or replacement was done. 

Your loss is worse and I am so sorry for you all all the people affected. My advice is go pick up a portable file box and files, start listing your pwssesions, keeip records and look for photos on your phone or in the cloud that document your losses. Insurance companies tend to pay those people who document well.

Treasure you family!

Very sorry for your loss, really.  Most HO policies will cover your records and equipment from fire, all subject to the total "Coverage C - Personal Property" limit shown in the policy declarations, w/out sub-limits.  There may be endorsements that expand that limit as well, so review your coverages thoroughly.  As opposed to preparing for a fight, come ready to educate the carrier/adjuster on the specifics of what you have/had, whether music gear or otherwise (even the home).  It is a tough ask, especially after such a tragedy, but the concept of helping them to help you goes a long way.  The policy is a contract and says what it says.  They need to see you get the full benefit of the policy terms, and to explain all coverages available to you.  Generally, they want to pay you what is owed, no more or no less.  Valuation of personal property at "like kind and quality" is a thing, nothing new and has been a generally accepted principle for decades.  Are some companies/adjusters better, more skilled, more empathetic than others?  Yes.  People are people in any job/role/industry.  They do not stay awake at night thinking for ways to cheat you.  The plaintiffs bar in CA is skilled and aggressive. Carriers are fully aware of this.   There is always time to fight, but starting from that point can make the process more of a challenge.  Best of luck and wish you and all those directly/indirectly impacted the best possible outcome from all this.  Hang tough.