Flood/ storm damage. Where to begin?

[OldCrowMedicineShow]

Our house has been hammered by the recent storms but the worst appears to be roof damage and rain water is pouring in, down the walls and has taken the kitchen ceiling off.
Would the best plan of action be to remove all the plaster from the bedroom (above the kitchen) walls and ceiling? Half the ceiling fell down anyway and it is heavy old stuff from the 1930s.
How to dry the place out? There is no electricity but there is a tiny fire in the bedroom (which has never been lit for years).
I want to lie on the floor and howl but that won't get things done. Please could you help me work to a plan. The good news is that I have two Hippo bag skips.
I don't want to drip feed but we are not living in our home because of the damage but are spending time during the day trying to fix it/ dry it out.
Thank you.

[TweenageAngst]

Before you even start cleaning up get the roof fixed so that it is water tight.
Then clear it out room by room, set a small goal each day. Once all the debris/rubbish/soaked carpets are out of the way then worry about drying it out.
I am sorry to hear your have been flooded. It is so heartbreaking

[OldCrowMedicineShow]

Thank you TweenageAngst.
We are trying to get a roofer but will go up on the roof tomorrow to try and patch it for the meantime. The roofers are in huge demand just now.
The carpets are up but I had no idea that the clean up would be so enormous, plaster and everything.

[TheTeaFairy]

Really feel for you OP - hope you get your home dry soon

[specialsubject]

nightmare - I know there are areas of the country where many are in this position.

do you have insurance? (I also know that there are many who couldn't get it, which is a separate scandal along with over building, poor land management etc). If so, what do the insurers say to do?

don't light the fire - it won't help and if the chimney isn't clear you could risk more problems

[wonkylegs]

If you have an insurer you need to do what they say otherwise you risk your claim.
If you don't it's a matter of making it watertight again, and then stripping out the sodden plaster and any other saturated material. Make sure you don't have water trapped in insulation (acts like a sponge) or hidden in voids in the floor/ceiling.
Agree about not lighting the fire - unless you know the chimney is clear and you've had it swept recently you could cause more problems (chimney fire) than you would solve on the drying out.
Why have you no electricity?
Can you get this sorted and get hold of some dehumidifiers?
If not keep the place well ventilated (on dry days) a good cross flow of air will help with drying the house.
Hope you get it sorted, I really feel for you my father lost his whole roof in a storm and the damage was immense and has taken almost a complete rebuild of his property, it's taken a lot of work and time to sort out.