Tips for the storm’s aftermath

General precautions

Watch out for debris-filled streets and weakened bridges.

Avoid downed power lines and trees entangled in power lines.

Check for electrical damage inside your home: frayed wires, sparks or the smell of burning insulation. If you find damage, do not turn your power on until an electrician inspects your system.

Do not connect a generator directly to your home’s electrical system. Follow the manufacturer’s directions to connect appliances directly to your generator.

Remember that snakes and insects can be a problem after storms.

The state’s price gouging law is in effect. Charging an unreasonably excessive amount in times of crisis is against North Carolina law when a disaster is declared by the governor.

Don’t pay upfront for repair work. Some contractors may require a “reasonable” down payment, but insist on a written contract that details the work to be performed, the cost and a projected completion date. Pay with a check or credit card, not cash.

Beware of people who promise a “guaranteed” loan from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, especially if they require an upfront payment. (FEMA doesn’t charge a loan application fee.) Verify the credentials of anyone offering low-interest government loans by contacting the agency involved.

Beware of a contractor who knocks on your door soliciting work.

Whenever possible, obtain three written estimates for repair work and compare them. Check whether any complaints have been filed against contractors with the Attorney General’s Office and the Better Business Bureau.

Watch out for charity scams. Telemarketing frauds spring into action with phony pleas for donations in the wake of disasters. Check on a charity’s legitimacy by calling the Secretary of State’s Office at 888-830-4989.

Report a scam or fraud by calling the Attorney General’s Office at 877-566-7226 or by filing a complaint on the AG’s website www.ncdoj.gov/

Power outages

Progress Energy customers should report outages to 800-419-6356 or online at www.progress-energy.com/storm, or via smartphones at the company’s mobile website at m.progress-energy.com. Register online before the storm hits.

Progress will update its storm restoration progress at www .facebook.com/ProgressEnergyCarolinas .

N.C. Electric Membership Corp. customers should call the co-op that serves their area to report outages.

Insurance

Report claims promptly, because adjusters handle them first-come, first-served.

Write down your claim number.

Keep records of all contacts with your insurer, listing date, time and a brief description of the exchange.

Find out if the adjuster is an employee of your insurance company or an independent. If independent, find out what company your information is going to and whether it’s authorized to make decisions and payments on behalf of your insurer.

Limit any repairs done before an adjuster’s visit to those needed to protect your home from additional damage.

Before making emergency repairs, take photographs and keep receipts for work done.

Keep receipts for any living expenses, such as hotel costs if your home is uninhabitable.

Consult your insurer or check your policy before hiring a tree removal service. Policies differ on whether tree removal or debris is covered; some policies only cover tree removal if the tree has fallen on your house or other property such as a fence or utility shed.

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Biz Break: Social networking numbers keep rising, Amazon’s new tablet and tech …

Today: More people using social networks. Plus, will Amazon be inspired by HP? And techs lead a mini-rally on Wall Street.

Social networking numbers rising

It might seem like everybody you know is on Facebook, but that’s quite not the case — yet. But they’re getting there.

A new study finds that two-thirds of adults in the U.S. who are on the Internet use social networks, according to the Associated Press. Of those under 30 years old, 61 percent were found to use social networks on a typical day. And it’s not just the younger crowd — the Pew study finds

that on an average day, 32 percent of baby boomers (ages 50-64) use Facebook, Twitter and the like, up 60 percent from last year.

“Baby Boomers are beginning to make a trip to the social media pool part of their daily routine,” said Mary Madden, Pew senior research specialist and co-author of the report.

Overall, half of all American adults are on social sites, according to Pew, a new high-water mark.

Meanwhile, Google (GOOG) made

an eyebrow-raising announcement Thursday that, according to its data, Facebook hit a whopping 1 trillion page views in June. But you might want to take that number with a grain of salt.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Google came up with that figure (which would equal out to something like 15 Facebook views for every person on the planet) based on its DoubleClick Ad Planner rankings, which is a free tool it provides to advertisers. But before you try to count how many zeroes there are in a trillion, CNN’s MoneyTech blog notes that comScore, another widely used — and reportedly more trusted — measurement service, found Facebook had a mere 467 billion page views in July.

Still, that’s what we in the business call “a whole lot.”

Amazon tablet may take cue from HP

It took a severe price drop — to $99 in some cases — to make the HP TouchPad tablet a hit, and Amazon may be taking notice.

An inside source reportedly told the New York Post that Amazon’s upcoming tablet computer will be priced for “hundreds less” that the $499 Apple (AAPL) charges for its entry-level iPad. Amazon’s tablet, expected in September or October, will run on Google’s Android operating system, and analysts say the Seattle-based company may be willing to take a loss on tablet sales as long as they know there’s long-term profit in the sales of apps.

The Post says price may be the biggest weapon in tablet-makers’ attempts to gain market share from Apple. “We expect to see more and more lower-end, more-affordable Android devices enter the marketplace, which should further allow Android to increase its share,” Tony Berkman, CEO of ITG Investment Research, told the Post.

The blog Slashgear says you shouldn’t necessarily expect a $99 device from Amazon, but $299 might be more realistic while still being attractive to budget-minded consumers.

Techs lead mini-rally on Wall Street

The stock market

pulled a surprise mini-rally Friday, after Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. is on track for long-term growth. The Associated Press reports that Bernanke initially disappointed many on Wall Street by saying there would be no additional stimulus measures for the time being. That sent markets diving, with the Dow down 220 points at one time this morning. But Bernanke’s long-term optimism and hint that further stimulus may be considered at next month’s Fed meeting may have provided a boost of confidence, as trading soon picked up and erased those early losses.

The major indexes snapped a four-week losing streak, and finished with their best week in two months. The tech-heavy Nasdaq was the day’s big winner, up 2.49 percent, or 60.22, to close at 2,479.85. The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average rose 1.21 percent, up 134.64 to 11,284.46, and the widely watched Standard Poor’s 500 index rose 1.51 percent, or 17.53, to 1,176.80.

Investors’ initial worries about Apple’s future without Steve Jobs appear assuaged; the Cupertino maker of all things “i” jumped $9.86, or 2.64 percent, to close the day at $383.58. Elsewhere in Silicon Valley, shares in Palo Alto-based VMware shot up 5.72 percent, or $4.59, to close at $84.77; and eBay (EBAY) rose $1.13, or 3.99 percent, to $29.46.

Silicon Valley tech stocks

Up: Apple, Googe, Oracle (ORCL), Intel (INTC), Cisco (CSCO), eBay, Gilead Sciences (GILD), VMware

Down: HP, Yahoo

Check in weekday afternoons for the 60-Second Business Break, a summary of news from Mercury News staff writers, the Associated Press, Bloomberg News and other wire services.

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