First you pray to your god that you can deal with the situation. The try to regroup from the initial shock, which will be very hard to do! Then you call someone who is supportive and has a calming effect on you. Only after you have gathered your thoughs together and feel a measure of control, you call to confirm whether it is true. Get someone who is a trusted confidant and capable organizer to help you to organize your affairs such as, calling concerned friends and family, getting insurance papers together, letting their schools, jobs, ect. know that something tragic has happened. Children or grandchildren of the bereaved will need comfort. Their home will need to be secured if necessary. Hopefully if there is a will involved it will expedite things later. Creditors will have to be contacted soon to let them know. Funeral arrangements are necessary and should respect the wishes of the deceased if they have made them known beforehand. Bank accounts should be secured by someone with the right to do so. Keep in mind that some relatives or friends that have not even been around for years may resurface. They may try to pry to see if there is insurance or to other assets that are in possession. They sometimes will try to control these and benefit themselves to the exclusion of those who should benefit from it. If the only survivor is a young person it will be even harder to resist older adults who may have ulterior motives for their input. Therefore, no one should be allowed to enter the house unauthorized or unattended so as to prevent items from disappearing before there is an accounting of possessions
